Summary+(Project+4)

= Summary = ===During our Technology Day, we made use of many different types of technology in order to meet standards of education for our students. Some were new and innovative, some were tried and true, and some were old technology used in new and interesting ways. Our “Day,” is not a one-time event, but rather serves as an introduction to the creative and engaging lessons we have planned for the entire year that will teach the children traditional content along with 21st Century Skills.===

** Core Subjects and 21st Century Themes: **
===While this was a day to explore technology, we do not believe that the use of technology is a specific goal to focus on. Instead, we want our students to see that technology makes it easier to master core subject areas, such as Art, Foreign Languages, Math, Music, Reading, Science, and Social Studies.===

===In the 21st Century, student knowledge of core subjects must move beyond mere competency to higher level understanding. Students must take on a global awareness and become literate in finance, business, civics, health, and the environment.===

===In our Social Studies activity, students explore websites and examine their community in the past. Students assess how technology has changed and the effect humans have had on the environment. Each group of students researches a different area and uses a wiki to inform others about their changes that they have discovered.===

===In our Physical Education activity, students make use of heart monitors to make proper health choices for themselves. They determine if new interactive video games are substitutes for real physical activity or if traditional play has advantages that technology cannot reproduce.===

Learning and Innovation Skills:
===There was a time when simply learning content and being able to remember it and repeat it was enough. In the 21st Century, students must move beyond mere memorization to developing creativity and the ability to innovate. New problems require new solutions and students need to be able to analyze a situation, think critically about it, and solve problems using true insight. The future’s problems are big and complex and require people to exchange ideas and work together toward solutions.===

===In our Art activity, students must work together to analyze their school building to determine everything a school requires to function properly. After collaborating to create a set of minimum requirements, the students then use Google Sketch Up to create their own personal vision, complete with any frills they feel will really enhance education. The use of technology in this activity allows students to create, save, edit, and share their work with fellow students in ways that traditional art cannot.===

===In our Foreign Language activity, students have the opportunity to communicate with native speakers of Spanish using email. This type of communication exposes students to the broader world beyond their city and even their country. Students may even find that what they learn about their pen pals’ communities is not quite what they expected from school books or television shows. Technology has increased the speed at which we communicate and allows a much greater exchange of information and culture.===

Information, Media and Technology Skills:
===Our students are digital natives. They have grown up with technology and they do not remember a “before” time. While interaction with technology is natural for them, they are by no means experts. They must learn efficient methods to access accurate information. They need to be able to extract the underlying messages in media and also utilize methods for sharing their own points of view. It is not enough to simply use technology in the 21st Century, students must be able to master technological tools to their fullest extent.===

===In our Health activity, students used video cameras to record a behavior that leads to better health. While students could simply write a paragraph, a video performance allows the students to utilize technology to spread their message in a more appealing format while giving them a new avenue to express themselves and work together.===

===In our Mathematics activity, students have the opportunity to gather information from others using an online survey format and then graph responses to present to their peers. Online surveys can expand the audience that one is polling, while graphing software speeds up the process of translating raw data into communicable information.===

Life and Career Skills:
===Good grades in core areas can only take our students so far. Being knowledgeable about math, science, etc. is important, but students must also have the skills to effectively interact with their peers and thrive in their occupational environment. Students must be able to give feedback and take criticism in a mature manner. They will need to be able to set goals for themselves, work independently, and monitor their progress. Our students must become leaders with the capacity to recognize the abilities of others and guide them towards a common goal.===

===In our Music activity, students have their knowledge of subject specific vocabulary tested in an interactive game-like setting. All students receive immediate, but anonymous feedback, allowing them to monitor their own progress and analyze their need for improvement.===

===In our Reading activity, students use a digital voice recorder to record their reading. The recording gives unbiased feedback to the student about his or her pronunciation and fluency. The student has a chance to analyze his/her own shortcomings and set goals for improvement.===

===In our Science activity, students discuss animal adaptations and try to categorize them into groups based on the need that the adaptation fulfills. Using a Smart Board, the students separate the animals into the categories of food, shelter, or defense. The interactive nature of this activity allows students to receive immediate feedback from peers, while also giving the students the opportunity to learn how to give feedback in a fair and helpful manner. Students develop the ability to take criticism and use it for their own improvement.===