New media technology bolsters Diamond classrooms – May 15, 2008
Lexington Minuteman
Lexington - For the past two years, students at Diamond Middle School have enjoyed an enriched science program thanks to two innovative grants funded by the Lexington Education Foundation.

Spear-headed by science teacher Valerie Franks, the grants have supplemented the curriculum with important media technology that has made teaching abstract science concepts easier and more concrete.

The first grant funded a multimedia project that included a computer, an In-Focus box projector, speakers, a laptop, and — most importantly — licenses to two educational Web sites, Unitedstreaming.com and Brainpop.com.

Both sites have the most up-to-date information on science topics; graphics to illustrate abstract concepts; and support materials such as teacher guides, worksheets for students and teachers, labs, quizzes — all built around each video.

“The advantage of these sites is that they enable students to learn at their own pace. If a student can handle more-complex concepts, they can go to the next level,” said Franks. “For example, students have used these sites to put together individual reports on the elements. Each student was assigned an element from the periodic table to research in depth, and they used the sites to research information, construct a visual, and put together a comprehensive report.”

To ensure that students can access these sites, LEF funded a second project that provided a mobile cart, 13 state-of-the-art laptops, and an In-Focus box projector. Students use these laptops to access the Web sites and for additional programs such as analysis of data to learn scientific inquiry; weather analysis; and observations of the environment.

In fact, the laptops have made it possible for students to use sophisticated software to analyze data from another LEF-funded project; science teacher Rick Comeau was awarded an LEF summer fellowship to study at the Mt. Washington Observatory, and the students have been using the laptops to analyze data he collected during that time.

“These computers have been so helpful because they put technology in the hands of the students — that way, after we teach the students important concepts, they can do further research and teach themselves,” Franks said.