Professional Learning
Engaging the Next Generation With Digital Tools
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echnology permeates our schools. Today’s students use devices, programs and mobile computer labs. Textbooks have given way to digital resources. Even the role of the teacher as one who shares essential knowledge has faded. The need for educators to design engaging work, guide students through meaningful experiences in a learning platform and create or curate content-rich, engaging resources is paramount. On a weekend in February, 73 teachers and principals from the PAGE High School Redesign Initiative (HSRI) delved into Engaging the 1 Next Generation (ENG2). The workshop, designed by the Schlechty Center, examines how digital tools factor in learning and engagement. “We see this need all across the country,” says Ron Wright, Schlechty Center senior associate.
1. (l-r) Heritage HS (Catoosa) teachers Natalie Atwell, Tammy Gibson, Robyn Hope, Karen Wolfe, Rhonda Sixto and Loraine Young. 2. Schlechty Center Fellow Terri Ponder from Rome City Schools. 3. (l-r) Assistant Principal Ryan McKinnon and teacher Elizabeth Gable of Carrollton ES and Cartersville MS teachers Lindsay Montgomery,
“It is one thing to purchase and distribute devices. It is altogether another challenge for teachers to know how to use digital technology in an effective and engaging manner.” If teachers are not granted this training, they (and by association, their districts) will fall back on one-size-fits-all technology that readily bores students. Workshop participants examined ways in which to engage students with resources. For example, a teacher solely locked in on content may scour the Internet for a content-appropriate video. The teacher
Sarah Belisle and Dana Burton.
may then assign the video, expecting students to study it; but a teacher who understands the integration of technology and engagement will, in addition to choosing accurate resources, also evaluate why students might engage with the video and why they might volunteer their best efforts to learn the content. Such a teacher might consider the following: Does a particular student need authenticity or variety to engage? If so, how might the chosen digital resource address those needs? Perhaps some students value choice. Could they
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4. Foreground, Cartersville ES teacher Ashley Scoggins; background (l-r), Carrollton ES Principal Karen Wild, Schlechty Center Senior Associate Annissa Roland and Crisp County HS teacher Shannon Williams. 5. (l-r) Lakeview FortOglethorpe HS (Catoosa) teachers Laura Cole and Traci McCracken.
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20 PAGE ONE
May/June 2016
