Mile High Blogging

There are very few sixth graders who can say that they have presented at a national conference, but several TRC students from Prosperity Elementary can now make that claim! Along with their teachers Brenda Dunning, Tim Harris, Nancy Johnson, and Tanya Ketchum, their facilitator, Tammy Gilley, their principal Randy Doerksen, and several supportive parents, nine Buhler school district students shared their Dr. Data Math blog at the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) annual conference in Denver this past summer.

Dr. Data is an online blog where anyone can ask real-world math questions and

the TRC students will respond using tools such as document cameras, flipcameras, claymation, and digital cameras to offer media enhanced solutions. One of the guiding questions that the teachers used as a foundation for this project was: “How can [students] show, not tell someone, how to solve a math problem?” Using creativity and critical thinking skills, students determine the best way to deliver a succinct and informative response.

Students brought their samples and experiences to ISTE attendees dressed in scrubs and lab coats. They handed out business cards, gave virtual tours of their blog, and represented the state of Kansas and their school with style and expertise! They demonstrated how math is not only about numbers, but it also requires strong writing, communication, and creativity skills.

When asked what they learned from their experience in Denver, students commented on how surprised they were by the shear number of over 17,500 attendees. When asked what they thought those attendees learned from them, one student remarked: “They learned that not only grown-ups can present, but kids can too!”.

We want to thank the Prosperity TRC team, students and parents for their outstanding efforts in the classroom, as well as their willingness to share the power of TRC with a national audience! You can find links to the Dr. Data blog and lesson plan at the TRC Interactive NETS*S Wiki under standard five, objective a.

~Amber Rowland, TRC Project Coordinator