| CYO Fractal
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Where In the World
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The
Box Project
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Noon '98 Shadow
Project |
What is the Emerging Technology Classroom at Faubion Middle School?
The emerging technology classroom at Faubion Middle School in McKinney, Texas is a place where our students learn by using many of tools that are defining the way that we will work in the future. Our students are using the Internet to build their own knowledge of the world in which we live while they are building a repertoire of technologically based skills. In the 1997-1998 school year there was once classroom with 29 PC computers using Windows 95 OS with connections to the Internet. The computers have 75 megahertz CPUs with 650 MB hard drives,16 MB of RAM, no sound cards and no CD ROM drives. Although these computers are by no means state of the art, we can utilize these machines to learn how to utilize the telecommunications available through our Internet connection and productivity software available. Our primary software is Microsoft Office '97. The emerging technology classroom is also used by our independent studies class who creates the Faubion Middle School Newspaper, The Roar.
What is Emerging Technology Class at Faubion Middle School?
The emerging technology classes take part in long term projects which involve searching the Web to seek out new discoveries, creating MS Word documents, Excel spreadsheets and databases, as well as creating jpg and gif graphics. The information collected is analyzed and used to report new the discoveries. Communication with the international community through email and Web pages is also strongly emphasized. We use very little paper in this class. Most written communication, lessons, reports, and tests, are created and transferred electronically through Web documents and email messages. Since most of the lessons are posted on the Internet at our GeoCities address, you may easily browse our lessons.You can view many of the ET lessons that are posted on the Internet through our links page. Links to the sites used in these lessons are embedded in the lessons.
What are the Goals of Emerging Technology Curriculum?
The main goals that we are striving to reach with our middle school
students are two fold. The first and most important goal is that each student learn how to
safely and responsibly use computers and the Internet to build their knowledge for success
in future endeavors.. The second goal, which is dependent on the student achieving the
first, is that each student use these technological tools to set goals, reach these goals,
and develop problem solving techniques that work best for that individual student
considering the tools available. For that reason, the projects that we use in this class
are varied and are engrained with cross-curricular content. Since Kenneth Cole, the
current emerging technology teacher has a background in teaching mathematics, many of the
current lessons' themes are grounded in concepts of mathematics. These themes are distance
and location, area and volume, fractal mathematics, and use of formulae to solve real
world problems. Most of these lessons are organized into projects around one of these
concepts. As other teachers with a more diverse backgrounds begin to develop new projects,
the themes of the projects will expand.
Each project integrates as many fields of study as possible. Each project is written to
encourage acquisition of knowledge at differing levels of mastery. Extension to all
projects are possible. The student with limited proficiency is rewarded for success at the
level at which that individual functions and is encouraged to strive to learn more. It is
the responsibility of those more advanced learners to help those who are less adapt. The
students are asked to perform certain skills regularly, to self-analyze this performance,
and to demonstrate proficiency of that skill for the teacher. The student who can
demonstrate expertise at the skill is expected to advance to the next lesson as well as
assist students who haven't fully grasped the skill. Best works of the students are
integrated into future lessons posted on the Internet and credit is given to those
students. The students are identified only by first name and last initial in these
credits.
Emerging Technology now consists of two semesters, Emerging Tech 1 and Emerging Tech 2. Emerging Tech 1 covers use of word processor, spreadsheet and presentation software in project based lessons. Also covered in Emerging Tech 1, is digital graphic creation through visual fractal based mathematics, tessellating the image and resizing the image in terms of pixels. Creating a Web page using simple html code with notepad is also an expectation of Emerging Tech 1. Emerging Tech 2 includes a website creation project, a JavaScript by example unit, and at least one fully integrated Web-based project which includes using algebraic functions embedded in a spreadsheet to analyze data. In the 1998-1999 school year a new course, Advanced Technology will be offered. This course will allow students to create their own JavaScript enhanced Web sites as well as create their own thematic graphics, and publish school Web pages. Final Exams in emerging technology are PowerPoint presentations that the students produce explaining in detail what projects, concepts and skills the student mastered and completed during the semester.
Emerging Technology Class Projects
Emerging Technology Past Lessons
| Emerging Technology 1 Lessons | Emerging Technology 2 Lessons |
| Emerging Technology Links Page (Internal) |
Faubion Construction Lessons |
For further information on the emerging technology curriculum please contact:
Kenneth Cole
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