Joplin Schools Digital Learning Day
By: Shayla Patrick
Updated: February 7, 2013
JOPLIN - Fifth grade student Jullian Garrett is hard at work on a project few kids his age attempt to take on.
"We have to use word to like put the document in and we're going to make websites out of it," explained Garrett.
It's a special assignment for Joplin students at Cecil-Floyd Elementary School as part of digital learning day.
"A lot of teachers maybe don't have the technology in their classrooms," says 5th grade teacher Heather Asbell. "So it's a day where you especially emphasize what technology can do in our classroom with our learning," Asbell adds.
Teachers say today's exercise was designed to promote critical thinking. They hope it will be more challenging than the everyday classroom computer lessons.
"Technology, yeah we are using it everyday but not everyone is that fortunate so what does it do for us. and we think about how it encourages our collaboration, because one computer for every two students," says Asbell. "We are thinking critically, we are finding resources," she adds.
Resources that students of this up and coming digital generation say enhance their learning process.
"It makes it more fun than just learning out of a social studies text book because who has time for that," asks Garrett?
"In high school since we will get laptops, we will probably from 5th grade already know how to use some of the things and since we have computers it will help us a lot," explains fifth grade student Alyvia Jackson
And after overseeing the production of several websites created by dozens of eager students, teachers say it was well worth the extra effort.
"I definitely encourage everybody to participate in digital learning day," says Asbell. "I feel like anything that you can do to help those kids to prepare for their future, which is going to be digital in some fashion, will just be a huge betterment for them," she explains.
Digital Learning Day was introduced by The Alliance for Excellent Education in 2012.
"We have to use word to like put the document in and we're going to make websites out of it," explained Garrett.
It's a special assignment for Joplin students at Cecil-Floyd Elementary School as part of digital learning day.
"A lot of teachers maybe don't have the technology in their classrooms," says 5th grade teacher Heather Asbell. "So it's a day where you especially emphasize what technology can do in our classroom with our learning," Asbell adds.
Teachers say today's exercise was designed to promote critical thinking. They hope it will be more challenging than the everyday classroom computer lessons.
"Technology, yeah we are using it everyday but not everyone is that fortunate so what does it do for us. and we think about how it encourages our collaboration, because one computer for every two students," says Asbell. "We are thinking critically, we are finding resources," she adds.
Resources that students of this up and coming digital generation say enhance their learning process.
"It makes it more fun than just learning out of a social studies text book because who has time for that," asks Garrett?
"In high school since we will get laptops, we will probably from 5th grade already know how to use some of the things and since we have computers it will help us a lot," explains fifth grade student Alyvia Jackson
And after overseeing the production of several websites created by dozens of eager students, teachers say it was well worth the extra effort.
"I definitely encourage everybody to participate in digital learning day," says Asbell. "I feel like anything that you can do to help those kids to prepare for their future, which is going to be digital in some fashion, will just be a huge betterment for them," she explains.
Digital Learning Day was introduced by The Alliance for Excellent Education in 2012.
Comments
This sounds like a great program. Congrats students and teachers. Julian you ROCK!!
Julie M.
February 6, 2013 at 9:45 pm
