Lessons of the future
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on June 29, 2015 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/MELISSA KEY
Chris Chase, seventh-grade English teacher at Greenwood Middle School, demonstrates a program called Tellegami that allows students to create an avatar for presentations that he will utilize during his class time in the Model Ready Classroom -- the only space like it in the district. In addition to having several technology options for students like iPads, laptops and Apple TVs, the room is also set up for "cooperative grouping," Chase said. He is seated behind a circular desk, with student chairs surrounding him for ease of working with a small group.
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News-Argus/MELISSA KEY
Dr. Bethann Fine-Cole, STEM instructional liaison director, shows how smart boards can be utilized along with programs like Blendspace to create lesson plans that use technology to enhance learning.
At first glance, it might be any other classroom.
But, instead of a blackboard and chalk, this room at Greenwood Middle School has whiteboards, iPads, laptops and Apple TVs.
Instead of neatly placed rows of desks and chairs, it has semi-circular tables where the teacher can sit in the midst of a small group of students and promote the trend of "cooperative grouping."
"It's like moving from the middle ages to the modern age," said Chris Chase, a seventh-grade English teacher at the school. "Having this technology at the school with the infrastructure that we have is important.
"It allows you to bring, I would say, the 22nd century into the classroom."
The setup enables teachers to be more innovative, Chase said.
"They want technology, they want interest, they want pizazz," he said, adding that it also allows educators to bring different instructional approaches to all groups -- the exceptional child and the gifted children, for example -- meeting them wherever they are. "Teachers can move around the room. Kids are always seated together because they need to collaborate."
It is what Ken Derksen, director of communication services for the district, calls an active learning environment.
"Students can be working on the white board. They can connect their iPads, do a presentation and displays," he said. "They can work on laptops, do group work, online projects."
Wayne County Public Schools recently unveiled the Model Ready Classroom, the only one in the district, at Greenwood. It was made possible by funds from the Department of Defense Education Activity Educational Partnership, or DoDEA, grant received in 2012.
The $1.6 million three-year grant went to seven schools with a high concentration of military-connected students. Those that shared funding included Greenwood, Meadow Lane Elementary, Northeast and Northwest elementary schools, Norwayne Middle, Tommy's Road Elementary and Wayne School of Engineering.
In addition to providing professional development for teachers, the grant strengthened the efforts to become a model science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, district.
Dr. Sandra McCullen, interim superintendent for WCPS, was credited with developing the Model Ready Classroom concept.
"It's Dr. McCullen's brainstorm, actually, this is her baby," said Sharon Barber, career technical education lead teacher. "Ken (Derksen) stepped in on the media side.
"We have 35 laptops, we have 40 iPads, two Brightlinks and then we have the flatscreen with two Apple TVs."
Thirty-five teachers from the seven schools were part of the team that underwent training toward implementing the additional technology, including Chase.
"We went to be trained once a month for all 10 months on different applications and how to use it," he said. "It was an easy transition. I was already using iPads in other counties (where I worked). So for me it was just a chance to perfect skills and come up with some different ways of doing things."
At a ribbon cutting and unveiling of the new set-up, Mrs. McCullen said she hopes to replicate the idea across the county and eventually have similar classrooms at all of the schools. In the meantime, the classroom will be used by students at the school as well as for professional training for educators.
"We wanted a model classroom so that our teachers could see how to use the iPads from the DoDEA grant," she said. "With a classroom like this we can show that we leveraged our money. That will help us get more grants."
Greenwood principal Rolanda Best praised Mrs. McCullen's leadership on the Model Classroom.
"She's truly a visionary. When she came to Greenwood and talked with me about her vision for this classroom, of course I jumped on that," she said.
With rapidly changing technology, the district needed to expand the computer lab concept to keep pace, Mrs. McCullen said.
"Every year we get new students," Chase said. "At a time when resources are taken away from us, we have to keep innovating.
"With this kind of technology at our fingertips, we have an opportunity to have that innovation."