June 2005 — The Final Word
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The Digitization of Learning
These considerations make incorporating technology into the classroom much more realistic for schools. That said, teachers, district technology coordinators, and principals have varying requirements when it comes to choosing the right solution.Teachers value ease of use so they can maintain their focus on curriculum, rather than spending inordinate amounts of time learning, teaching, and implementing the technology. District technology specialists prefer effortless integration and reliability, because their jobs involve keeping many machines up and running. Finally, principals are interested in cost-effective, efficient, intuitive programs that will make teachers more effective, while fostering growth and learning in the classroom.
FROM LEARNING EXPERIENCE, TO AWARDS
April Payne, a veteran teacher at Highland Ranch Elementary School in San Diego, knows there are hundreds of ways video can make learning more fun. So during a holiday break in December 2002, Payne, a novice to digital video editing, educated herself about editing and filmmaking, planning effective ways to use video in the classroom along the way. On her first day back, Payne introduced the Pinnacle Studio video-editing software (www.pinnaclesys.com) to her class. Under her guidance over a five-day period, the students brainstormed ideas, wrote scripts, filmed, edited, and produced “Good Readers”—a class activity showcasing the successful strategies of beginning readers. In addition to a positive learning experience, the students’ first project received accolades at the San Diego County Office of Education’s 2003 Innovative Video in Education Awards (www.ivieawards.org). Most recently, Payne’s first-graders took home a math award from the 38th Annual California Student Media and Multimedia Festival (www.mediafestival.org) for “Time Team,” a short digital movie about telling time.
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