Wednesday, August 2, 2017

What does a Classroom for Today look like?

In my last post, I shared some examples of students engaged with content through the use of technology. However, that is just the beginning. What happens when students take control of their own learning? 

Over the spring and summer, I've been interviewing instructional technology coaches and administrators about the transformation they have seen occurring in their districts.

In this clip, Melissa Fedigan, a technology coach from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania shares a story of casually popping into the class of a teacher she has worked with for years. His students were learning about the Holocaust. When Melissa heard that, she told him about the pictures her grandfather had taken upon arriving at some concentration camps after World War II. She told the teacher how just that week, her mother had shared her concerns that the pictures would begin to fade and someday be worthless.

At that moment, the teacher had an idea, and the project took on a life of its own. As the year wrapped up, these students were viewing history through the photographs and eyes of someone who lived it.

However, the story does not stop there. This year's class gave a recommendation to their teacher. Next year's students will not only be viewing history; they will be hearing it through several primary sources.

It's amazing what can happen, when students construct their own knowledge. I can't wait to see and hear the results.

Here is a clip of Melissa telling the story.



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