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I am very fortunate to have been directly involved with the Apple technology project that Mabry received. My daughter’s fifth grade teacher, Cissy Kale and her teacher friend at Mabry wrote the initial grant proposal that Apple responded to. She received an ibook laptop for every student in the class along with a large stash of digital video equipment. I was able to see first hand the difference this made in the classroom. It also made a difference in the school as a whole because once other teachers saw what Mrs. Kale’s students were doing they wanted to do it too. What was most important in this scenario is that the teacher was highly skilled with top notch computer knowledge. She was able to pass this along to the students and transfer her proficiency to them. Sadly, I believe this is what is holding most schools back when it comes to computer projects. The teachers do not have the knowledge and skills needed with technology. Therefore, they are hesitant to venture into the arena, especially when they feel the students know more than they do (rightly so, because most students do). This is why English 3241 is so important. Unfortunately, until more current teachers feel confident and secure with technology they will not embrace the possibilities. This is changing but slowly.I believe the bigger message in this video is the importance of a personal connection between the students, principal and teachers, and the value of meaningful school work. A principal who is on a first name basis with his students can be hard to find, especially in a school with a large student body like Mabry. The video projects all involve team work which makes for important social connections for the students. This sense of community in the school environment works to everyone’s advantage. It is easy to see the results when the students are actively engaged with a meaningful project. While technology is great, not all schools will be able to provide what Mabry has. This should not deter schools from impacting the students with meaningful projects. There are other ways to foster the same sense of ownership and involvement in learning. The big question is why aren’t more teachers doing this? If we know it is better then why are we not seeing the changes that should be taking place? In fact, with all the emphasis on testing schools see to be moving farther away from the school 2.0 model. I do feel it is important to note that Mabry Middle School is located in a very affluent area where money and parental involvement is high. For the most part, these students have advantages the average school does not. That being stated, this does not mean the school 2.0 model could not be implemented at all schools, it just means that it will not be as easy.
