A year of Growth

One of the most rewarding experiences this year was watching the Sixth graders take charge of the Eighth-grade graduation. They made presentations using PowerPoint and Moviemaker, videotaped and managed all things tecchie for the celebration. The adults sat down for a change and the show ran without a hitch. Their experiences during the year under the Talent 21 Grant were so powerful, they had no trouble taking charge of a full scale production with minimal guidance.

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Talent 21 Staff and students must take the surveys on the right hand side of this blog!

Technology Showcase Huge Success!

Kassandra showing off her Digital Museum

Brianna playing her health movie

Our Talent 21 Technology Showcase on June 1st was well-attended, the 6th grade students had many products to display to their families and to the community. We invited the 5th grade students and parents so that they could preview what next year holds for them.  All year long, the students worked on project-based learning units with the theme of Energy!  The showcase gave the students a chance to educate the community about how the school is working to reduce their carbon footprint.  Some of the products on display that evening were recycled art sculptures, musical instruments made from recycled materials, student created newscasts on energy awareness, digital portfolios of the year's work on their blogs, interactive online posters and interactive science mind maps.  This year our students have become responsible for the most up-to-date textbook ever, their laptops.  The sixth-graders have learned how to communicate to other students online with respect.  Their favorites are full with the sites they have been using all year to further their research.  They have evaluated the energy used by their school and have formulated ideas for saving money using technology tools.  They have written letters and created movies on the energy type of their choice.  Students that didn't normally raise their hands in class all had a chance to participate in online group discussions throughout the year.  We had some techie wizards  and media moguls emerge from our group; the most rewarding moments are when the students get up to help each other with the projects. They are eager to show off their skills and achieve mastery of the technology along the way.  Teachers found new and exciting ways to present the curriculum and engage their learners.

Camryn showing her enthusiasm for the laptops

Thalia's Energy Movie is available on our schooltube.com channel!
She learned how to add her own narration to moviemaker using audacity
and lame.

AJ especially enjoyed being able to create his own music in  Mixcraft and
Audacity to play along in his  Energy Assessment movie