WBER + Capital Project=Lots of 21st century learning tools

bapthorpe — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:41:57 +0000

Dr. Brigid Barron and Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond of Stanford University, in an article from the 2008 book Powerful Learning: What We Know About Teaching For Understanding, they compile research arguing of the positive impact of authentic real-world learning scenarios and projects upon student learning. They contend that authentic learning is an essential ingredient in order for students to succeed in a world that is, and will continue to be, exponentially changing. They write

…learning by doing” has a somewhat checkered track record, in part because teachers often lack the information, support, and tools necessary to fully integrate and support this alternative approach to teaching and learning.

At Fairport, our students and teachers are becoming equipped with the resources to improve this track record. A powerful group of tools to assist us has entered our district through the back door, if you will, via our participation in the WBER service. WBER is a student run FM radio station of Monroe #1 BOCES. Historically FCSD has had excellent media communications classes, but they never had an audience. This year Fairport students are learning the techniques and skills required to broadcast in the 21st century by broadcasting both over the FM airwaves to listeners around Monroe County, but also to listeners around the world via Internet broadcasting.

Gets better….WBER engineers enabled us to broadcast over the web from any class… to any building… to anyone…to closed audiences….to open audiences….this is critically important because it provided a much more affordable vehicle to bring real audiences to all our students versus trying to fund having such solutions devised on a building by building basis.

They did this by helping set up our computer network with the capability to broadcast WBER from FHS...marry this to our new infrastructure, we can replicate this availability from any classroom in the district.

What I have for our admin group to examine is one of the following real world tools that the TVT is exploring for the 2010-11 school year.

Below are the links to the groups of technology I want you to check out: