Abstract #1

ETEC557

September 22, 2001

Source:  WilsonSelectPlus:  Multimedia Schools v. 7 no. 6 (Nov./ Dec. 2000) pp. 34-7

Title:  TECH exhibition shows educators how to “make the grade”

Author:  Noyes, Andrew

 

The author begins by stating the comparison of the use of computers in businesses and homes more than in public schools.  In regards to this problem, the NEA (National Education Association) has established a museum-type atmosphere, which is both innovative and interactive, in Washington, D. C.  It is called TECH: Making the Grade, and it was influenced many educators, administrators, and technology professionals over the first year of operation into incorporating technology in their schools.

 

The exhibition does not concentrate on just the use of computers in schools, even though that is an important part of it.  But, rather, it looks at all forms of emerging technology for use in education.  It concentrates on five primary areas:  Classroom technologies; Distance Learning; School-to-Home connections; Linking Schools to Communities; and Management of Classrooms, Schools and Districts.

 

Some examples of the various exhibits include Student TV, where visitors can view student television broadcasts and then participate in them and Robots:  Hands-on Learning where visitors can watch how students were given a box of parts and were then asked to construct a robot of their own design and imaginations.  Another exhibit at TECH is the Weaving a Web workstation, where students are helping to link their schools to their communities and the rest of the world.  The article states that one of the most popular areas in the “museum” is Communicate, “a set of three experiences demonstrating the benefits and drawbacks of various modes of communication.  Visitors can test oral communication, online instant messaging, and video conferencing” (pg. 2).

 

Portfolios of Progress shows how progress in student work can be creatively represented over time by using technology.  This gives me an idea to use a method similar to this in my own classrooms.  Other sections of TECH show things like how technology can be incorporated into specialized areas of education.  When visitors leave the exhibits, they are literally flooded with visions of how they can improve their own schools and classrooms.  That is the purpose for TECH, to expose educators to what is out there for there use.  People will never make a goal to learn about new things if they do not understand those things or do not know anything about them.