Thursday, February 25, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
2010 'Future is Now' Technology Expo
Unbelievable. There is no other word to describe the atmosphere of the evening of January 27, 2010 at the ShoWare Center in downtown Kent. Over 4000 people were in attendance as over 500 students, 150 teachers, and 30 businesses, organizations, and government agencies displayed how they use technology in the 21st century.
From the moment the event started with Jeff (a fourth grader at Panther Lake Elementary School) and Celica (an eighth grader at Mill Creek Middle School) introducing keynote speaker Brad Goode (King 5 Morning News Anchor) to the amazing presentations at each of the 100 student/teacher run booths on the floor of the ShoWare, I stood in awe and was so proud to be a part of the Kent School District.
Truly, the future is now, and the Technology Expo proved to be a platform for this to be seen by all! Best of all, I could see that the hard work of so many—day in and day out—being showcased for the world to see.
This type of event is great, but let’s not forget that the things showcased at the 2010 Tech Expo are happening everyday in Kent classrooms, businesses, and organizations. Yes, we celebrated great things on January 27th ...but I hope that the celebrating doesn’t just end there.
Students, Teachers, Business Leaders, and Community Members-
The ball is rolling. Keep it going. Nights like the 27th reminded us that the future looks bright in Kent. We are in good hands. Although it is easy to not have confidence in the future because of all the issues our world is facing today, I have confidence because of the great things happening everyday—not just on the 27th—in our local schools and businesses.
From the moment the event started with Jeff (a fourth grader at Panther Lake Elementary School) and Celica (an eighth grader at Mill Creek Middle School) introducing keynote speaker Brad Goode (King 5 Morning News Anchor) to the amazing presentations at each of the 100 student/teacher run booths on the floor of the ShoWare, I stood in awe and was so proud to be a part of the Kent School District.
The theme of the 2010 Technology Expo was “The Future is Now,” and the tag line was “21st Century Classroom, Students, and Careers.” As I squeezed through the crowd and looked around, I could see the future before me. Businesses showing how state of the art technology has changed the workplace. Students showing how modern technology has increased their level of learning in and out of the classroom. Teachers showing how students are enjoying learning.
Truly, the future is now, and the Technology Expo proved to be a platform for this to be seen by all! Best of all, I could see that the hard work of so many—day in and day out—being showcased for the world to see.
This type of event is great, but let’s not forget that the things showcased at the 2010 Tech Expo are happening everyday in Kent classrooms, businesses, and organizations. Yes, we celebrated great things on January 27th ...but I hope that the celebrating doesn’t just end there.
Students, Teachers, Business Leaders, and Community Members-
The ball is rolling. Keep it going. Nights like the 27th reminded us that the future looks bright in Kent. We are in good hands. Although it is easy to not have confidence in the future because of all the issues our world is facing today, I have confidence because of the great things happening everyday—not just on the 27th—in our local schools and businesses.
To visit the 2010 Technology Expo webpage, click here.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Filming at Panther Lake
The STS Interns have been working non-stop over the last couple of weeks as we prepare for the release of episode 2 of 5 of our new television series, The Future is Now.
Episode 2, titled Seeing the Future, features segments on teachers and students using technology at Panther Lake and Emerald Park Elementary, as well as Mill Creek Middle School and Kentwood High School. Today, interns Jessica and Jonathan spent the day filming with special co-host, Jeff. Jeff is a fourth grader at Panther Lake. While there was no school today because of a scheduled teacher workshop day, Jeff came to school and gave us a tour of the new Panther Lake building. It was amazing. While bragging about the SMARTBoards, the Freedom of Access program, and the great teachers, he ate up the spotlight and stole the show.
Every time Jeff began to speak on camera, we were amazed at how articulate he came across. He was a natural. Watching Jeff speak on camera was a great reminder to me of why I became a teacher. When given an opportunity--kids can do amazing things. Even Jeff's mother was amazed to see her son perform so well and commented she couldn't wait for her husband to see the show once it aired.
Give kids adult-like opportunities and they perform at adult-like levels.
For more information on the Future is Now TV project, visit our website at http://www.kent.k12.wa.us/ksd/it/tech4kent/site/tv/tv.html.
To view Jeff in his television debut, Comcast customers can tune into Puget Sound Access, channel 77, on Tuesday, November 24 at 6:30 pm PST.
Episode 2, titled Seeing the Future, features segments on teachers and students using technology at Panther Lake and Emerald Park Elementary, as well as Mill Creek Middle School and Kentwood High School. Today, interns Jessica and Jonathan spent the day filming with special co-host, Jeff. Jeff is a fourth grader at Panther Lake. While there was no school today because of a scheduled teacher workshop day, Jeff came to school and gave us a tour of the new Panther Lake building. It was amazing. While bragging about the SMARTBoards, the Freedom of Access program, and the great teachers, he ate up the spotlight and stole the show.
Every time Jeff began to speak on camera, we were amazed at how articulate he came across. He was a natural. Watching Jeff speak on camera was a great reminder to me of why I became a teacher. When given an opportunity--kids can do amazing things. Even Jeff's mother was amazed to see her son perform so well and commented she couldn't wait for her husband to see the show once it aired.
Give kids adult-like opportunities and they perform at adult-like levels.
For more information on the Future is Now TV project, visit our website at http://www.kent.k12.wa.us/ksd/it/tech4kent/site/tv/tv.html.
To view Jeff in his television debut, Comcast customers can tune into Puget Sound Access, channel 77, on Tuesday, November 24 at 6:30 pm PST.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Panther Lake - Freedom of Access Day 1
The teachers led the students in a laptop overview, and then the students had free time to explore. The students were most excited to try out using Teacher Tube, Coolmath.com, and Smart Notebook. It was a great day. We'll be back next week to complete deployments at the fifth and fourth grades here at Panther Lake.
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