"Into the Classroom!" 

In this section you will usually find examples of technology integration ideas taking place right now in the classrooms of Fayette County.  Since school began only two weeks ago, new examples from this year will appear in our October issue. For now, here is an assortment of offerings from the past pages of TIPS. If you would like help with any of these ideas, feel free to contact your school's technology resource teacher (TRT), if there is one, or the TRT assigned to your school by the Office of Educational Technology (a list is at right, with links to their support websites). Let us know how we can help!

Classroom Integration Examples from Past Issues of TIPS

 

The Smart Way to Write - Garden Springs (April. 2003)	"...Once the students had their ideas mapped out, they choose an Alpha Smart labeled with their student number and began typing their story. The students were very excited about leaving out the usual first step of hand writing the piece and being able to go directly to typing. Once the students had a rough draft, they then transferred their work on to their network folder and are now able to access it from the computer lab or the classroom to finish their editing..."(...more...)
Video Stories (Jan. 2003)	After teachers at Northern Elementary saw a sample digital storytelling project created by one of their own, Trish Irvin, five other teachers jumped quickly on board. The teachers used the basic concept of digital storytelling to have their students develop multimedia presentations on topics they have been studying. The teachers and students were focusing on the reading, writing, and speaking components of literacy by completing these projects...(...more...)
The Planet of Knab (May 2003)	...As part of this unit, the students have been utilizing some of the many career and economics resources available online. One specific activity that each 8th grader will complete is an online lesson in budget planning by traveling to the Planet of Knab. This online interactive lesson, entitled Escape from Knab http://www.escapefromknab.com/ begins with students traveling to Knab and finding that the only way back to Earth is to earn $10,000 by July 4 to buy a ticket home....(...more...)
Shopping Spree! - Meadowthorpe Elementary (Feb. 2003)	"This lesson is great for the study of economics, as well as math. Although it was used with second-graders, it is completely scalable for use with much older students - the older, the more they might be required to generate their own spreadsheet, or select data online! For younger students, we created a spreadsheet which allowed students to simply enter the names and prices of products, and it automatically did all the math...."(...more...)
Just Like Me (Nov. 2002)	"Just like me" is a frequent reading exercise in Valerie Cornett's 3rd grade class at Linlee Elementary - students read a story, and then make a list to compare themselves to the characters in the story. This time, with the help of tech resource teacher Jamie Burch, Mrs. Cornett was able to save the list she'd constructed to the computer using a Mimeo (see the story on Mimeo in March, 2002 TIPS), so that it could be printed out and made an assignment for the next day...(...more...)
Inspiring Students in Social Studies (March 2003)	Are you searching for ways to make American history more fun? Students in Ms. Hinkson-Lee’s 8th grade classes at Winburn (pictured above) have been using the American History Inspirer program based on the Civil War era. Students plan trips across the country in pursuit of economic and political characteristics. They use maps that show how our country developed throughout the years leading up to the Civil War, such as abolition of slavery in the north and expansion to the western territories. Students work in groups with maps to plan their route and then enter their route into one computer in the classroom. The computer keeps score for the competing teams. Students come away with a new knowledge of the antislavery movement, the Industrial Revolution, and westward expansion. They also gain valuable experience in working together as a team...(...more...)