Nicole Bartley
News Correspondent
NEW CASTLE —
(First in a series of stories on education as local students return to the classroom.)
A full high school parking lot is unusual during the summer.
But that’s just what happened at Laurel junior/senior high. Teachers gathered from Butler, Mercer and Lawrence counties to attend a two-day, hands-on technology training camp this month. They came from public schools and technical schools, from Christian academies and colleges.
Nichole Columbus, a third-grade teacher in the Union district, said she was amazed there were about 190 attendees.
“For some of us, this is our last week of vacation,” she said. “It’s energizing. A lot of times when you’re going back to school, it’s hard to get motivated. This is like a vitamin to take to get energized to go back and start new in your classroom.”
Susan Miller, Laurel’s curriculum instruction and assessment director, co-organized the camp.
“The fact that (the teachers are) willing to show up and spend all day on two of the hottest days shows that they’re good folks.”
Miller said the camp’s philosophy is to effectively use technology to improve student achievement. It includes presentations about wikis — interactive websites used to share information quickly — as well as Google Docs, Adobe Photoshop, video conferencing, comics and podcasts.
“The premise was to create a professional development opportunity where teachers are teaching teachers,” Miller explained. “The other part that’s very effective is there’s a lot of sharing and collaboration.”
She said technology isn’t a toy but a means to effectively teach.
“We know that kids love technology, we know that technology can be very engaging (and) we know that the effective use of technology can improve student achievement,” Miller said. “That’s really why it all began.”
Columbus said this was her first year attending the camp, which has been offered twice. She said she plans to make some changes in her classroom to incorporate what she’s learned. Among other ideas, Columbus said she wants to incorporate websites for parental involvement and communication from home.
“As an educator, the things I want to go back and change in my classroom are immense,” she said. “As a parent, I would love to see all my child’s teachers take the camp.”
Columbus said she already incorporates technology through SMART Boards and airliners used to write on them, as well as tickers students use to respond. But because of the camp, she said, she has better ideas of how to utilize that equipment, “bringing their learning to life.”
Charles Gryn, a 10th-grade English teacher at Laurel, also has used technology in his classroom. He said he attended the camp both years, first as a student and then as a presenter and student.
“It’s very gratifying to see teachers wanting to improve themselves, sacrificing their time,” Gryn said. “There’s no money or compensation for all this.”
He said that in the past two years, he’s changed his teaching methods. All his students do their writing assignments and worksheets on wikis so they can access the work at home, Gryn said, and those who don’t have computer access can print material from school.
He said his experience at the camp has been wonderful.
“I think (the camp) is probably one of the most fantastic things a school district can do,” Gryn said. “And the most beautiful thing about it is that teachers are helping educate other teachers.”
He added the camp was amazing and phenomenal.
“For being a teacher for 35 years, I’ve gone from chalk board to white board with a black marker, and now there’s these ActivBoards and SMART Boards,” Gryn said. “It’s quite an experience.
“You can teach old dogs new tricks.”
