As you may have heard, we currently have a visitor staying at PHS. She goes by the name of Ms. Boots. This lovely lady is a pig and she is currently being used to teach students in Mr. Scott’s advanced life science classes.
Ms. Boots is used to provide a hands-on learning experience. Through this project, students help attend to the needs of Ms. Boots. Not only does this teach the students how to care for a pig, but it also evokes a sense of responsibility and work ethic.
Another large part of the project takes advantage of the growing amount of technology use in our school: Ms. Boot’s webcam. This allows students to view Ms. Boots any time throughout their day.
A handful of students who are on our staff are in one of the classes involved with Ms. Boots, and are all very excited about it. They love the webcam, and the fact that such things are being incorporated into the curriculum.
As a matter of fact, we at the Paolite are elated teachers are giving technology a chance in their classrooms. We hope that they continue to use it to both their advantage and to ours as well. We feel technology is the key to our future, and if we take full advantage of it in high school, it can only help us to lead productive lives later on.
With the implementation of the Chromebooks this year, doors to many opportunities were opened in regards to technology. Teachers have been using services such as Google Drive, Google Classroom and My Big Campus to enrich their educational process. Another Google service, which was introduced last year, is Gmail. This allows teachers and students to stay in contact with one another via email. Students are no longer limited to face-to-face conversations, which is especially helpful when a student is seeking help from home.
Projects like those involving Mrs. Boots are fresh, new outlooks on learning. Our staff hopes that similar projects will be introduced in the near future to give students a new view of school, one that includes technology as a foundation.