I just wanted to continue talking....or should I say blogging about the Calgary Science School. I guess it is not enough to simply say that it looked like I imagined, or it was everything I thought. I guess for me, I know what I mean. Others may want to know why it made such an impression.
Just a few of the examples that really impressed me were:
One of their teachers was showing us how all the student laptops could be monitored. They have no filters at their school....imagine that. They allow their students a chance to prove that they are responsible enough to choose appropriate websites...but they can be monitored. Anyhow, it happened to be during recess when we were looking at students that were using their laptops, 9 in total. Every single student was on task, doing work, I couldn't believe it, that is engagement. I was just so impressed to see how all students were doing what they were supposed to be doing.
Another really neat thing about having the teacher being able to see all the student monitors/screens on a master screen, was to help. If a student was having problems, the teacher could watch what the student was doing, then send a message if the student needed help. I think I talked about the class that was creating pinball machines (I believe using the program Phunball??), the teacher can take over the students laptop and show them an example.
I really got the feeling that the teacher was more of a facilitator. The students were in charge of their learning and the teacher was their to help in any way that was needed. There was no "sit and get."
One more really neat practice that we saw was for phys.ed. The teacher actually video taped the students during football. The students were then able to watch the video, record their comments over the video, and assess themselves. They did this every year so they were able to look back and see if they improved and what may still need work.
So I guess they are just a few examples, but I hope it helps you visualize why I was so impressed. For me, I thought it showed excellent examples of how to integrate technology in a meaningful way. I was also impressed by the amount of team work/group work and collaboration that was evident.
Until next time :)
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Thanks for sharing these observations, Lisa! I can see why you were impressed, and so am I! When learners are so engaged that they are immersed in their learning and oblivious to everything else around them -- ahhhh, what a feeling!
ReplyDeleteAnd no filters! I'm so jealous! I'm really interested to hear more about how those negotiations and that decision came about. Has there been any flack? I think it is absolutely critical that we work in open environments with our students so we can be part of the learning/maturation that comes with making good decisions about using the Web. A media literate society is a goal we can have, and we need exposure to the full range of possibilities for our students and ourselves to build learning environments that are authentic and meaningful, IMHO. And I want to believe we can trust our teachers and students to engage the outside world wisely.
Oh, I too am very jealous of the "no filters"!! I wish :)
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