Trap Hill Middle School Digital Literacy Day

 

Last week I had the pleasure of visiting Trapp Hill Middle School. This school is unique, there is a pilot program in progress, concerning DIGITAL LITERACY! The ratio of tablet to student is 1:1! It was a wonderful experience to meet the DYNAMIC Gina Dye who is the current Technology Integration Specialist. She went without lunch to fill me in on all the fantastic events that are happening with the introduction of computers into  the classroom.

Mrs. Dye took my breath away as she discussed the implementation of digital learning in her classroom. Believe it or not she is a math teacher and her students are loving math. You heard it here, loving math!

When I asked Mrs. Dye what the most extensive and positive change the computers had made in her students she used one word and she used it a lot MOTIVATION> Who wants to do math? It is my nemesis, my worst subject, my Achilles heel. I would much rather eat spinach, liver and worms. I am not in middle school! She said that her students had done over 130 thousand math problems, there are approximately 75 students in her classes. This is roughly 1,733.33 math problems per student! There are pie charts on the wall to depict the students progress, the color green represented areas that the students had mastered. Never have I seen so much green pie!! There is always a negative, the only downside is computer maintenance. Keeping these computers up and running with constant use is imperative. If a student does not have their tablet then the class has to revert to other methods.

We chatted for a long time about many things. She informed me about the importance of agenda's. The students know what they need to do and when it is due. They are responsible for their learning. We chatted about my digital literacy class, she even gave me tips on my upcoming assignment in wordle! Thank you Mrs. Dye, for everything, your time, enthusiasm and your tips for my homework. I plan to go back and watch the students in action. It made me laugh when she told me that punishment now is a worksheet and a pencil, boring!

This week we were to explore Second World. What a crazy experience for me with an infinite learning curve. Having never played a video game in my life I was starting with no virtual experience.

Second World is exhausting. You may laugh as it is a virtual world and you never leave your seat. But, there are worlds to fly over, endless walking, so much to see. A lot of extra energy is used when you walk into walls and get stuck behind a tree.

There were a lot of beautiful things to behold. In my mind I realize that I touched the tip of the iceberg. Some of my favorite places to explore were English city and Drive by ESL. Each of these places warrant further exploration and discovery. These locations will eventually find their way into my classroom!

Interacting with the other avatar's was similar to my high school experience. I felt like the nerd all over again. These types of interactions will take time and practice. It takes courage to enter a new world and try to chat with a stranger. My opinion of Second World is Under Construction!

Everyone gasp! This is a provocative adult image. Believe me I received an education far away from the classroom. "Griefers" were messing with me and I got sent to a bizarre site. It was a little like being new to a city and stepping into a bar and getting that feeling that maybe you are in over your head. My wish is that everyone had a virtual guide to lead them through some of the pitfalls. I watched a lot of tutorials, but there is nothing that prepares you for the real thing. The virtual thing??

Adobe Connect is a fantastic tool. My AHA! moment came this weekend when Shewyn had to guide me through Second World. Also she helped me tweak my e-portfolio. (TWICE) For some reason things were not cooperating with me. The screen sharing and the discussion with a real person helped calm me down and point me in the right direction. This is a great tool and even though it has a 2-D format and there aren't that many bells and whistles, no scantily clad avatars, this is a valuable learning resource, I know I was on adobe connect most of the weekend! Thank you Shelwyn you have unbelievable patience.

What a weekend for new experiences, a meltdown and a reboot! K