Observation: Innovation Middle

Innovation Middle, or iMiddle as all the cool people call it, is a STEM magnet school.  Currently the school only serves grades seven and eight.  The school's curriculum functions around the concept of one laptop per child.  Each student is assigned a laptop to which they are responsible for and required to bring it to each class.  The school has wireless internet for students to access while on campus and prepaid AT&T 3G for off campus use. 

What I have observed:
1.  Each student is required to bring their laptop charged to every class.  Part of their homework to to charge their computer.  If they come to class too many times without their laptop charged or come without their laptop, they get lunch detention.
2.  Students put projects together via powerpoint, word, prezi, and glogster.
3.  Active Engaged is used for review.  I have seen it used in two forms.  The first being the questions with the choices are posted on the Promethean Board while the corresponding letters are on the student laptops.  The students choose a letter and the responses are graphed so that there can be immediate feedback.  The second way is through individual pacing.  Questions and responses are posted on student computers.  Students are able to answer in their own time and only can move to the next question after choosing the correct answer.  While all this is happening, each students progress is sent to the teachers computer.  With both these uses, the program puts everything into an spreadsheet.  It breaks up results in multiple formats so that the teacher may analyze data in various ways.
4.  Document camera proves to be invaluable, especially in a science classroom.  It makes what is going on up front accessible to all students in the classroom.  Students are able to easily see from any place in the room.
5.  All resources for students are posted on moodle.
6.  Students are able to keep track of their grades via the internet.
7.  Teachers are able to monitor students via their computer.  Each student screen is displayed on their computer screen.  They can even send messages and take control.
8.  In some classrooms, teachers are using the idea of a flipped classroom.  They create videos that teach students the content for homework.  The teaching is taking place at home.  They are then using the time in the classroom to spend time answering questions and working individually with students.

I definitely think that it is amazing that every student is able to have a laptop.  I am pretty sure my family didn't even have a computer in the house when I was their age.  I am glad that students are being exposed to technology at a much younger age as it is an invaluable tool.  The unfortunate thing I notice is the time it takes to set up the laptops.  In my opinion so much time is wasted because teachers are waiting for laptops to be turned on or to join the Active Engage session.  In addition technology is great when it is working, but there are times when it does not run smoothly.  In some cases, teachers become so dependent on the use of technology that they do not have contingency plans or know what to do when technology fails.  However, the capabilities of what teachers and students can do because of the accessibility of technology is impressive.  It sure beats going to the computer lab and practicing typing on the computers with the green screens and floppy disk.