| Dollars And Sense |  |
| The Ariel Community Academy provides a K-8 curriculum that infuses financial literacy into every subject. The school was created from a public school/private buisness partenership, because the founder believed that by exposing African American children to the stock market, their math scores would improve. Each class receives $20,000 in the 6th grade to invest, and in the 8th grade, the class donates half of the profits to charity and splits the second half emong themselves. Each student also learns how to write a business plan, and students are exposed to successful community members and African American business executives on a regular basis. |  |
| The Edible Schoolyard | |
| The Edible Schoolyard is a program for middle school students at Martin Luther King Middle School in Berkeley, CA. This program was founded by Alice Waters in 1994 as a way to improve school lunches, but it has grown into a project-based learning program. Each day, students spend the first period of the day working in their garden and cooking the food that they grow. Teachers apply concepts from social studies, math, and science to the activities, so that the gardening serves as a hands-on learning lab. The school also feels that the gardening project teaches students about nutrition and important life skills. | |
| Online Learning: West Virginia Virtual School | |
| In West Virginia, 7th and 8th grade students are required to take a language. In rural school where there is a shortage of language teachers, the students can take online langugage courses through the West Virginia Virtual School. Teachers instruct large groups via speakerphone, and each student uses a Wimba to exchange individual voice messages and recordings with their teachers. A classroom facilitator monitors the students as they engage in online activities during the day. | |
| Middle School: Part Four (PDF) | |
| School-based computer labs can serve a resource not just as for students, but for community members as well. Schools can host informal "parent nights" for parents to come to school with their children to see firsthand how their children are learning and using technology. School-based computer access can provide formal learning opportunities for parents and other community members who may need technology skills and also serve those who wish to pursue GED or other education experiences through distance learning. | |
| Middle School: Part Five (PDF) | |
| The use of technology can bring experiences into the classroom that would otherwise be unavailable, impossible, or at the very least difficult to accomplish. Simulations are a dynamic visual resource for introducing and teaching complex concepts. Depending on the medium, they can be sourced, saved, and rerun at any point in the learning process. Simulations can allow students to test their hypotheses, validate or invalidate assumptions, and run multiple what if scenarios that might otherwise be too costly, too difficult, or too dangerous to undertake in reality. While simulations are most often associated with sciences, they can be an engaging and effective way to teach complex concepts in many other disciplines as well. Also, giving students the opportunity to combine technology experiences with hands-on activities helps demonstrate the value of the technology for design and planning and the limitations of simulations relative to real-world development. Finally, giving students the chance to present their work to an audience of other students, parents, or community members can elevate the level of their work. | |
| Middle School: Part One (PDF) | |
| Assessment is critical in teaching and learning. Embedded assessments provide teachers with evidence of student progress and areas where a student is struggling. Assessments give students clarity about their own success and weakness. Assessment information can inform educators, parents, and community members in evaluating the effectiveness of a program. The challenge with assessment has always been the lag time between taking the assessment and receiving the results. Online assessments can greatly reduce this turnaround time, meaning that students and teachers alike have near real-time access to information about student learning. | |
| Cinema Program: Cultivating A Career In Film | |
| At the Northeast School of the Arts, students are engaged in a filmaking class which instructors use a context for developing their thinking and writing skills. Students document school projects and trips in the class, and their films have been screened at festivals. The students learn how to write and develop a storyline, all while realizing that their stories do matter, and that the public is interested in what they have to say. | |
| No Gamer Left Behind | |
| Games and simulations are an effective way for students to learn the skills that they will need in the 21st century; however, many schools have not implemented these new technologies. Proponents of serious games argue that simulations tap into students' interests and allow them to channel their energy in a positive manner. The McKinley Technical High School in Washington DC is an example of a school which has turned itself around by incorporating games and simulations into its curriculum. Kids at McKinley see the connections between their academic subjects and the real world, and they have been very successful. Students enjoy the school atmosphere and report that the energy in their classrooms motivates them to learn more. | |
| Middle School: Part Three (PDF) | |
| For teachers to successfully prepare students to be self-directed life-long learners, they must be self-directed life-long learners themselves. Teachers need time to explore the expanding digital landscape, to learn to use new digital tools, and to develop new ways to bring these experiences into their classrooms. If we want our children to become the innovators and inventors of the 21st century, we must allow our teachers to model experimentation and innovation. Time for personal exploration with technology promotes operational proficiency and can inspire creativity, innovation, and invention. | |
| Middle School: Part Two (PDF) | |
| Digital media can give students the opportunity to apply a broad set of skills. Digital media creation often entails reading, writing, research, storyboarding, sequencing, project management, editing, and revision. As with the creation of a professional media production, not all the elements that go into the final version are visible to the viewer, but that work is vital in ensuring the production's successful completion. Working on projects with multimedia engages students and helps them develop and demonstrate "traditional" skills. In addition, digital media projects tend to require more than one person, so they also provide students the occasion to demonstrate collaboration, teamwork, and group problem solving. | |