Texting, technology integrated in new courses
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| Computer Applications teacher Lisa Guenther instructs her class Friday morning at Dixon High School. The school board approved of four new courses for next fall. One, called Digital Media, will use students’ own smart phones and personal technology. (Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com) |
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DIXON – When students pull out their cell phones in Lisa Guenther’s economics class, they aren’t necessarily breaking any rules.
The business teacher at Dixon High School lets her students look up answers or respond to class surveys on their phones.
“It’s not too hard to figure out if someone is texting or something like that in class,” said Guenther, who’s been utilizing her own technology, including an iPad bought through a federal grant, in the classroom.
“I know that’s a fear of some people, that they fear using the technology because they could be doing something else, but if you have an active conversation in class, they’re going to be with you and not on something else.”
The business department already offers three computer classes: one basic information processing class that focuses on improving keyboarding skills and two levels of computer application classes focused on programs like Microsoft Word, Excel and Access.
This fall she’s taking it to the next level, centering a multimedia class around the technology students already have.
In the class, called Digital Media, students will learn how to edit photos and videos that they can take on their own equipment, be a point-and-shoot camera or a smart phone.
Digital Media is one of four new courses the school board approved in January.
For the teenagers without the newest gadgets, the school plans on offering equipment, asking ahead of time as to protect the privacy of the students. The new equipment will be paid for through the remainder of Guenther’s grant.
And at the end of the semester, students will use the skills they’ve learned to make videos. Guenther plans on teaming up with organizations and different departments to create tutorials or promotional materials.
“If a student were to just work on an image, it would have no meaning to them, but if they were to, say, run cross country and be able to work on a video or pictures of cross country, that has a lot of meaning for them,” she said.
Another class the board approved was Global Cultural Studies as well as two physical education classes, Total Body Fitness and one for students on team sports.
“We have been in constant discussion with our faculty about how we can better serve our students and better prepare them for careers or college,” Dixon High School Principal Mike Grady said.
Global Cultural Studies – a geography class with a focus on cultures and current issues – will tackle that goal through a heavy emphasis on reading material and then developing and articulating opinions on the issues and the articles themselves.
“Communication through the written word and spoken word is being stressed in today’s job market,” Grady said.
“You have to be able to work as a team. You have to be able to glean information from a written document. You have to be able to share that information, find out what’s important and share it, and then support it or not.”
But even in the school board’s brief discussion before its vote, Board Member Jim Schielein asked about the materials mentioned in the proposed syllabus, criticizing the New York Times’ economics columnist, Paul Krugman.
Students may have access to Sauk Valley Media, CNN, Russia’s RT, the New York Times, Newsweek and the Rockford Register Star.
“When it comes to political issues, students need to understand that not everyone’s views are the same,” said the teacher behind the class, Aaron Eddy.
“It will be stressed over and over that we must respect other people’s opinions, even if we don’t agree. Everyone will have an opportunity to contribute to classroom discussions.”
The original geography class was removed as an option when the rapid changes falling the collapse of the Soviet Union made some of the school’s materials obsolete, Grady said.
The Total Body Fitness class also tried to get students thinking about their futures.
“The focus is going to be let’s find something that you might like to do for the rest of your life,” said Grady, who still runs and lifts weights like he did in high school.
The class will take students through a variety of popular exercise systems students might see at a gym, including Pilates, yoga and Zumba.
The final test, however, that will decide whether the classes will actually happen is how many students register this spring. At least 20 kids need to sign up for the class to start in the new school year.
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