Using Technology to Reach At-Risk Learners

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Using Technology to Reach At-Risk Learners

• Christopher I. Cobitz, Ph.D.
• Director of Technology
• Thomasville City Schools
• Materials at www.cobitz.com
• NCETC2001

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Who

• All shapes
• All sizes
• All colors
• Mostly from lower income
• Mostly do not feel they belong

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What?

• Outcast students
• Anti social behavior
• Discipline
• Failures
• Gender achievement gap
• High School
• Often boys

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Why?

• No place
• Not the same
• Not succeeding
• BORING
• Turned off
• Need food and shelter first
• Experiences?

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Things to do

• Involve
• Help them enjoy
• Understand they are kids
• Help them fit in
• Find a strength
• Make time to win

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Some practical examples

• Build a website
• I like me!

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Bob!

• I like Nascar
• I hunt
• I can tune a car even one that hasnt run in years

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More

• Give them a positive place
• Technology assistants
• Mentor
• Mouse ball cleaner
• Printer monitor
• Special activitytutorial etc

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Interesting activities

• Video cameras
• A day in the life
• Very useful in understanding
• Stop rewriting- word process
• Change instead of redo
• Good words look good
• Ideas not words

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Get artistic

• How would you feel if you never got to be
  creative?
• Illustrate
• Highlight
• Draw
• Cartoon
• Clip art

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Let them win!

• Give them a specialty
• Even if they arent the best
• Ever keep losing to the same person?
• Pushing tin
• Let them use that software
• Several like algeblaster

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Unique activities

• Inference
• http//prometheus.educ.ncat.edu/users/lee/
• It is different
• It is active!

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Webquests

• Yea I know.
• Active involvement
• The student does not have to sit and listen, they
  need to sit and work
• A change of pace

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Old favorites

• Kid Pix
• Draw
• Color
• Letter books
• Thinking things
• WOW!

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Writing

• Web pages!
• Gives realistic audience
• May assist in getting student attention
• Articles of choosing

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On-line projects

• Netmeeting
• Chat
• Pen pals
• Share a picture of a pet
• What did you get for your last birthday?

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Simulate dont resitate

• Simulations are worth a thousand detentions
• Tie in emotions
• Could even buy time (civil war)

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What if?

• Databases
• Allow you to ask the student higher order
  questions
• Stimulating
• Not necessarily one right answer

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The answer is?

• Spreadsheets
• Graphical representation tool
• Number phobia now picture phobia?
• How many numbers to make a picture?
• How many pictures to make a number?

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Buy the gift of time

• Let EVERYBODY use the computer learning
  activities
• Gives more time to work with individuals
• Buy their interest with excitement

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Whats the point?

• Computers and video technology help us do things
  different
• We have traditionally not reached certain
  students
• If we change and vary our methods, we are more
  likely to reach others