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Fearless Explorer

Tuesday, September 28th, 2010

Guest post by Joe Wood

Believe it or not, I wouldn’t consider myself a very techie person. I can’t set up a server, can barely understand the wireless network in our house, and have enough blackened sockets to know I should never be trusted with any electrical handy work. However, friends, family, and colleagues often call me for computer or cell phone technical support. No longer can I attend a family function without spending some time working on a computer problem. Recently, I purchased an iPad just because so many people were asking for help and yet I had never played with one for longer than five minutes at the Apple Store. Rather than calling myself a “techie,” I tend to think of myself as a “fearless explorer.”

How did this happen? Well, I blame the Federal Government. After all, they’re always the “bad guys,” right? In my case, the techiness started with an Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) Grant. In 2005 I decided to search for a job in a school district closer to home. While perusing EdJoin, I stumbled across a science position at a middle school right in my neighborhood. At the last minute I decided to apply and was offered the job. A few weeks later, after getting my classroom set up and meeting students and colleagues, my principal sent me over to the District Office to pick up my “computer stuff.” I wondered what might this “stuff” be? A laptop? Maybe one of those new LCD projectors? My previous school site had purchased one and since twenty-seven teachers shared it I was able to use it once to show my students a virtual frog dissection website. It was amazing!

When I arrived at the district office I met John, the Director of Technology Services, someone who would quickly become my mentor - whether he wanted to or not. John explained that the school district had been awarded an EETT grant, placing technology in every 7th and 8th grade science and social studies classroom. The goal of the grant was to use this technology to increase academic performance, while at the same time improving both student and teacher technology proficiency. Like a magician with a really deep hat, John started pulling out all of the hardware I would receive as participating teacher. I walked out of his office with a new laptop, a document camera, a LCD projector, and a wireless tablet. He also informed me that the following week fifteen student laptops, a printer, and a wireless access point would appear in my classroom. John tried his best to explain how each of these devices worked, but all I really heard was “flux capacitors” and “1.21 gigawatts.” It was as if Doc Brown from Back to the Future was talking to me himself.

Keep in mind, at this point in my life, I wasn’t totally clueless about technology. I had been using email for almost a decade, was quite adept at shopping on Amazon, and had successfully made it through college with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint as my close, personal friends. However, I decided that the only way I would be successful at using this gear with a bunch of pre-pubescent adolescents was if I took it home and fearlessly explored. I also had an inkling that when those fifteen student laptops appeared that everything in my classroom might change and I would need to be a little more technology proficient.

I remember that first night quite vividly. I laid out all of my digital gifts on our large kitchen table. Once the laptop, projector, document camera, and wireless tablet were all neatly organized in a perfectly symmetrical manner, accompanied by their collection of cables and adaptors, I just stood there and stared. What do I do now? I started with the projector. Surely, hooking it up to the laptop couldn’t be that hard. I looked at the back of the projector and decided to begin with the power cable. That was easy. Digging into the recesses of my mind from the one other time I had used a LCD projector at my former school, I scanned the back of the projector, as well as the back of the laptop. “Hmm, there is a blue outlet on the back of the projector that matches the blue outlet on the back of the laptop,” I thought to myself, “I wonder if there is a cable that will connect these two?” Sure enough I found one that had two blue ends matching the outlets and it seemed to work. I played until midnight that evening piecing things together like a giant puzzle. Around 12:15am, when I finally had all of my technology connected, it dawned on me that I would have to reconstruct this mess in my classroom tomorrow! Doing the only smart thing I could think of, I used masking tape and a sharpie to label all of the ports and their corresponding cords, and gently packed them away.

The next morning I arrived at school just before 6:30 and amazingly it only took me 45 minutes to hook everything back up. Naturally, a couple of the pieces of tape had fallen off, I somehow ended up with an extra cable, and the wireless tablet only wanted to occasionally connect to its Bluetooth adapter. Regardless, I was up and running right around the same time my students started pouring into the room. Since I had spent nearly all night figuring out how to plug everything in, my lesson was a little less than stellar. Honestly, I can’t even remember what I actually taught that day. However, what I do remember was the look on every single kid’s face as they entered the classroom. It was that look of pure imagination and curiosity. In every period there was a palpable vibe of excitement emanating from the students.

“Whoa! Look at that Mr. Wood! We can see your desktop. What are you going to show us today?” “Hey, since you have your computer set up, does this mean we are going to start using the student laptops soon?” “My friends said they started using them last week in science. They sound cool.”

The following week the student computers did arrive and we completed our first technology project - a PowerPoint presentation about cells. Naturally, since this was our first computer project, not everything went as planned. One computer crashed, two refused to connect to the wireless network (I later discovered each computer had a wireless on/off switch), and nearly every PowerPoint presentation demonstrated that one could insert too many animations. However, during this project I witnessed the future of my teaching. As I walked around the room, I observed students who were completely excited, engaged, and enthralled by technology- infused learning. I noticed tables of students working in pairs, debating the best way to display a nucleus or cell wall and engrossed in scientific conversations about the difference between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. I watched students reflect, collaborate, solve problems, and search for information without any prompting from me. At the same time my students saw their teacher as a learner – as someone who didn’t have all the answers, but a person who was willing to be a fearless explorer and discover the solution with them.

PowerPoint was only the beginning. Since that day my students and I have fearlessly explored the use of blogs, wikis, cell phones, and even a virtual electron microscope. Some things worked out flawlessly, while other resources were only used during first period and then quickly abandoned for an alternative by the time second period students appeared. Teaching in an EETT classroom was a transformational experience in my career. Through the integration of technology, my classroom moved from a teacher-centered system to a student-centered learning environment. Along the way, I learned that computer expertise is not the secret to integrating technology – it’s simply a willingness to play, discover, and explore. Also, it never hurts to have some masking tape and a sharpie close by.

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This essay was written by Joe Wood, Teacher on Special Assignment in the Department of Professional Learning & Innovation of the San Juan Unified School District in California. Joe wrote this at the National Writing Project Summer Invitational at UC Davis. He shared it with us here at Generation YES and gave us permission to publish it.

This essay is a perfect expression of the kind of jump in and swim around with the students attitude towards technology that works so well in schools. Today, Joe is the district coordinator for San Juan’s GenYES program running in 6 middle schools as a result of this same EETT grant. Now he’s sharing his ‘fearless explorer” attitude with lots of teachers and student tech leaders district-wide.

For more information on the San Juan EETT program, watch this video, it’s great!

Sylvia

Previous posts about the San Juan Schools GenYES programs:

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GenYES students assist in laptop rollout in New Jersey

Sunday, September 12th, 2010

In Roselle, New Jersey, a new program called TALENT21 will start up this year. The project, funded by federal stimulus dollars (ARRA EETT), will put laptops in the hands of every sixth grader at Grace Wilday Jr. High School.

The grant provides other hardware, but focuses on professional development as the key to success for the new technology to make an impact.

“Professional development is critical to the success of the TALENT21 program,” says Adrian Allotey, Roselle Supervisor of Special Programs. said. “Partnering with Kean University’s Center of Innovative Education, GenYES and LoTi will provide a broad, collaborative learning environment for educators and students alike.” (from New Jersey Today)

As one of the partners on this grant, we are helping to create a GenYES student tech team at the school. 20 students attended a technology “boot camp” this summer led by Generation YES founder Dr. Dennis Harper along with with one of our web developers Andy, who is a high school student himself.

GenYES student at Talent21 tech bootcamp

The students learned computer maintenance skills, technical support skills and problem solving skills for basic troubleshooting. They will meet once a week during the school year to review and update the school’s technology needs. They will also provide on-site technical support for teachers, administrators and fellow students throughout the year.

“These 20 students will learn valuable computer skills that will give them a tremendous leg up in higher education and in the job market,” Allotey said.

We are very pleased to be working with the students and teachers at Grace Wilday JHS to help them achieve their mission of creating a 21st century learning space in their school!

Sylvia

PS Click here to download a free whitepaper on Student Support of Laptop Programs, featuring case studies of how real students make a big difference in creating a powerful laptop support system. (Click here to see more about this whitepaper and other free resources from Generation YES.)

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New podcast from Radio TICAL - bringing student voice into ed tech

Tuesday, September 7th, 2010

Involving students as partners and co-learners in the educational process, rather than as consumers—or worse, as “objects”—is not a new concept but it is certainly gaining currency in the 21st century. With information exploding, teachers can no longer hope to know everything about their subject. With changes in student lifestyles, fewer and fewer of them are content to be passive participants in the classroom.

GenYES is remarkable in how it brings student voice into the learning conversation. In this episode, Sylvia Martinez, President of GenYES, describes the project’s original program for bringing students and teachers together to co-plan technology-infused lessons as well as a newer program, TechYES, which offers a unique project-based learning approach to certifying middle school students as technologically literate.

via Radio TICAL.

Yup, that’s me, in a podcast recorded with Michael Simkins of the Technology Information Center for Administrative Leadership (TICAL). It’s the “go to” place for California school administrators who want to understand how to integrate technology in their schools. TICAL offers resources and networking opportunities both online and in person.

Direct podcast link (MP3)

Sylvia

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New GenYES curriculum units and activities

Tuesday, August 10th, 2010

At Generation YES, we work hard to make sure that our member schools have the most up-to-date resources to teach students how to help teachers with technology. This summer we’ve added some new activities, including some whole new units with multiple activities to the GenYES online curriculum. Each of these activities comes with teacher preparation, lesson plans, resources, and online “handouts” for students.

We hope these new activities add to long list of technology that GenYES students can learn in order to help teachers throughout their school. While some of these activities may sound like “typical” technology lessons for students, they aren’t. All GenYES lesson plans teach technology to students in the context of helping teachers. The lessons focus on typical uses of technology in schools and include lessons about learning with technology. We think that if you teach students that they are a driving force in improving technology in education, IT WILL HAPPEN!

All new:

  • A new activity, Web 2.0, has been added to Unit 3: Optional Technology Topics
  • A new activity, Animation has been added to Unit 6: Digital Media
  • A new unit, Unit 9: Computer Programming & Game Design has been added to the GenYES curriculum. The three activities included are: 1. Logo, 2. Scratch, 3. Game Design
  • A new unit, Unit 10: Simulations and Modeling has been added to the curriculum. The four activities included are: 1. Simulations, 2. Google Map, 3. Google Earth, 4. Sketch-up

The GenYES curriculum has 3 units in the basic curriculum that comes with every GenYES site license. These units cover the initial student introduction to GenYES, how to work with and mentor teachers, and basic instruction in technology and tech support. Plus a set of activities and guides about working with the most common hardware and software found in schools. Most schools that have GenYES as a club use the basic curriculum.

The extended GenYES curriculum (for those GenYES schools with daily classes) now has 23 curriculum units covering these over-arching areas:

  • Technology Units - research and information literacy, online communication, digital media, presentations, web publishing
  • Technology Support Units - hardware, software, problem solving, customer service, researching and housekeeping
  • 21st Century Units - cybersafety, digital citizenship, social issues, media literacy, media influence, career exploration
  • Leadership Units - communication, leadership in the 21st century, being a leader, teaching as leadership
  • Community Service Units - community leaders, community service projects

Each of these units include from 3-8 activities and their associate resources for a current total of 117 activities. And most of these activities span several class periods or club meetings. As you can see, we don’t expect anyone to teach ALL this in a single semester or even a year-long class. Most GenYES teachers pick and choose the activities that best fit their students and the needs of the teachers these students will be working with. Plus, this kind of choice allows schools to establish a path for advanced GenYES students who wish to work on advanced projects with teachers.

All these new activities are immediately available to GenYES schools when they log in to the online GenYES system.

For more information, see the GenYES website.

Sylvia

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GenYES changes the way teachers view students, school, and technology

Monday, June 14th, 2010

OK, I know a post this long violates all the rules of blogging. But I’m doing it to make a statement that only volume can make. And you don’t have to read it all - just skim through it. You’ll get the picture soon enough!

Every year we ask our GenYES schools to fill out surveys. GenYES students take a survey about helping teachers integrate technology throughout the year. GenYES lead teachers take surveys about running the class, give us feedback on the online tools and curriculum, and their perceptions of how GenYES has changed the whole school relationship to technology. We also ask the teachers who partner with GenYES students to answer a few questions. These are the teachers who allow GenYES students to do everything from fix their computers and troubleshoot their projectors to co-design whole standards-aligned units that take advantage of the latest technology.

The experiences of these “partner-teachers” are at the core of the GenYES philosophy. Can students be taught enough about technology and learning to provide meaningful help to teachers? Will teachers accept help from a student? Will teachers not only accept the help, but learn new technology from students? Will they continue to use technology to improve education?

Every year the answer is a resounding YES. Every year we see the surveys - typically 90+% of teachers say that working with a GenYES student was positive, useful, and increased their understanding of how technology can improve education.

This year I thought I’d share a bit more. LOTS MORE! Below are replies to the open ended question - “How has your experience with GenYES changed the way you view students, school, and technology?” Because these answers illuminate how deep the GenYES experience goes and how it changes the student, teacher and the whole school community.

GenYES partner-teachers responses to: “How has your experience with GenYES changed the way you view students, school, and technology?”

  • GenYES gives students a wonderful opportunity to assist teachers and staff and provide them with a sense of service. As students become more proficient in technology, so will teachers.
  • GenYES has helped me develop a closer relationship with students I don’t have in class. Their expertise is amazing!
  • I enjoy working with the GenYES students. Their enthusiasm brings enthusiasm to my students.
  • I love this program for the fact that the students that create the project have a real sense of accomplishment. The fact that they produce something that then gets used by me to teach other kids is very empowering.
  • I think giving the students the power to teach is great. It really gives them a sense of accomplishment when they finish.
  • I think students can benefit from using technology to learn the required curriculum.
  • I think that the students are capable of producing a product that is of high quality that they can then use to teach the students with.
  • I truly enjoy the projects the GenYES students make.
  • It was really great to interact with students who would create a project I could use in my teaching.
  • My students love the use of technology in the classroom. They are more anxious to learn!
  • Students can help teachers learn just as well as adults.
  • Students creating something to help me teach was great!
  • The GenYES program has helped me continue to love teaching.
  • The GenYES students are fun for me to work with. I enjoy their drive and determination. I’ll be moving to a different school next year, and there’s no GenYES program. I’ll miss participating in GenYES.
  • The students have been a pleasure to work with and also a great help.
  • Yes it has helped me see new ways of doing things therefore re-invigorating my teaching.
  • the students are able to create and teach material that is essential for this class and state standards. I will now use more technology and student-generated work in the future.
  • The GenYes program has shown me that incorporating technology into the classroom is very important for todays students who are techno driven.
  • The more involved students can be with computers in the curriculum the better for the students since they enjoy and are more willing to learn if the computer is part of the process.
  • It is a good outlet for students to do new and exciting things.
  • Opportunity to work with students on technology has really been encouraged through working with GenYes. Before I would just try to figure it out myself. GenYes has helped me to see a new way of looking at teaching.
  • I am more able to appreciate and use the students’ technological skills.
  • I think it was a good mutual learning experience for both teacher and student. We were able to learn technology from the students and they learned about our program.
  • It has given me a greater appreciation of the technological knowldege that students have.
  • Students feel empowered when they are asked to help a teacher. That don’t get to do that very often. I think it’s a wonderful thing!
  • Continues to help me see the value of empowering students to learn and use their talents for the good of others, not just themselves. It’s a nice byproduct that they feel better about their abilities as a result.
  • Students attend more readily to the visuals provided by computer-assisted instruction. Since the study of the solar system is rarely “hands-on” the students benefited from the one-to-one instruction provided by the GenYES student. I would not have been able to reach all the students in my class in this way without repeated interruptions.
  • Using technology in the lower grades will definitely prepare my students for their futures in high school and beyond. It gives them confidence to feel that they will be able to compete and participate in the real world, and that helps them feel connected to their futures. It’s very empowering.
  • Intergragting computers for use in the classroom can be done. Also, the students love it.
  • It has made me see how “native” kids are to technology…they can do anything with technology with little guidance!
  • technology is another way for students to learn and the interest level is really high when they get to use it.
  • This experience with GenYES had made it clear to me that students can create a project relating to standard content. Students in GenYES learned not only the content, but also computer and presenting skills.
  • Get out of students’ way! They are so much more comfortable with technology than are the teachers!
  • I felt it helped me to try new things using Technology in my classroom.
  • I found them to be very cooperative and helpful!
  • I have learned that the students need more room to create and design their projects. One of the most important things we need to do is get out of the students’ way. I truly believe that GEN YES has allowed teachers and students to partner their learning.
  • I think it is fantastic that I can get help from student around my school campus.
  • I think its a good pogect for students and teachers
  • I think that it is wonderful that students have the opportunity to learn about technology and help teachers learn about it, too.
  • I would like to see more kids have this opportunity. I realize that it takes an incredible amount of time for the tech teacher to train these kids but the payoff is well worth it.
  • It was a great form of mentoring. I also appreciate all the time and effort it took for the student to complete the project.
  • Students are much more capable that they are given credit for being. There are many problems that they can collaboratively solve and solutions to obstacles that they have a unique perspective on.
  • I enjoy seeing students motivated and creative with technology in teaching or assisting teachers with student learning.
  • I know that technology is an important part of the way we need to teach our children and it was helpful having a student make that connection.
  • I realize what a virtually untapped resource students can be in helping teachers.
  • GenYes provided a valuable service for our school. We have experienced technology users that bring a kid’s perspective to the presentation.
  • I believe I have a resource to help me with any of my tech challenges.
  • I have more confidence using technology knowing I can get help when I run into a problem.
  • I am aware that technology will become more and more prelevant in my daily teaching.
  • I’m very impressed with the students work.
  • It continues to remind me that student - teacher partnerships are meaningful and can be implemented in several ways in schools.
  • That they definitely know more about computers and programs than I do. The students are very helpful in teaching me how to do web design.
  • With the right training they can do amazing projects which can help others
  • I delight in my students creating lessons from their perspective. It is helpful for me as their teacher, to see what they consider to be important in their learning.
  • Every time I work with GenYES students, I am inspired!
  • GenYES students have taught me that students are a great resource for learning. They motivate me to use technology.
  • It was amazing to see how technologically saavy these fourth graders were. I learned a great deal from them. It was also nice to step back and allow students to take over the technology piece for a change.
  • I give them a credit for being pretty good at using and working with computers.
  • I liked the responsibility accepted by students.
  • I think that every student can conquer the technology aspect in any classroom.
  • I think that fun interactive lessons will help keep students on task and keep their interest levels up.
  • This project helped me see that technology can be used anywhere.
  • I look forward to more collaboration of this type with the HS technology students.
  • I think this is a great way to involve students in learning and would like to learn more about how to integrate it into the classroom.
  • I was happy to have an opportunity for my students to act as teachers. They are all very excited to have a turn creating interactive lessons for the class to share
  • I was very proud of the projects that my students created on their own. It was clear that they enjoyed the program and learned a lot from it.
  • It’s pretty obvious that every American student needs to become extremely comfortable and efficient with modern technology. GenYES will help out students do this.
  • I have always liked to integrate new ways of learning into my lessons…GenYES has opened another valuable “door” to the teaching of students in my class.
  • I knew students were capable before . . . I did see that the computer can offer some students a venue within which they can shine.
  • I see the value of students mentoring other students; I see ways to enhance learning through creative opportunities available to students using computer tools
  • I was surprised and excited to see the learning that took place! Both the students and I made huge, impressive leaps! Students definitely had a positive attitude and put a lot of energy toward working on their projects.
  • I was very impressed with the ability of the GenYes students. They were hardworking and dedicated in completing our project.
  • It is exciting to see the finished products done with the computer. It is equally and more exciting to see the students fully engaged when working on these projects. It provides assessment of learning in a unique and interesting way.
  • Students were more engaged and learned a great deal about the subject. It was rewarding for me to see them excited about it and then to see their excellent finished products.
  • This has been an outstanding experience for students and teachers. It has really helped to build a feeling of family within our school colleagues and students.
  • I know that my students are becoming more comfortable around technology because of GenYes.
  • My involvement with GenYES has totally changed the way I look at teaching.
  • My experience with GenYes has made me feel a lot more comfortable with computers. It has also shown me that the students are very capable of performing well while working with computers.
  • GenYES has made this year much easier for me and more fun. I think that students enjoy getting to learn about stuff on laptops. It has also helped with me understanding more in a students mind because my partner and I would interact and I would understand my students curriculum
  • GenYes has really helped me interact more with a student and helped me learn from another person even though they were younger then i was.
  • I feel that technology is a great way to teach students about different programs and I plan on using it more in the future.
  • I noticed that the GenYES students know more about computers than I do.
  • I now feel confident in teaching my students a lesson using technology. The students really enjoy using the computers on a regular basis.
  • I think the thing that changed the way feel about the school and students is that they under stand the computer better then some of the teachers.
  • It changed they way I look at the school and students by showing me that students are learning more about technology each and every day. So there fore they have to teach the teachers more about the computers or just technology.
  • It has changed the way I look at school and students by showing me that students can also teach me something. They can show me more and more about technology.
  • It has helped me understand the way most students think because I got to know my partner and I began to understand his curriculum.
  • It helped me understand that most of the students that go to the school that I’m teaching at know more about computers then I do.
  • It made me more aware of how much the students really know.
  • It makes me want to use computers more often in class. Also, it helps the students learn more about the computer programs.
  • My GenYES experiences have showed me that students are more than capable of learning new programs and teaching them to other students. I also feel that technology and computers are great ways to learn new things.
  • My experience with GenYES has made me feel a lot better about most of my students. It has shown me that they are VERY capable of performing well while working with computers.
  • My experience with GenYes was outstanding because I am able to learn more about other technology that I am not familiar to and as a teacher you would want to do that so you have a chance to help your students. I am more comfortable with computers now, now that I am familiar with the mechanics of it. GenYes is a great experience for me and I am looking forward on having another great GenYes student-partners next year.
  • Since i have begun teaching, many changes have been made in how we keep records and present our lessons. The GenYes program has made me more aware that the students know how to use technology and a result i should actively seek new ways to integrate technology into my lessons.
  • The GenYES program shows that school doesn’t have to be boring and can have some fun in it. It shows that some students who are okay in the area of computers can become great.
  • The GenYes students have showed me that students can make amazing projects with the computers and really learn. I know that using technology in school can really improve students learning. I feel that I will use technology more in the classroom because it helps so much.
  • Using computers more often, I believe, gives my students a more exciting way to learn and create projects. The students love to use the computers and it makes learning much more enjoyable and they can stay focused for longer with the computers.
  • With the Genyes program i feel a lot better with the students because if i have other students make projects for my class they tend to pay attention more then me making it myself. With the Genyes program i can compare projects with other teachers at different schools and give and receive project ideas from other science teachers.
  • Yes. I think the students are much more advanced technology wise and have a better understanding of computers then I suspected. Using technology in school is a fun way to learn math. I think my students enjoyed it, and I’d like to do it again.
  • it has helped me incorporate more technology into the curriculum and it has helped me learn more about using computers for school.
  • I really enjoyed working with the girls and am truly amazed at their creative abilities. I had no idea that students could create such quality work.
  • I think it is wonderful that children learn so many aspects of technology at such a young age. I also think it is remarkable that they are able to pass it on to other generations.
  • This is my second year and I feel having students come and make presentations to younger children is very effective. My class is looking forward to when they can do the same.
  • Although I myself was hesitant to learn new things on the computer, once I learned and felt confident, I taught my students and they taught each other. I am amazed at what good students and teachers they are in the area of computers. I will forever be changed in my view of their ability!
  • I am proud of everything my students learned with from the Genyes students.
  • I found it very interesting working with general ed students, especially in that they were teaching me something.
  • I was so impressed with my student’s level of responsibility.
  • It makes technology in my classroom a reality - especially with our new Smartboards.
  • G. has been helpful on more than just the assigned project. She often showed me how to do “the little things” that prevent me from using technology with my students.
  • I am so pleased with the GenYes program. I think it is a wonderful way to get students and teachers invoved in creating technology lessons and units together. I love GenYes!
  • I feel that I appreciate my students even more by participating in this program.
  • I have always had a high degree of respect for my students and technology. I can only look to the future for greater achievements.
  • I have been working with students in this environment for a while. I continue to look at student progress in a positive manner and enjoy the creativity of my students.
  • I have come to realize what a benefit it is for my students to be able to use technology to their advantage for research, with help to complete homework, and personal use.
  • I wonder how we ever functioned without the use of technology in the classroom.
  • It has been wonderful to have students able to teach me how to do certain things, to have them help students in the class and to try and troubleshoot any problems. These students are amazing!
  • It has broadened my scope in the learning environment. I can see a real place for the computer as a learning tool in the classroom as well as the personal life of myself and my students.
  • It is very important that we integrate technology in our classroom. The students we educate today are a product of the 21st century and technology is a major part of their learning environment.
  • It really has not changed the way I think or feel about my students. I will, in the future, learn more about their knowledge base so I can utilize their technology expertise and have them gain valuable experience putting their knowledge into practical use.
  • Students can often be the best teachers and mentors. Pairing a 5th grader with my 3rd graders was a wonderful way for younger students to be influenced positively by an older student.
  • Students teaching students is a wonderful tool to motivate students.
  • That students have the power to work with one another at various grade levels, and it creates a personal partnership between teacher and student.
  • The students adapt to computers quickly and easily.
  • This is a great opportunity for students to be leaders in the technology field. It also helps their teachers!
  • I am reminded of how engaging computers are for them.
  • I have been involved with technology for many years (even as a leader), and have used it and taught it in many capacities. I originally thought that my young partner student would not teach me anything new, but I was surprised to find I was wrong. My GenYes experience proved that you can always learn something new!
  • I really enjoyed working with my GenYes partner. She is a hard working student that put a lot of effort into completing this powerpoint. She did an excellent job and I learned some great new ways to make my future powerpoints more interesting.
  • I think it is a great opportunity for students and teachers.
  • I think that GenYES has shown me how capable the students really are when it comes to using technology. It has taught me that I can learn from them.
  • Students are very excited to use technology in school and as a learning experience.
  • All students are much more capable with computers than I would have expected for their age. Also, students were very careful with the computers and respectful of their partners. The sixth grade students were extremely knowledgeable about technology and very patient with my students. I feel like laptops have a real use in the classroom. Before I would have said that this expensive technology would not have had realistic applications in a third grade classroom.
  • I have always appreciated the opportunities for students to take on a leadership role. GenYES has provided an avenue to further this.
  • I was a bit concerned the fourth graders would not be able to fully instruct my third graders but the student teachers were incredible, effective and responsible. They were able to instruct my students with new technology. The lap tops are great!
  • I was impressed with the knowledge and skill of the GenYES students. It was fun working with older students.
  • I was very impressed at the support given to the students and in turn their enthusiastic support for technology in my classroom. I have watched them assist fellow students and myself become more comfortable with the varied use of technology.
  • It provides more of my students with computer access and allows use to teach directly to a larger group allowing each student more one on one time.
  • It showed me that my students are very responsible and the are leaders for the class.
  • My experience with GenYES reinforced my thinking that students are capable of teaching their classmates new skills. My experienced with GenYES also made me realize that how easy it is to integrate technology into subject areas.
  • Students can be helpful as peer tutors and can teach me new technology.
  • This experience has enlightened me to the fact that integrating technology into the classroom excites most students, and creates an opportunity for some to soar. Computers are an excellent tool for building confidence, learning the curriculum, and engaging students that might not normally be engaged in the lesson at hand. Having older students teach younger students is something I’ve always been involved in, and this experience helped further solidify my commitment to continue doing so in my classroom.
  • Giving students more freedom to work on independent work. I’m also somewhat of a perfectionist, and using something which the student worked on, but didn’t exactly teach it how I wanted, was a little challenge for me, but I learned that the students still learned and it was still great!
  • I now more actively look for new ways to integrate computers into class projects.
  • I totally enjoyed working with the students and have thought of projects that I would like to do in the future.
  • I was frustrated with the availability of hardware needed for this presentation. The staff at my school came to my aid and got the game going right before I needed it-to them I am grateful. The students did a great job putting this project together and I know that using it was fun for all.
  • I was surprised that the students seemed to like both technology and overheads for lessons. Some seem to feel that they have already played the game show and want a new, exciting format. Such a hard audience.
  • It is a good way for students to work on their own. I would like to be able to work with these students one on one though.
  • It is a very effective way to teach students the useful and beneficial aspect of technology.
  • It keeps the students attention a lot more focus.
  • It was fun to not only have the students do their own technology project, but to also use what they had created in class was awesome.
  • Students are growing up in an age of technology and like using it in the learning environment.
  • The one thing I realized is how out of date I am with computers. It is not the same or as easy as it was when I was a junior in high school. So much has changed and so quick! The students knowledge of computers is incredible.
  • I feel that after working with students, GenYES should be offered to more students.
  • It has made new programs not so difficult to learn!
  • It has not changed the way that I feel. It has opened up other avenues to conduct lessons.
  • Students can answer my questions and working with them half way through the year, they know my teaching style and can work with my strenthgs and weaknesses.
  • The students are able to work creatively with Technology.
  • Yes. The students were actively engaged in the project as well as lending the helping hand in the review.
  • I really enjoy the GenYes experience. When students generate a project for my class I feel that they have truely grasped the concept they are working with. This is a great partnership!
  • I am absolutely impressed with students’ abilities to “design” with computers-I can see so many uses which are highly motivating!!
  • I am constantly amazed at the high level of motivation that computers bring to the entire learning process-for both students and teachers!! I am looking forward to really applying my new learned knowledge to other “projects” and subject areas next school year.
  • I am happy that my students can be exposed to so much technology. It will help them as they leave the classroom and go out into the work force. I think GenYes has been a positive opportunity for me and my students.
  • I am very proud of the hard work and effort that my Gen YES students have displayed.
  • I just enjoyed the experience. I have been computer phobic for years. Working with my GenYes students gave me more confidence to use technology in my classroom. I still have a long way to go, but this was a start.
  • I truly enjoyed the experience with my GenYes student. She was very serious about the task and the project as a whole. I am excited about the possibilities for our school and integrating technology.
  • I was appreciative that one of my special day students could participate in a program that I initially thought would only be available to regular education students.
  • I was glad my students got to participate in this project. It was very motivational. Their enthusiasm is contagious.
  • It was a very positive experience. My GenYes students were very helpful. I wish all students conducted themselves so well.
  • My experience gave me great hope for what our school can be in the near future.
  • Students are a great resource to teach other students and teachers. The GenYes students were responsible, cooperative and innovative!
  • The GenYes students demonstrated great teaching skills. They were patient and responsible in their duties.
  • The GenYes students demonstrated that they have skills to teach other students. Using students to teach teachers or other students is a great resource.
  • I feel more comfortable using technology in my classroom and would like to use more with my kids.
  • I feel that students can teach the teachers. They are much more computer savvy!
  • I was impressed at how knowledgeable my GenYES students were with technology.
  • It is important to incorporate technology into the classroom to keep student interest! They expect it!
  • It was a great opportunity to work with a student who could teach me simple things I forget how to do because I don’t use enough. I definitely feel more comfortable with technology in my classroom. Students can be a great resource!
  • It was a pleasure working with an older students and it made me realize the strong desire for knowledge that children have in technology.
  • This year I found myself expecting the kids to use the computer more often, which means I am more comfortable with it. It feels good.
  • I am amazed at how “computer savvy” my sixth graders already were before we even started our project. Their level of comfort with computers made the overall project much less daunting, and it also allowed the students to take the project further.
  • I realize that most of my students are very computer literate compared to their teacher. I enjoy having students show me how to improve my own skills.
  • It has helped me to see new ways students in second grade can benefit in enhancing their content knowledge through web resources. I also think we can do a more student centered flip camera project next year.
  • It is great to work with the students who have been in the GenYES because they are so competent in computer skills. Without them a great of my computer learning would not have happened! Thank you to GenYES and to may partner students, Trevor and Anna!
  • It was wonderful to have fifth grade students come into my classroom and participate in teaching the class and helping students individually as needed. I really enjoyed the partnership.
  • My experience with GenYES has been a very positive one! I have a very energetic class and found that this project kept them interested and focused! I have continued using technology in our class to motivate students!
  • My students were very enthusiastic to learn about this project because it was connected to technology. They enjoyed learning a new program and making a presentation that can be viewed by their parents on a digital projector.
  • I enjoy working with the resourceful students.
  • I have integrated more technology into my daily lessons.
  • It has reinforced my belief that students like hands-on interactive ways to learn and focus more on the work if it is visual and stimulating. The key to teaching is to finding how to motivate students to learn. Using this format seems to be successful and student feedback and results obtained from projects have verified this outcome.
  • It was a pleasure working with such a wonderful young lady.
  • It was truly awesome to watch the students present this program to incoming students. They displayed so much pride about our school and set terrific examples of how things are done at our school.
  • Lots of students took advantage of these extra resources.
  • The GenYES students do a fabulous job coming into classes and doing presentations. Students really look forward to seeing student work.
  • The GenYES students were great and I saw my science students getting very excited about the work just because it was on computers instead of books.

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    GenYES at San Juan Unified School District

    Monday, May 17th, 2010

    San Juan Unified School District in San Juan, California, is a proud GenYES district. Many of their schools were funded by EETT (Enhancing Education Through Technology) funding from the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, Title II, Part D. In California, the EETT is focused on grades 4-8. Their website has a wonderful video explaining how GenYES students support the goals of the EETT and the whole district in regards to technology.

    From the SJUSD website:

    “The core of GenYes is the establishment of collaborative partnerships between students and teachers, with the express purpose of facilitating the integration of modern digital technologies in the practices of teaching. GenYes is well suited to meeting the needs of middle school students because it provides them with the opportunity to engage in their own learning. Expectations in the GenYes classroom are high and students and teachers come to see each other as capable partners. GenYes students also learn sets of skills relevant to project planning and implementation, as well as communication, that form the core of complex thinking skills which are critical in both today’s learning and workforce environment.

    The GenYes experience involves a wide range of technical, academic, cognitive and social skills. Students are expected to become proficient and critical consumers and producers of education technology as well as use these skills to help teachers improve their personal and classroom use of educational technology. This requires a strong understanding of technology tools and then the ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with someone who may have a different point of view. When building collaborative projects, students must understand the needs of the partner-teacher, frame problems productively, seek out appropriate tools and information, then plan and manage their time and work in order to accomplish a discrete project within a specified timeline. Additionally, GenYes students, through working with their partner-teachers, develop an appreciation of sound pedagogical practice, including: the identification of learning objectives; the consideration of assessment strategies, and the alignment of projects with state academic content standards.”

    The page explains how GenYES is part of their well-rounded approach to technology integration. Besides GenYES, San Juan provides a wide range of teacher professional development, from on-site coaching to ongoing workshops and summer institutes, plus hardware and software.

    We are really proud of the teachers and students who make GenYES happen in San Juan schools, and the administrators who support and encourage technology use with such a holistic approach!
    Sylvia

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    Students teach tech to superintendents

    Thursday, March 25th, 2010

    Last month at AASA (the American Association of School Administrators annual conference) in Phoenix, Arizona, several GenYES students from nearby Paradise Valley School District were invited to participate in an Apple itouch/ipod workshop for the attending superintendents.

    GenYES students from elementary, middle and high school presented the devices, circulated through the audience as the superintendents learned about educational uses, and provided help throughout the workshop.

    And when you watch this video, notice that these students care deeply that these adults grasp how important using technology is for them. The good news is, there are students like this in every school, just waiting for an opportunity to put their passion about digital communication to good use to improve learning.

    These students are part of a district-wide vision in Paradise Valley that students are a crucial part of integrating technology into every classroom. GenYES classes teach students technology, mentoring, and leadership so they can assist teachers and fellow students with technology.

    As you can see, Paradise Valley is a leader in student-centered technology. They were the first K12 institution in the world to make content, lessons, and student work available on ITunes U/K12. Their pTUNES portal is now available to schools and districts statewide through a partnership with Apple, Arizona IDEAL, and Arizona State University (ASU). For this innovation, pTUNES was awarded the 2009 Cox Technology in Education Award. More about PTUNES…

    Oh, one more thing - the video was (of course) produced by the GenYES team at Shadow Mountain High School in Paradise Valley.

    Congratulations to the students, teachers, and administrators at PVUSD!

    Sylvia

    Update (3/26/10) - Several people told me they were having problems with the video. Today I substituted the direct embed from the PVCAST site. For some reason it’s clipping a bit at the sides, probably because of my blog settings. Hopefully this will help. Direct link to video - https://pvcast.pvschools.net/Podcasts/2010-03-26/2010_AASA_Workshop_on_Interactive_Touch-ipod.m4v

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    What do GenYES students do?

    Monday, March 15th, 2010

    Gen Yes from Jeff Darrow on Vimeo.

    This student made video is from the GenYES class at Winston Churchill MS, San Juan School District, California. Looks like fun!

    Sylvia

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    Edutopia - Students Teach Technology to Teachers

    Monday, March 8th, 2010

    “When middle school students Alison and Nat confer with their teachers, it’s to talk about the lessons the students are preparing for student teachers as part of a new Generation www.Y program. The young people are part of a growing group in schools across the country who are sharing their own expertise to help make prospective teachers more aware of how students learn and the best ways technology can be used to support their learning.”

    Edutopia, the website of the George Lucas Educational Foundation published this story and video on the GenYES program in Olympia, WA. The video is from a while back when the model was called Generation www.Y. That was a bit difficult to pronounce, so we changed the name to GenYES.

    This video was created during an interesting time period - the GenYES students not only worked with teachers at their school, but formed teams with their teacher and a pre-service teacher. These 3 member teams learned and taught each other technology, and prepared lessons using new technology. Just another way students can be involved in improving education for all!

    Sylvia

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    Seymour Papert on Generation YES and Kid Power

    Saturday, February 20th, 2010

    This is a remarkable piece of video from 1998 unearthed by Gary Stager. In it, Ryan Powell, then a GenYES middle school student, interviews Seymour Papert and John Gage about the model of students learning technology in order to help teachers in their own schools. Both of these heavyweights of educational technology say some really interesting things about the model, including Dr. Papert saying that it’s the best thing the US Department of Education has ever funded! Pretty nice to hear that.

    As further background, Dr. Papert is the father of educational technology, a student of Jean Piaget, and an internationally renowned educator famous for the theory of constructivism. His advocacy of student laptop programs extends around the world including the XO laptop for developing nations, and he invented the Logo programming language for children. John Gage, one of the founders of Sun Microsystems, started the NetDay movement to wire schools and originated the phrase, “the network is the computer.”

    About halfway through this clip, Dr. Papert talks a bit about why he believes that education reform can happen now, even though decades of reform efforts have not had much impact.

    He says there are two things that are different now. One is that school was designed to fit the previous “knowledge technology” of chalk, blackboards, paper and pencil. These technologies match quite well with the prevailing pedagogy of the last century, which relied on instruction, teacher as the center of all knowledge, and delivery of content. So criticizing it was a bit idealistic and theoretical. But now we have new technology that directly enables construction, connection, and distributed expertise. These new knowledge technologies tip the balance and as a result, new pedagogy can become reality.

    The second factor is what he calls “Kid Power.” The technology amplifies the voices of people who are traditionally without voice or representation in our society.

    For more explanation of Papert’s view on why technology will power education reform, check out this speech: Chlld Power: Keys to the New Learning of the Digital Century.

    In Gary’s post about this video, he also recalls some of the early days of Generation YES, when Dennis Harper had this “crazy idea” of kids being at the center of changing education with technology. Seymour Papert on Generation YES & Kid Power : Stager-to-Go

    By the way, Ryan is now a college graduate serving in the Peace Corps in Benin, West Africa with his new wife Kimberly.

    Sylvia

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