High Tech in Hawaii

Five years ago today, what is perhaps my favorite education news site, Edutopia, published an article, High Tech in Hawaii: The Real-World Relevance of Technology, about an elementary school in that was incorporating technology into its classrooms.  The article discusses how the school uses technology as a tool for learning and not simply for the purposes of creating “oohs and aahs” from visitors.  There are examples of what teachers were doing, but also how they were able to secure the funding for it.  Evidence that the students are learning in a holistic manner that is tied with the real world can be seen in the article and the accompanying video.

Students at Nuuanu Elementary School in Honolulu, Hawaii (a 2006 Hawaii Distinguished School) are shown using some state-of-the-art technology to work on school projects.  The key difference between what happens at Nuuanu and other schools with computers is that at this school you see the children using the technology.  And not just using it, but using it for genuine activities where they are actually learning.  Take a look:

Making Headlines

After training in proper use of the equipment they seem to receive little assistance from the faculty.  This forces them to use their own skills and know-how to solve problems that arise.  This real-world application of problem-solving skills is excellent preparation for what they are likely to experience later in life and are valuable skills both in and out of the classroom.  Students must use a variety of skills, many that are difficult to assess in other methods in order to create their finished product.  Because the news program also mixes kids at different grade levels, students must teach and learn from each other.

I have worked at schools with morning news programs that tried to be what the one at Nuuanu is, but fell short.  At many schools, they have a camera and some basic video equipment, but it is only a select few of the students that get to be on camera and the equipment is only used by faculty advisers.  But, at Nuuanu, students take charge, they use the technology, they write the stories, report them, and the best part is that all students participate – at every grade level and every academic ability level.  The benefits of the program reach all, not just the lucky few who are selected.

Using Nuuanu’s method, won’t leave one student sitting in the classroom while all of his friends get to be on the morning news and become the most popular kids in school while also participating in some very challenging assignments that help them to get on to the high school newspaper and give them an extra activity to list on the college applications, so he decides to be a teacher when he grows up so he always gets to do the “fun stuff” in school (not that I’m bitter or anything).

Modern Expression

The fourth grade teachers in the video have made a very important connection – students were able to express themselves better by using the technology.  For centuries we have been relying on using our words in order to express ourselves, and frequently technology and the Internet have not changed this reliance on our verbiage, only on the transmission method (a blog is a perfect example of using a new technology to alter an archaic method, but not using technology to be the new mode of communication).

However, a collage of quotes, images, music, video clips, etc. with an artistic spin can get the message across without such the heavy reliance on words.  although it will be important for students to learn the correct mechanics of writing, not everybody is gifted in this method of expression and it may not be the most appropriate mode for all learners at all times.  Those that are have an easy time with it and are generally more successful, but for those who are not so comfortable with writing and struggle to put together a coherent sentence, can express their thoughts in a different mode using technology.  When the true goal of education and of assessment, is to ensure that a student has mastered a concept and can then demonstrate his learning, it should not be necessary to write an essay when a presentation, a wiki, or some other sort of mashup could be just as effective.

Connected to the Outside World

When students got involved with testing the water in a stream the activity had a dramatic effect of showing students that the work they are doing is bigger than the confines of their classroom; that their learning is not in isolation from the rest of the world, but actually has a purpose.  Posting their information on the web and sharing it with the municipal powers, especially when it is project based on ecology that affects everyone, connects them to the world.  By learning skills in relation to others and not in isolation, they will be better prepared to make connections in the future.  Obviously Principal Clayton Kaninau is familiar with this concept when he said,

Looking for real-world relevance has to do with students being interested in what they do, knowing that it’s useful outside of school … The experiences are not contrived or in isolation, but they’re a part of a larger learning activity. Without those connections, it won’t be meaningful, and it’ll be forgotten tomorrow.”

I have previously written about students following their own path, selecting their own projects and learning about the things that they want to focus on in a post entitled Inquiry-Based Learning, as well as participating in a post on Mark Pullen’s The Elementary Educator entitled, Embedding Technology in Education.

Updated Technology

Because this story is now five years old, the exact technology they are using is a little bit out-of-date.  To modernize it a bit, I can imagine students collecting data on PDAs that can be synchronized to their computer lab; rather than using Hyperstack, perhaps something like PikiWiki that enables students to very easily create multimedia webpages would be a better option.  I first learned about that site from a post by friend and fellow blogger Thane Terril who writes Technology on a Shoestring.

I am curious about other ways for students to use some high-tech in their daily learning and for teachers to embed it into their teaching.  If you have some ideas please post them in the form of comments.

Citation

• Curtis, D. (2004, February 9). High Tech in Hawaii: The Real-World Relevance of Technology . Edutopia.
• Ellis, K. (2004). Hula to High Tech: Hawaiian Students Re-Create History. Nuuanu Elementary School, Honolulu, Hawaii.

Further Reading

• TeacherJay’s EduBlog >> Inquiry-Based Learning
• Technology on a Shoestring >> Easy Wiki for Kids

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