Students are embracing the latest technology, and Douglas County School System is finding new and innovative ways to use this trend for teaching, according to Wendy Grey, manger of instructional technology.
Grey was the guest speaker at the Monday noon meeting of Rotary Club of Douglas County at the Douglasville Downtown Conference Center.
“We have to change the way we’re teaching because kids have changed the way they’re learning,” Grey told the Rotarians. “We’re always looking for interactive and creative ways of learning. It’s important that we get them ready for what they’re going to be using when they start working.”
She said about 60 percent of children, ages 2-5, are already using computers on a regular basis.
“We have more than 8,000 computers in the system, with computers in every middle and high school classroom,” she said. “We have high-speed Internet connections in all schools.”
Grey said all students begin learning on industry standard software, such as Microsoft Word for word processing, from kindergarten and up.
“By the time students get to middle school, many of them know as much a I do on PowerPoint presentations,” she said. Students also learn Autocad for drawing and drafting and Photoshop for work in photography and graphics.
She said teachers make use of Odyssey software, a program which allows them to generate their tests based on state standards. The test results help teachers plot a learning path for their students, she added.
Student computers have the NetTrekker search engine software, she said, which allows teacher approved site and standard approach to searches.
“There’s fewer hits than Google and no junk,” she said.
Grey noted that students are using Web sites such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and others to connect with fellow students.,
“Social networking is here to stay,” she said. “It’s how kids are communicating. Businesses are now starting to capitalize on it.”
She said Facebook users include companies such as Promethan Planet, who makes electronic display boards, and the Georgia Department of Education, who keeps teachers updated on new technology.
Grey said kids are using YouTube where you can find videos illustrating and teaching almost any subject.
“My son learned to play guitar on YouTube,” she said.
Grey also added that “smart phones,” such as Apple’s iPhone, are being used by most students.
Modern technology has created a whole new language, she said, with such terms as instant messaging, blogs, chats, tweeting, text messaging, WiFi, Wikis and global gaming.
Grey said the Douglas County School System is using this new technology to find better ways to teach. She said she walks through every school about four times per year to learn how technology is being used.
“I’m proud that Douglas County is one of the leaders in the state in
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