Take a moment, read below and hear from two of our students how technology is used in their very own classroom, how what they learn at Concordia influences learning outside of the classroom and what technology means to them.

Meet Derek Wang.

Derek is a second grade student at Concordia. He’s one of 496 amazing students at Concordia’s Elementary School and is outstanding in his ability to use technology as a second grader.

Mrs HP: On a typical day, how do you use technology at school?

Derek: Usually we practice typing and sometimes we do projects using iMovie and Keynote. We might do a movie about our field trips or a book review. We are working on a movie right now to introduce Chinese to our pen pals in Florida.

Mrs HP: How do you feel about using technology?

Derek: I think kids in other second grade classes use computers a little less than we do. Mrs. Forrester shows us stuff to do and really likes technology too. I like using computers in class because it helps us in our writing. When we publish, we type on the computer. I liked recording the movie for our pen pal even though we had to do it many times. We drew pictures in Tux Paint and recorded our voices talking about foods in Chinese. In my book trailer for A Place for Grace, we used the green room and that was really fun but I was also a little nervous too. We used Keynote once to animate a clock. We were showing elapsed time and we switched the arrows to show the passing of time.

Mrs HP: How do you use technology in your free time?

Derek: At home, I like to play video games. Sometimes I play for 1-2 hours. The rule in my house is that I have to read books first. After I read, I can play on the computer for that same amount of time. I usually go to my favorite Websites.

Meet Kevin Jin.

Kevin is in Mr. Murphey’s fourth grade class. He can be described as an outstanding student. He is polite, hard working and extremely creative. He loves technology and loves when the opportunities arise when he can use his talents. This year, he created the backdrop for his class chapel, submitted pages created in Photoshop for the Elementary School Yearbook and participated in the elementary school’s Video Club. Additionally, he is a member of the Rockin’ Rhythm Revelers as a keyboardist.

Mrs HP: On a typical day, how do you use technology at school?

Kevin: We use technology a lot in my class. We write non fiction and fiction books. We usually type our final copies. We also do cool stuff with the Mimio during Word Study and writing time. We use the computers almost every day. Mr. Murphey created a place on myConcordia for us to share work between home and school. He also posts resources there for us to access. We can find Websites for reading and math and even things to to when we’re finished with our work. VoiceThread was cool because we can use it to read and comment verbally and others can hear what we have to say.

Mrs HP: How do you feel about using technology?

Kevin: I think we use computers more than other fourth graders. Mr. Murphey thinks of really cool ideas and we try them. Mr. Murphey is a great role model for technology use. My favorite project had to do with our non fiction writing. It turned out like a real magazine article. We used Pages and added columns and text boxes. I think technology is fun and really useful. When we do our writing using the computer, we don’t have to erase when we make a mistake or want to make changes. There are really cool fonts and in Keynote, the themes are really cool. It’s easy to do work with computers.

Mrs HP: How do you use technology in extra-curricular school projects?

Kevin: I do yearbook and I’m in the video club. While we’re working on yearbook projects we can learn new things about design. The work I do will be seen in the elementary school yearbook. The video club is really cool because we get to be on the television in the lunch room. We can contribute our own ideas and make them into videos instead of just writing them. I get to use the video cameras and have learned to hold the camera still and not film into the light. I don’t always like to do the acting and I like to be the filming.

Mrs HP: How do you use technology in your free time?

Kevin: When I have less homework and have some free time at home I mostly design stuff using Photoshop. Sometimes when I’m bored, I can use Visual Basic or Game Maker Pro and make small games and programs. I have to go to sleep before 9:00 pm and I have Chinese lessons every day. I also take piano on Mondays and Fridays and have RRR [Rockin' Rhythm Revelers] on Tuesdays. I use my computer also to visit Websites in the game-making community. I get to play others’ games and get ideas for my own. I also like to write stories when I have time. I really love computers because they are fast and easy to work with.

Examples of programs and projects utilizing technology and digital media at Concordia:

• Video documentaries
• Audio interviews
• Web based newspapers
• Editorial cartoons and political cartoons
• Collaboration via shared document areas such as ConcordiaPad
• Keynotes
• Using Skype to talk with people around the world
• Using websites to assist with studying such as Quizlet.com
• Creating clean, outstanding photo books and photo essays
• Use of the green screen rooms to enhance presentations
• Timeline creation
• Taking writing pieces and adding sound and imagery to them.

Concordia students are now reaping the benefits of a pedagogical shift in thinking about the use of technology in the classroom by Concordia’s teachers several years ago. Our faculty continues to find opportunities to elevate the teaching of concepts in the High School curriculum with the availability of cutting-edge technology at their student’s fingertips.

Modern technology makes creating sophisticated movies, recordings, and illustrations look easy, but they are not easily made well. Students at Concordia do learn to use technology well and are demonstrating the foundational skills of planning, resource management, logistics, and social skills of communication and collaboration as they do so.

While technology comes with temptations (for example, the ever popular video gaming), we have found that Concordia students are equal to the challenge of early responsibility in respecting, caring for and managing the powerful tool technology is.

Concordia High School faculty, not only understand but affirm the digital creativity and passion in students. While the way school is done differs from what we might recognize, it mirrors the way business is done. If students can use technology socially, they can use it educationally. We invite students to use technology to reinvent our concept of how learning should happen. Read more…