SECTION TITLE
Education and Technology at Hebron BY EMILY BONIS, DEAN OF FACULTY
Walking into any class at Hebron Academy during this past year, one would immediately notice that things were very different. During a visit to Dr. Swenton’s ninth-grade Conceptual Physics, hybrid learning was on full display. On this particular day, there were nine “Roomies,” as Dr. Swenton affectionately calls her in-person learners, and six “Zoomies,” her distance learners. The class was beginning an investigation of color-blindness with the eventual goal of designing and creating a solution for a particular case study.
A
s Dr. Swenton introduced the lesson, each student was working on a digital notebook to locate resources and background information. After some initial discussion, students went into “breakout” rooms, which included a combination of in-person and distance students working together in real time with their computers, where they were discussing what they already knew about the topic and defining the questions they needed to answer to move forward. During this discussion, all students were working together regardless of their locations, which fostered the sense of community that is central to the Hebron
experience. Dr. Swenton navigated these two realms by intentionally drawing the distance learners into conversation with the in-person students and by seeking each group’s input throughout the class period. The use of the digital notebooks, Zoom breakout rooms, and the lab’s “owl camera” all had the intended effect of bringing students together to create a collaborative and supportive learning experience. Clearly, none of this innovative learning would be possible without the use of numerous technologies. Along with utilizing Zoom, a small number of Hebron teachers this past
HEBRON MAGAZINE
8
year tested the Meeting Owl, a conference camera that makes any classroom a hybrid learning environment by providing a 360° view of the classroom. Other tools that support a hybrid learning environment—such as virtual science labs, digital notebooks, virtual bulletin boards, and screencasting apps—have also been widely used in Hebron classrooms. The community has adjusted to this new reality, and teachers and students alike have learned a great deal through this process of adjustment and change. What we’ve realized time and time again is that connection is what is most important, both the connection between teacher and student or student and student.
