W-MU students showcase technology assisted learning

BY KARYN SPORY

Mt. Pleasant News

WINFIELD ? To most, the acronym SAMR is unheard of, but for the Winfield-Mt. Union Community School District, it?s a philosophy they are trying to instill into their curriculum.

SAMR stands for substitution, augmentation, modification and redefinition. ?This is how we use technology in the classroom, we use it to teach and we use it to learn,? Scott McCarty, the district?s technology instruction coach, explained to the W-MU School Board Wednesday night during their regularly scheduled meeting.

McCarty said most classrooms are fairly adept using technology as a substitution, like typing notes instead of writing them by hand. Augmentation would be when technology is used in a more useful and effective way. An example would be using Google Docs, students have instant access to teachers and can get instant feedback on papers.

?Modification is the first step of really using technology in a way to enhance the task,? said McCarty. ?It?s a high level of use of technology in the class.?

And redefinition allows a task to be done in a way that previously would have been inconceivable.

For examples for the last two, modification and redefinition, McCarty turned the floor over to social studies teacher Alex Klopfenstein. Klopfenstein?s middle school history class recently studied the American Revolution and Valley Forge. In doing so, Klopfenstein assigned his students the task of writing a letter to their parents as if they were soldiers at Valley Forge. But instead of just writing a letter, Klopfenstein had his students present their efforts in a digital form.

Students used iMovie to present their letters. They recorded themselves reading the letter and laid a bed of music behind their voice and featured pictures of the events they were speaking about. Klopfenstein presented three of the projects to the school board members.

Superintendent Jeff Maeder asked the students, who were present during the meeting, if they felt they would remember more about Valley Forge because of how they did the assignment, as opposed to just reading or taking notes.

?I remember more because it was different from the rest of the stuff we do,? said seventh grader Seth Schurr.

His peers agreed. ?I think I?ll remember more because it was a more fun project than just reading and writing,? added Bryce Wade.

Klopfenstein added projects like these are also fun for the teachers. ?It takes a lot of work on both ends, but as you can see, when we get to the end product, it?s pretty meaningful,? he said. ?It?s a lot more enjoyable as a teacher to know they are learning a lot more easily, and in a fun way and an effective way, rather than just writing on a piece of paper and turning it in.?

High School Principal, Dave Edwards added that he sat in on the class while they were working on the project and he was amazed at how engaged the students were. ?When they are working on something like this, (students) can?t wait to tell you what they?re working on as opposed to if they?re just taking notes.?

Klopfenstein?s students weren?t the only ones the school board heard from Wednesday night. Edwards also invited Elijah Titus to tell the board about the computer games he?s learning to design.

?This is my maze game, I was going to call it ?The Maze Escape?, but I couldn?t fit it on the screen very well so it?s just ?The Maze Game?,? said Titus.

Titus is in Michelle Robertson?s game maker class. ?He is usually one of the first ones done with the scheduled game,? said Robertson.

This quarter, the students were tasked with making their own game. Robertson said Titus used Photoshop to create the walls, people and background within the maze game. ?And I know he has, on his own, created his own first-person shooter game,? she said.

Titus quickly breezed through the first level of the game as he described the objective and obstacles to the school board.

Robertson remarked this is yet another example of how technology is assisting in learning and allowing students to create projects that may have been inconceivable before.

In other business, the board also approved a proposal from Estes/Iowa Construction Advocate Team (ICAT) for a facility review. The review would cost $8,000, but would help the district prioritize needed projects. The district has been talking about building projects for several years. Recently, the board discussed the need of a new HVAC system, boilers and getting rid of the portable classrooms.

Board member Jay Nelson said he would be in favor of the facility review as long as the board was committed to acting on the review. He said the district has been talking about construction projects for far too long and if more money were to be spent on a report, some kind of action would need to be taken.

The board approved the proposal unanimously.

The board also approved a land purchase agreement for $13,000. The land would be where the FFA currently has their garden. Maeder said he was contacted by the owner and told they wanted to sell the property and would give the district the first opportunity to buy.

Lastly, Wylder reminded the board that on Feb. 25, W-MU Elementary will host a family night. Elementary Principal Gabe Wylder said family night will include a bunch of games, many of which parents will be able to take home to continue to play with their children. A meal will also be served during family night, with a free will donation that will help high school students planning to go on the Europe trip raise funds.

The next W-MU School Board meeting will be on Wednesday, March 9, 2016, at 6 p.m., in the school?s media center.