Teachers Tell the Best Stories!

I love receiving these e-mails.  It speaks to me as much as any research statistics.

Just wanted to let you know that Broadview students were selected as the “Best Showcase” for middle schools at our system’s Tech Fest tonight.  That’s notable since our students are usually not very competitive in academic areas.

Their project began as a Social Studies assignment researching the Civil Rights Movement.  When we added the ability to move beyond the standard assignment by including a discussion board with local leaders who had lived the events they were reading about, interest picked up.  Then we created the opportunity to blog…  When they saw the first two dots on the cluster map, their interest soared.

Our students became the force behind the project, on their own asking to use music that represented the changes in black culture through the years.  Then realizing that the music needed to be edited to fit the constraints of fair use–and finding a way to do this!!

Colleen Macklin (Media Specialist) and I planned to spend most of today working with them on their presentation. But after we described the process for Tech Fest, they immediately began organizing things on their own.  Colleen and I were delighted by their independence.

Thank you….  Being able to have a safe environment for our students has been a wonderful open door to new possibilities .


Paisley, Joyce. “BlogMeister Message: NC.” E-mail to david.warlick@gmail.com.20 Mar 2007.

One thought on “Teachers Tell the Best Stories!”

  1. David,

    To add to Joyce’s comments on her school win at our Tech Fest…

    As one of the judges, I was very impressed with the student’s ownership of not only their project but of the CURRICULUM!!! What we noticed here was not the technology in use but the interactivity of the students to the curriculum. One of the questions we asked of all schools was “what did you learn?” These students did not say “I learned how to blog” or “I learned how to make a slideshow”- they told us of the struggles that occurred in the civil rights movement. Of situations and stories told to them by local community members.

    I really feel as though these two teachers and their students GOT IT! :0)

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