Sunday, August 22, 2010

My how times have changed...

Around here, the first day of school for most students is tomorrow.  I know some of you have already returned and others will return soon.  I remember when I was in school.  We were still reading Tip and Mitten, Jack and Janet stories and used the old filmstrip projectors which was always a treat.


Sometimes for big newsworthy events, they would roll a TV into our classroom and we would watch poor quality news reports...probably with rabbit ear antennas.  In high school, not much had changed as far as technology.  We didn't watch filmstrips much anymore but still used projectors with reels for educational movies and were just starting to use vhs tapes and of course cassettes. I think there may have been an early computer or two in the building but I don't remember using one.  We still took "typing" on actual typewriters...at least they were electric typewriters.  We didn't have cell phones or mp3 players or laptops.

My how times have changed!
My son will begin 8th grade tomorrow at a new school.  It's a public school and is billed as a green technology school.  We went to visit the other day.  When I saw the wall of Ipads in the main hall, I was speechless.  Yet, that was just the beginning.  We were told we didn't need to buy any school supplies (at all, not even a pencil) and the kids won't be issued a set of books to carry back and forth.  Nope, nothing.  They don't have teacher classrooms either but rather "student learning spaces."  I'll be honest, I'm not sure what to think about all of this.  I guess this is what they call "the future".

If you want to see it, you can watch the video below (hopefully...if I did this right) They will show a tiny bit of construction of it first before they get to the good stuff like moving walls.  Crazy.
    
Are you guys seeing this kind of stuff at your schools too?  Are you ready for it?

6 comments:

  1. I took typing too! Now they take keyboarding in Kindergarten! We have a tech high school annex in Coppell. I would probably be afraid to walk inside. Blogging is about as technical as this gal gets. My cell phone can do lot's of things too. One day I may try and post from it.

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  2. I want an iPad!

    Unless it involves being in 8th grade again, though.

    Darn.

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  3. I didn't know such a school existed, and I taught for 32 years!
    How exciting for him and good for Keller ISD for being innovative.

    I am also a Texas blogger!

    Laura
    White Spray Paint

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  4. Wow. I'm not sure what I'd think about it either! Dang! That is amazing. (thanks also for the link to the teacher gift--I think I need to follow the Macchio Family blog; I know you told me to way long ago ;).

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  5. I took typing on those cool old black typwriters. And I'm not that old!

    I don't know what to think about that. There is definitely something to be said about actually writing things down, and turning actual pages~but all that technology is pretty dang cool.

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  6. That is SO crazy! And I can't believe the little 5 year-old boy we moved next door to over 7 years ago is going to 8th grade...

    You're the mom of an 8th grader! (o:

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