When I transitioned from being a middle school math teacher to a building technology coordinator 15 years ago, I knew very little about computers. My knowledge has grown immensely as I’m sure has yours in the past 15 years! Today, technology is so much a part of our lives and how we do things that we really no longer look at it as just something more to learn, but rather as something that allows us to be more efficient, more creative, and to do things more conveniently. When effectively integrated into the school’s curricular goals, technology tools can extend learning in powerful ways and education is changing because of it. At GRCMS, much of what we do is focused on the process of learning. As students research, they are becoming better critical thinkers and problem solvers as they discern what information is important to their goals. Students are spending more time working collaboratively and sharing with each other and with their teachers what they have created. I leave you with one middle school visual of how technology allows us to do things differently. Rather than writing an essay about sharecropping, today our students create photo essays using video editing software allowing them to visually show and narrate their essays.
