WA @ The Inauguration: The Documentary

Eric Rubino, one of the 11 students on our Inauguration trip created, edited, and published this video documenting our trip. Well done! Enjoy.


Worcester Academy @ The Inauguration from Eric Rubino on Vimeo.

The Educational Impact Of Our Inauguration Trip

I write this from Worcester, MA the day after returning from Washington, D.C. and our Inauguration trip. While in Washington, 11 students from Worcester Academy worked three 18 hour days, conducting interviews, producing videos, and writing blog entires examining the Inauguration. While it is obvious that experiencing the Inauguration alone is monumental, it is the work that the students have done and their intrinsic motivation that stands out in my mind.

Ever since this project was developed, the idea behind it was two fold.  My co-director, Pete Smith and I wanted our students to experience the Inauguration but just as important, was the educational potential the trip provided.  This trip was about giving our students the opportunity to document history and express themselves and their perspectives.  Watching my students wake up at 6am and for some to work until 1am the next morning was awe inspiring.  These students put their all into collecting and producing quality content about the Inauguration.  They spent time developing strong articles on real issues surrounding the Inauguration.  They had to develop questions and interview tactics for everyone from Dee Meyers, President Clinton's Press Secretary and Congressman James McGovern, to high school students.  The challenges they faced are one's journalists face on a daily basis and the work they created added a valuable perspective. The students recognized that they were not only witnessing history, they were documenting it and people were interested in what they had to say.

The Educational Impact

Our 11 students' focus and dedication that developed from this trip drives at the idea that the way students learn no longer can fit into a 19th century or even 20th century model.  The value of the students taking ownership of this trip to produce a quality article, image, video, or twitter update (tweet), outweighs any learning they would have gained through a lecture.  Brian, one of the students on the trip, stated the following on his Twitter account:

no it was a lot of work but it was much more fun than the work back here.....soooo maybe it was a vacation?

Today's students are capable and ready but we must engage them.  We must get them interested in learning.  This trip did that but it does not have to be the exception to the rule.

No matter the topic, whether it is the Inauguration or Geometry, when students can produce and share something of value, their willingness to really invest their time and energy will dramatically increase.  If we really want to find out how you can get your students to want to learn and be engaged, find a way to have them take ownership of the material.

Students today are surrounded by an amazing array of media tools.  These can be used by classes in any discipline to get your students to synthesize learned content and produce a something of value that highlights their understanding.  A student's education is not about simply learning facts but rather understanding the concepts.  If you want your students to really understand the content, they need to see its worth, they need to produce something of value connected to that content.  Regurgitating information does not work.

While social media was our medium for this, there are many ways and methods for a class to accomplish this concept.  Student driven learning is possible and necessary.  As the technology becomes more ubiquitous, we must prepare our students to understand that the tools they use on a personal level can produce quality content of value.

I witnessed history and I will never forget that but what will always stay with me was the dedication and efforts put forth by our students.  Their work is proof that student driven or project based learning is valuable and worthwhile.  As my memories of the Inauguration fade, it will be the dedication and hard work that our students put into producing their work on this trip that will always stay with me.

Photo Credit: Brandy Agerbeck

A cross-posting from http://wainauguration.org

Our First National News

So the Worcester Academy trip to the Inauguration got its first national mention today on USA Today. It mentions the trip and highlights a video from one of our applicants. Check out the link to read more.

Inauguration Update

The application process has ended and we have selected 11 students to travel to DC. Our inauguration site is now live.

To follow the trip's progress and find out what the students are doing leading up to and during the inauguration, visit the following site:

http://wainauguration.org

Documenting The Inauguration

My co-woker, Peter Smith, and I will be taking 4 students to Washington, D.C. to document the events surrounding the Presidential Inauguration with a variety of technologies.  We will be using tools like blogs, Twitter, video, podcasts, and Flickr to examine the impact of the election of Barack Obama and understand the personal stories of those in attendance.

To learn more about the trip visit our informational site: http://sites.google.com/a/worcesteracademy.org/inauguration/Home

Using TV For Class Without the TV

I remember when I was a kid and one of my teachers would show a 8mm film from the 60's in class.  Those film strips were painful to watch.  Not only were they boring but they lacked any substance.  Later, with the advent of cable and the hundreds of TV channels, our options increased.  Now better shows could be recorded on VHS.

Now as many of you are sure aware, the Internet can provide those shows to us for free and on demand.  No longer do you have to have a pile of VHS tapes laying around.  With the creation of tools like Slingbox, which brings live TV to your computer, and Hulu.com, access to relevant shows has never been easier and simpler.

While Hulu.com may not have access to all the shows you want yet, the model itself is worth acknowledging.  As we move further into the 21st century, it will be Internet's ability to provide the resources we need for education to greater and greater numbers of people that will truly change the world.  The equity that an Internet connection has brought will not only enhance education but provide more and more people with the opportunities to learn.

While streaming video and it's potential cannot be overlooked as a fad, it's potential is only as good as how it is implemented.  As educators we must make sure that while we provide access to these tools, they do not stand alone as the only means of instruction.  The video is a tool that must be supported by the proper activities and methods of reinforcement for a true educational impact.

Presentation on Connectivism

I have been taking a class on Technology and School Change. My final paper is on the concept of Connectivism and how it can help improve student learning and teacher professional development. To learn more about my project, take a look at the presentation I had to create for the paper.