This Week's Program: Matt Winbigler

To demonstrate this technology, Matt involved us in a game called Kahoot. We all were given or used our own device to take a 12 question Minnesota trivia quiz. Speed counted as much as accuracy. Even though the answers were right in front of our eyes, speed worked both for and against our accuracy. El President Ryan was out in front, but Rich Bruns took the lead and won! Matt explained that this classroom technology program is called 1 to 1 and Karen Smith helped launch the program. Games like this can be done in the classroom with teams and help kids learn interactively. Next Matt showed us a slide presentation put together by the Cloquet Middle School staff. With the 1 to 1 program each student gets an I-Pad to take home and use in the classroom. They personalize their own desktop images and icon layout. This helps them learn together the 4 C's of 21st century  learning: Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, and Creativity. Students feel that Creativity is the most important part. The middle school has its own Facebook called Schoolology, where the students can interact with other students. Their I-Pad also connects them to all the digital books in the State of Minnesota library, and in the Cloquet Public Library. With the I-Pad English classes have created scenes from books and plays, Science classes have had live video phone calls from scientists in Antarctica, Family & Consumer Science classes (old Home Ec) have recorded how to do laundry homework assignments, and Industrial Technology classes (old Shop) have created blueprints for making a house. The 1 to 1 program has opened up things that kids can do in school, like taking a band lesson at home with feedback. Classroom barriers are changing and breaking down, more is possible with new technology. Matt invited us to visit the middle school for a classroom tour. Maybe we could visit by I-Pad?