What's Inside - Channelview Independent School District

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10 A new wireless world of learning Technology brings ‘real world’ lessons to life for students The digital age is opening up new and innovative worlds of learning for students at Alice Johnson Junior High in the Channelview Independent School District. With the upgrade of the wireless system at the school, Principal Peter Griffiths saw a perfect learning opportunity that would keep students engaged in learning and incorporate the use of technology. In January, Alice Johnson launched its school-wide wireless initiative, where students were allowed to bring their laptops, IPads or similar devices to help them with classroom projects. Upon walking into the school library – a place where someone would normally see students digging into books for research – teams of students are now huddled around laptops, gathering information for a variety of projects. As a guest walked through the library, students in Tracey Thomas’ English classes were conducting research through internet sources for a major project. The students had read the novel, “Children of the River,” which is a story about the challenges children face in Cambodia. Thomas asked the class to compare and contrast the issues in the story to life in the United States, using a combination of internet and library resources. “Giving our students the opportunity to use this technology has not only heightened their interest, but it is also making learning more relevant to the real world,” Thomas said. “With the expansion of technology, our students are truly living in a digital society – and allowing them to use these types of resources on a regular basis is preparing them for their future in high school, college and beyond. When we provide them with these technical skills, we are also giving them an advantage in the real world.” “Allowing students to use these types of resources on a regular basis is preparing them for high school, college and beyond.” Tracey Thomas, Alice Johnson Junior High teacher Students in Tracey Thomas’ English classes at Alice Johnson Junior High School in Channelview ISD work as a group to research topics for a project on their laptops. With the upgrade in wireless technology at the campus, students are now allowed to bring their digital devices to school to use for classroom work. What students are producing through the technology are not just your regular written reports with a display board. Students are incorporating their written materials with PowerPoint presentations, online posters, video links and even digitally animated presentations. “Our students are really getting creative with the technology,” Thomas said. “It has opened their eyes and minds to a whole new way of learning.” Eighth grade student Christina Grueso is using a program called Glockster to create on online poster to help illustrate her written report. “It gives us a chance to think outside of the box, and it actually makes learning fun,” she said. While Thomas encourages creativity in the students’ projects, she also educates them on how to properly research internet resources. She does not allow the students to use encyclopedias or the site Wikipedia as references, “because the information is vague and not as in-depth.” Thomas and other Alice Johnson teachers encourage students to use search engines to find online newspapers, magazines and periodicals that will provide them expanded information on the topic they are researching. “We also teach them to go beyond keyword searches,” Thomas said. “When they are doing a search, we instruct them to be as specific as possible so that they can narrow down what they are looking for.” Griffiths likes the results he is seeing from the school’s wireless initiative. “By the use of technology, it sparks student interest and allows them to become more involved in finding answers and creating work that is multi-dimensional in scope,” he said. With more students bringing their wireless devices to school for use in the classroom, Griffiths said he plans more staff development training for teachers so they can better help students use technology to its greatest potential. “It’s our job to prepare our students for the future,” he said. “Technology is at the forefront of our world and especially the job market. The time is now to prepare our students for those challenges and set them on a positive direction toward future success.”
Falcon sports playoff quests take flight It has been a banner winter and spring sports season for the Channelview High School Falcons. The boys basketball team captured the District 21-5A championship with a 9-1 record. The Falcons won their first round game, but lost in the area round to state-ranked Clear Springs. The girls basketball team advanced to the playoffs as the District 21-5A runnerup by posting a 8-2 record in league play. The Lady Falcons easily disposed of Sam Rayburn in the bi-district round, before falling in the area bracket. Channelview’s boys soccer team kept the playoff momentum going finishing second in district with a 7-2 record. The Falcons defeated Pasadena High School in the first round and dropped their area match-up to Dickinson. CHS powerlifters also enjoyed success. Brothers Dustin and Justin Hicks both were state finalists in powerlifting, while Josue Toledo and Daryl Palaganas were regional qualifiers. As of press time for ChannelViews, the Falcon baseball team had earned a playoff berth as the third-place team in District 21- 5A. The time, site and their playoff opponent were yet to be determined. The results of the baseball team’s playoff run will be published in the June edition of ChannelViews. 11 Signing on the dotted line... Three Channelview High School Falcon football players signed letters of intent to play college football at West Texas A&M University in the fall. Defensive end Randy George, left, defensive lineman Jonathan Ho and offensive lineman Josue Toledo all declared their college selections on National Signing Day on Feb. 1. Joining the players at the signing were, top row, left, Channelview ISD Athletic Director William Jennings and CHS head football coach Averion Hurts. Stories of Success Boys Basketball District 21-5A Champions Bi-District Champions Powerlifting Two state finalists, four regional qualifiers Girls Basketball District 21-5A Runner-Up Bi-District Champions Baseball Earned third playoff spot in District 21-5A Boys Soccer District 21-5A Runner-Up Bi-District Champions Channelview High School athletes Hillary Richard and Cody Stamm signed letters of intent to continue their academic and athletic endeavors. Richard will play tennis at Southwestern University, while Stamm will compete in cross country at West Point. Pictured with Hillary and Cody are, from left to right, CHS Principal Cindi Ollis, Tennis Coach Leslie Ballew, Cross Country Coach Alva Brown and Athletic Director William Jennings.
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What's Inside - Channelview Independent School District

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