Exploring the World of Technology

On the morning of Monday,  November 21st, several representatives from Southeast Polk Community School District had the opportunity to visit Waverly Shell Rock Middle School.  Waverly Shell Rock has a Middle School that consists of  six hundred 5th - 8th grade students that have a 1 to 1 initiative with iPads.  It was very interesting to see what the students were engaged in during class time and the in depth conversations that centered around the content of the classes we observed.

At times in a 1 to 1 setting, technology can become the focal point of instruction rather than the tool that assists learning.  It was good to see that Waverly Shell Rock was indeed using the iPad as a tool and that learning was the focus of the school day, not the technology as a "toy".

Below is a picture of those from Southeast Polk who had the opportunity to witness the student focused classrooms and how the iPad was used. Notice the markerboard tables and the "wobble" stools that were present in all classrooms for student comfort.

Below are Waverly Shell Rock students practicing their class presentation that they were able to video on an iPad.  These students were able to critique themselves before presenting to their entire class through the use of the iPad.