Incorporating technology into the classroom sounds difficult. It takes a lot of money for the equipment, specialists who know what they are doing, and teachers who understand how it works. For many, this sounds all too difficult and it seems like it would be easier to stick to the mainstream teaching methods. With high school drop out rates at a peak, something is obviously not working in the classroom.
Dr. Tim Tyson, former principal of Mabry middle school did not see technology as a problem. He used it with his students and the work these students have learned and accomplished has been astronomical. These students are not only working on remedial classroom assignments, but are making videos. They are finding interests are are taking those above and beyond what can be found in a normal classroom setting. They are researching and experimenting for themselves. They are excited to learn and excited to come to school.
This excitement is what is missing from the normal classroom or classroom 1.0. Many of the teachers teach the same material day in and day out. The students are not allowed to explore the materials for themselves, and are often unmotivated to learn. Dr. Tyson solved this problem by telling the kids that if they created phenominal projects, he would post them on the internet for the world to see. This motivated the children to go above and beyond. They took the classroom teaching and were able to apply it to something hands on…something physical. The results of their hardwork are not just a pice of paper to tape to the refrigerator, but something that can be viewed, downloaded and shared. It makes the work more worthwhile and gives the kids some excellent skills to use in the future.
