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NEWS
Students connect through technology
HUNTINGTON -- Cabell County teachers are reaching across the nation to share ideas and teaching techniques with teachers in California.
On Tuesday, some Geneva Kent Elementary School teachers and others gathered in the school's cafeteria to connect with elementary school teachers in Linwood, Calif., using Polycom technology.
The school has been partnering with Thurgood Marshall Elementary in Linwood for the past couple of years. The recent purchase of the Polycom communication system provides mutual learning opportunities for staff and students via audio and video in real time.
The groups have been meeting recently through the technology to participate in a book study, reviewing concepts of "Teaching for Tomorrow."
"It's teaching us how to teach children differently in the 21st century, how to solve problems, how to think critically," said Vickie Smith, project coordinator and kindergarten teacher at Geneva Kent.
The groups were able to discuss the book and issues facing teachers in real time using the technology. The Cabell County group also connected to Kellogg Elementary School in Wayne County.
Students also are able to utilize the technology, learning from students from other places and cultures and taking virtual field trips, Smith said.
Barbara Maynard works with 10 schools in Cabell and Wayne counties as part of the professional development project supported by Marshall University.
Maynard said Kellogg is a model school, and Geneva Kent is taking that model and modifying it.
"I see Geneva Kent as a model moving toward perfection," she said.
Teachers say the Polycom technology also allows them to take students places they may not otherwise be able to go.
At Geneva Kent, Smith's fourth-graders will learn Spanish from their peers in California, for example.
Connie Boggs, a student teacher in the fourth grade at Geneva Kent, said she loves seeing the efforts unfold and finds collaborating with teachers across the country exciting.
"As a student teacher, I absorb anything I can," she said.
