I listened to Turning on Technology by the George Lucas Educational Foundation at edutopia.org. I chose this podcast because I thought it would be a good introduction to what other schools are doing about integrating technology. The school highlighted in this segment is the Forest Lake Elementary School in Columbia, South Carolina. They have a partnership with NASA.
While one would think that having NASA as a partner, they would be the most high tech grammar school out there. This was not the case. They had lots of technology but it did not appear to be more than most. The school felt that they used and maximized the technology that was available to them to the best of their ability. They also felt that this type of learning is what is most comfortable to the students.
The teachers had mandatory collaborative meetings each week. They feel that it is essential to work as group to educate the children. They wore NASA lab coats while teaching and I thought that looked pretty cool! To assist the teachers in evaluating students, they were provided with palm pilots. It looked to me that the school did a great job using the technology available to them! Way to go Forest Lake Elementary!
Having NASA as a partner seems so cool. I have a feeling that this school is really focused on the sciences. I especially like the fact that the teachers collaborate weekly, that is so important for a continuity in teaching and it makes sure that things don't feel disjointed. And I would love to wear a lab coat, it would help me feel "official". I just wonder how they use those palm pilots though.
ReplyDeleteAgain, this is a school I'd like to Google!