At Palatine’s Quest Academy, a school for gifted children, students range from pre-schoolers to 8th graders.
To be accepted at the school, applicants need to score 125 or higher on an IQ test.
Ann Hamel is a computer teacher at Quest Academy (www.questacademy.org). She usually can be found at the school’s computer lab, which has 21 desktop computers. (There are about 200 PCs in the school for about 330 students).
“In most places you get evaluated against your peers as opposed to how you’ve progressed,” Hamel said. “The main emphasis we have here is differentiation for each student. You might be horrible at public speaking, but if you got the opportunity to do a comic strip, you might show a huge depth of knowledge.”
When she teaches about computing, Hamel’s goal is “for these students to have enough knowledge of current and cutting-edge software that they can choose the best tool for whatever they need to do when they graduate.”
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Which is why, on the same assignment, one student might create a speech with PowerPoint, while another writes a paper with Microsoft Word.
Hamel uses an eclectic set of technology tools in her computer classroom to help students meet their goals.
Kindergartners can be found using a program called KidPix, which is available at Broderbund.com in Mac and Windows versions. Essentially, it’s a computerized version of the doodles children make with crayons on construction paper. There’s free-form drawing, digital rubber stamps, which students can place around the screen, and text boxes for typing words.
“They don’t have to form the letter; they just have to choose the letter, and it will be there,” Hamel said.
Beginning in 2nd grade, students start to learn how to type. Hamel uses programs from the Mavis Beacon typing series, but she’s considering an online system called TypingPal. In that program, the lessons and the work are done while connected to the Internet.
Hamel and her students also use Answers.com, a search engine for information instead of Web sites. For example, type in “Abraham Lincoln” and click on “history” and you’ll get details on the man and his life.
“On Google, if you type in `Abraham Lincoln,’ one of the things you get on top is a link to `Abraham Lincoln on eBay,'” Hamel said. “On Answers.com, you just get the information. This cuts out a huge waste of time. And it’s free, which is amazing.”
It’s also safe for children to use. Type in “sex,” and you’ll get lots of scientific, historical and biological detail, but no pornography.
Answers.com recently introduced a teacher tool kit to help integrate the site into lesson plans and class activities.
Hamel also recommends the following Web sites:
– The Collaboratory Project (http://collaboratory.nunet.net) offers a free service put together by Northwestern University for teachers to share lesson plans and exchange teaching ideas with each other. “You post your project or lesson, and it can be shared with other teachers. Any teacher can pick it up. So instantly I can get a fresh way to present something. It’s amazing.”
– Visual Thesaurus (www.visualthesaurus.com) is word map, visually positioning words next to each other in a flow-chart style to graphically display how close their meanings are. This program costs about $20 for the online version and about $30 for the desktop edition.
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