Removing the Walls of a Classroom

In January of 2001, I began my student teaching experience at Emerald Park Elementary and was afraid of computers. I did not even have an email address. At the conclusion of my student teaching requirements, I was hired at the same school as the Media Specialist. To say I came a long way is an understatement. In that period of time, I learned the amazing power of this great educational tool. Computers and technology have taken the walls out of the classroom and made anything, and everything, possible. After being the head of the technology department in a Gates Grant school for four years, I sat down with the principal and told him I was ready for the next step.

The idea of 1:1 computing (one laptop for every student in the classroom) was spreading across the Kent School District, and I wanted to ensure the success of such a great movement. I was hired to teach Seventh Grade Humanities at the Kent Technology Academy on the Mill Creek Middle School campus. At the time I made this move, I said to those close to me, "I am not 100% positive 1:1 will work, but in two years, I will know firsthand if this is the correct direction for education to go." Not surprisingly to me, after only three months, I was sold on teaching in a 1:1 environment. The fact is, with a computer in every student's hands, there are no limits. The same tools and programs that are available to world-class architects can be downloaded and used for free in Google Sketch-Up. The same audio mixing tools used by music producers in Nashville can be accessed by downloading the Audacity shareware program. Editing software, with the same basic principles used by film producers in Hollywood, can be accessed in free programs such as Windows Movie Maker and iMovie. Such examples can be made over and over again.

It is next to impossible to explain how exciting this next step in education will be. With 1:1 laptop usage, students are able to delve into whatever it is that interests them the most and become experts in the areas they see as a way to expand the curriculum they are focusing on. The possibilities are endless. The walls of the classroom have been removed and students are successfully preparing themselves for a future that will require high tech, twenty first century knowledge and skills.