Class+Conversations

=  __8th Grade Technology Day__  =

“Technology: The Missing Key to Effectively Learning Content Skills”
 Aligning Technology with Content and Pedagogy

April 2009
==Information for school board members, administrators, community members, and students! ==

 [[image:girls_at_computer.jpg align="center" caption="girls_at_computer.jpg"]]
=Description: =

** General Description of the Students: **

 * Most of the students come from a suburban, middle or upper class environment. There are 205 8th graders. Six percent of these students are economically disadvantaged. Ten percent are minority students. The attendance rate is 97 percent . Of these students, three and one-half percent have been identified as having special learning needs. These needs include autism, Cognitive Disabilities, Specific Learning Disabilities, and Emotional and Behavioral Disabilities. **

General description of the school:
The building is a two-story, brick building with 80,500 square feet and was built to serve 600 students in grades 6-8. There is a 200-seat dining area, one science lab, a music room: complete with risers for choir practice and audio equipmentand, and an art complex. The School's Media Center is managed by a full time Library Media Specialist and a part-time clerk. The 1,800 square foot facility contains a collection of books and magazines but also a music and audio collection of CDs and a varietyof other information formats to enrich the academic content standards. The center is designed to be a welcoming place with furnishings, displays, and personnel. Students, teachers, and the teaching staff can do research and can also relax, browse, and read. The ductwork, heating, and ventilating systems are all exposed which provides for an educational and interesting structure.

The building is an example of design facilitating learning. It provides spaces that are both flexible and inspiring. The school has a series of gathering spaces that can be used for various academic and social purposes throughout the day. The largest of the gathering areas is near the school’s entrance. Meetings, skits, and other school functions happen here.

General description of the classroom:
The academic areas include spaces for gathering, exhibiting projects, and anything else that requires some space. The academic areas are designed to be used by a variety of teachers over the course of the day. Chairs and tables can be rearranged according to the needs of the lesson for the day.

These academic clusters are linked by a large open hallway lined with skylights. This area can also be used for gathering or exhibiting art work. These areas were designed to encourage learning and student achievement.

General description of the computer facilities in the school:
The computer room has both MacIntosh and Dell computers, printers, computer microphones, and computer Internet cameras. There is wireless Internet access as well as a wired networking system. Available software includes: Microsoft, Adobe products, AutoCAD, Audience Response System-Turning Point, and Power Point. There are scanners, an interactive whiteboard, Interwrite School Pads, an In Focus computer projector, Palm handheld computers, and GPS devices. There are digital cameras, video cameras, and large projection screens.



 * Prepared for Computer Applications in Education (ITEC 57430) by:**

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