Belle Vernon Area Middle School teacher Todd Yancey said a lot has changed in computer technology since he graduated from high school.
“I remember the green screen,” Yancey said. “I took basic classes.”
Yancey's eighth-grade accelerated English classes are learning 21st-century computer technology to enhance their education.
“I think if you're a teacher and you're not using technology, you're missing the boat; you're holding them back. This technology is the future.”
Yancey's students' yearlong project is for each student to develop their own e-portfolio, a collection saved on a website. Each student is creating their own website where they are storing all of the work they do in the English class.
As the students complete each section – whether it is the one on poetry recently finished or the previous persuasive research paper – the students are given a couple of days of classroom time to download that work to their websites.
This is the first year that Yancey introduced the web design project for his three classes of accelerated English, totaling 65 students.
“This is something I've always wanted to do, to use technology to have them create their own websites and chronicle what they've done all year.”
Yancey said the project is preparing the students for the use of technology in the future.
“There's also a purpose because they're highlighting what they did all year,” Yancey said.
Yancey said the program is utilizing differentiated learning, the new hot topic of education. Differentiated learning gives the students an assignment, but provides them the options on how to complete the task. For example, the students create their own background for their websites and can opt to utilize videos.
“Each website will be different,” Yancey said. “This is not cookie-cutting learning.”
Student Derek Thomas said he likes that aspect of the project.
“I learned you can follow directions, but make it your own,” Thomas said.
Yancey also uses a blog on his website as an interactive way to teach. For example, the students recently completed reading “My Antonia” by Willa Cather. Students then were instructed to go onto his site to answer questions about the novel. The exam was interactive among the students.
At the end of May, the students will each present their website using a permeation board.
“The benefit of the project is that we can look back at it and remember what we learned,” said student Natalie Labuda.
Student Margarita Hart said she hopes to go into law, but believes the technology will have use, such as creating a web page for her firm.
“I really enjoyed it,” student Hart said. “I was surprised how much fun it was.”
Chris Buckley is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-684-2642 or cbuckley@tribweb.com.
