1:1 A Look Back

Oskaloosa High School

Oskaloosa, Iowa – The Oskaloosa High School has just finished their first year as a 1:1 Laptop school. Here are some examples of how the computers have been utilized in the classrooms and by the teachers and students over the course of the year.

Language Arts Department

The high school English department uses technology in a variety of ways. Teachers use StudyWiz to post assignments, notes, student examples, make-up work, or links to sites that students would find interesting or relevant. Students use it to keep abreast of assignments given while they are absent from the classroom. One student says, “Having StudyWiz helps me remember what I did that day and look for homework. When I went to Wisconsin, my teachers just sent me messages through StudyWiz so I could see what we did the 2 days I was gone.” (Alyson)

Turnitin.com is another favorite site teachers find useful. Not only is it useful as a quick plagiarism check, it is also a valuable tool for student collaboration. Students can upload an assignment, receive immediate teacher and peer feedback, and have online discussions.

In addition, teachers and students use websites such as Grammar Bytes, Exercise Central, and Quizlet to provide practice with grammar and vocabulary skills and sites such as No Fear Shakespeare and ToonDoo to provide support for literature study. Programs such as Sketch-Up, iMovie, iTunes, iPhoto, and Garage Band facilitate increased quality in student projects.

Teachers have access to LanSchool for polling, quizzing, and monitoring students; teachers and students alike use presentation programs such as PowerPoint and Prezi, along with Google Docs to share work among department members, and also to facilitate students’ group work. Our yearbook sponsor and students use the Josten’s website for all online yearbook work. Finally, we access online databases such as GALE, SIRS, and CQ Researcher for research.

From students Ben and Bethany respectively: “The computer helps me with homework on the go, so wherever I go, I don’t need to bring my whole backpack” and “The computers have helped me write research papers. I think they have made me better with using electronics too.”

Foreign Language 
Department

Within the Foreign Language Department at OHS, teachers have offered a variety of ways for students to learn and use the technology offered by having 1:1 laptops. Students have created projects and assignments using: Prezi, Glogster, iMovie, GarageBand, Voice Thread, Web 2.0 tools, Slideshows, as well as many others. Teachers have also had students use computers to create a webpage or flipbook in the foreign language, review vocabulary in the foreign language through Quizlet, and play different online vocabulary and grammar games.

Students have taken traditional vocabulary lists, grammar topics, and projects and applied a 21st Century twist to the traditional ways of learning. Teachers are still encouraging learning and application of language but the students have a wider variety of ways to create and demonstrate their learning of the language. Additional classroom resources have helped in student learning as well through the use of educational YouTube and TeacherTube videos, the AEA databases, and Google Searches.

Students use their laptops in foreign language as a way to receive and take notes as well as do their assigned work. Teachers use the school’s StudyWiz system to offer instructional links for grammar & vocabulary lessons, assignment information, messaging, class discussions in the foreign language, handing in assignments and offering students feedback on assignments.

In Austin’s words, “I like having a computer because it makes us do school work faster and we can send it to the teacher. The computer gives us more responsibilities and makes us change into young adults.”

Specifically, when studying the food unit, students looked at websites of French restaurants and then used information they found to create their own French restaurant and a menu. Various presentation tools were used such as Prezi, Glogster, IMovie, and a few students created a web page, flipbook, garage band, voice thread, etc.

Students did an “All About Me” project using different web 2.0 tools, enabling them to create a presentation about themselves and their families. Vocabulary practice included using Popplet, PowerPoint, IMovie, podcasts, Glogster, Prezi, Zooburst, Toondoo, Quizlet, Funnelbrain, Simplebooklet, and other approved web 2.0 tools.

Students have researched French speaking countries, provinces of France, francophone holidays and festivals, cultural differences such as weddings, sports, leisure activities, greetings, family activities etc. AEA databases were used and Google searches as well as sites provided by media specialist Mrs. Erkenbrack, who has helped students learn how to define and refine searches and how to use web 2.0 tools.

In a clothing unit, students used online games to practice clothing vocabulary, assignments to learn how to convert dollars to Euros and then sites to shop online and make commercials in French using various web 2.0 tools. Students utilized such resource sites as Word reference.com, verb2verb and a link to Jim Becker’s website (language professor at UNI)

Student were given a “What if” scenario (if you found a wallet in the street with 200.00 and identification, what would you do?) then created a presentation with several different responses.

One activity centered around Grammar IMovies (passé composé verbs) and made an Imovie depicting all the verbs used with être in the passé composé and what the verbs mean giving examples, along with writing a Dear Abby newspaper article. A story creation unit was based on pictures from their textbook; students used various web 2.0 tools to write and depict with visuals and video clips the meaning they wish to convey. Students also constructed a family tree using various web 2.0 tools and described family members in the target language.

Teachers uploaded instructional links for grammar and vocabulary lessons; break the clock game to practice vocabulary and grammar; information about assignments; messaged students, uploaded and corrected assignments; linked educational you tube and teacher tube video clips; and uploaded handouts.

From Shanelle: “One of the reasons that I like having these laptops is that we get to have fun doing our homework on here, rather than having our hands and fingers hurt for a while of writing. One thing that I do not like is that some of the websites that I get on at home are blocked when I am at home. They should unblock it when school is out and block it in the beginning of the day. However, it helps us students to learn a lot more and actually see what we are trying to learn instead of listening and then forgetting what the assignment was supposed to be about.”

Math Department

The High School Math department has enjoyed having the computers in the classrooms. The software programs used in the math department are: Grapher, a program to graph equations on a coordinate plane; Logger Pro, also a program to graph equations; and Geometer’s Sketchpad, a program to help students visualize geometric shapes.

Peyton pointed out the advantage of accessing help outside of the school day: “I like using the computers for school because it is easier to talk to teachers on the weekends if you have questions and can’t meet up at school. I also think that people need to make sure that they are using the computers appropriately.”

Math teachers use StudyWiz to hand out assignments and collect assignments. Students are able to use YouTube videos to help them better understand mathematics concepts. The math students are also able to research more topics because the Internet is easily accessed. Two of the five teachers are also using Promethean Boards to help students be more active in the learning process.

According to Samantha, “I like the computers because they help me stay organized. I do not have to keep track of a bunch of papers or

textbooks; instead they are all on the computer. I am able to organize things by folders and write my assignments on Stickies. I really like my computer.”

Physical Education Department

This year Physical Education students have used computers to record their fitness test data in a spreadsheet. Teachers want them to monitor their progress by keeping the spreadsheet up to date from test to test and year to year. Also, teachers have posted many documents in StudyWiz, such as classroom expectations, motivational information, instructional videos, news articles relevant to what we are teaching, as well as announcements regarding when students need to dress out, run the mile, etc. Asia echoes that sentiment: “Having these laptops makes it really easy to do homework projects. You get more of a choice when it comes to doing projects like an iMovie, presentation … etc. 🙂

In the fitness center, students divided into groups and made iMovies of 28 strength, agility and flexibility movements. Then the students watched the projects, which led to discussion points of how to improve on the exercises. The computer has been used to play motivational music, as well as interval music for circuit training to indicate when it is time to rotate to the next station. Teachers utilize fitness DVDs that are projected on the wall and direct the students in various exercises.

In the Health classroom, assignment and handouts have been posted on StudyWiz. Students have used the Teen Health and Wellness database to research and explore topics. The students also had the option to use their computer for their First Aid project. Students used PowerPoint, IMovie, and showed instructional movies they made with their video camera.

Student Grant points out: “My laptop computer has helped me with homework at home, since my other computer is an older model. This allows me to find information regarding homework and projects

easier. The computers also help with saving paper for the school, and the students.”

Science Department

In the science department we use 1:1 computing in the following ways: collaboration, Popplet, video, video watching for flipped lessons, simulations, lab reports, word processing, notes, StudyWiz, calculator, graphing, and research. Some science teachers enable students to take virtual field trips now that we have the 1:1 computing. Everyone in the department uses StudyWiz and some teachers keep blogs about what they are doing.

According to Keely, “The one thing I like about computers is that I can do my homework better and I love taking notes on them and not having to write it on paper. The one thing I don’t like is that they are sometimes slow.”

Special Education Department

As a special education department, we are using technology in multiple ways. It varies depending on if a student is in a life-skills classroom, lab class or team-taught regular education classroom. Team teachers are seeing the technology being used as extension of textbooks and resources. With technology the assignments are being modified easily using Power Point and multiple other tools. In lab classes the students are able to read online books and take quizzes. In the Life-Skills classroom they are using I-pads daily. Students take advantage of the hundreds of apps that focus on reading, writing and math. Students who couldn’t type before are now able to express their thoughts with their words using a program call Dragon Dictation. Other technology noted iMovies, Glogster, Google, Prezi’s and Timetoast.

According to student Cassi: “I like that we have our own computers because I can get my work done faster than I have before. Also, I like it because when we do notes we can do them on the computers and get them done quickly; that way when we need to study for a test we will have the notes on our computer and we can just study them

before we take the test. Alan adds: “Things I have enjoyed about having my own computer this year is how much easier it is to do homework at home. I also find it easier to complete assignments and projects on the computer than on a sheet of paper.”

Social Studies Department

Social Studies teachers all use StudyWiz to get notes and reviews out to the students, and some put quizzes into it as well, while some use LanSchool for online quizzes/tests. In addition, all teachers do projects throughout the trimester where students must become the experts on a subject (a given battle, amendment, era, etc) and then present that information through a Prezi, Glogster, iMovie, etc. We frequently let students decide how they want to portray the info, and reap lots of diversity depending on the course. One teacher commented, “I also (attempted) to “flip” a class 2nd trimester that turned into more of a cartwheel, but the kids were then using shared GoogleDocs and Prezis for information on a regular basis. A few teachers also have blogs, so students can share information or have discussion groups outside of class.

All social studies teachers podcast and use voice thread regularly. Why make them listen to teachers recite when they could hear FDR, Churchill, JFK, etc.? Particularly as students delve into more modern eras, this method is preferred. Government and civics classes also listen to speeches and debates this way. Students use a couple of interactive websites in History. These sites literally take students through specific places (Panama Canal, Anne Frank’s “Secret Annex,” etc) and the kids love being able to see the places as we discuss/debate them. There are also days when we do not use the laptops, such as when we debate, or during lectures. Typically the department has students using laptops a few days each week. Sometimes students use them in class, sometimes for assignments. It really depends on both the class and the course. Student Eli adds: I like computers because: 1) they help me to take my class notes quicker, 2) because I can make presentations a lot better, 3) because I can write essays a lot more

efficiently, and finally, because I can make my projects more interesting.

Family and Consumer Science Department In Foods class, laptops are used to facilitate:

Recipe searching Small appliance usage info My Plate web site usage Personal food intake analysis PowerPoint presentations PREZI presentations Simple booklet presentations Nutrition info searching Cooking video searches and demo’s for learning Teacher led discussions and presentations Interactive food label for teaching/learning Google Docs for teaching/ learning/ group work In Interior Design class, students use the laptops to research products for the completion of the interior of the Construction Trades house. Some students used software to create a 3-D walk through of what the house would look like if their products were chosen. Currently, they are researching careers in the Interior Design field. Each student is creating a presentation using a new Web 2.0 tool.

Student Josh comments, “What I like about the laptops is that they help me with homework and I have more resources than before. They also make my life easier because I don’t have to try finding definitions in a dictionary any more,” and Emily adds, “The computer has helped me because, I can use the Internet for my homework and not the books. I also like that I can type on Open Office and not write it all on paper.”

In the Independent Living course, students have used the laptops to create personal introductions, laundry care brochures, and public service announcements. Currently, they are learning about proper workplace etiquette, reading blogs and newsletters.

Industrial Arts

While student laptops are not used heavily in Industrial Arts, technology takes the form of software programs such as Auto Cad, use of a plasma cam/plasma cutter, inventor, Cut Studio, Microsoft Word, and search engines. In addition, the SAWSTOP table saw prevents losing fingers! In the Building Trades program, technology enters through Construction Science, Zip sheeting, Bibs insulation system, Heat pump HVAC, Heat pump water heater, HRV, concrete and building products, along with modern tools and equipment.

One teacher states, “It is great to have a tool that give the student the world at their fingertips. I found students looking up data while I lectured, looking for more information and then reporting back to the class.”

To sum it all up, student comments by Taner who explains, “I enjoy the computers because now I’m never bored,” and Samantha, who concludes with, “I like the computers, because it opens more windows to learning. I have been able to work longer and happier. They’re fun to have.”