Journal features Vestavia Hills Elementary East

Second-grader's podcasts deemed model for other teachers

Second-grade teacher Christina Tucker at Vestavia Hills Elementary East is using technology to deepen student learning and help them share their ideas with a big audience. Audio files of class projects are posted at Tucker's Treasures Podcast Corner.

And third-graders at the school studied early American history and selected historical figures to represent. You can see the results of their hard work in a photostory at
http://www.vestavia.k12.al.us/east/old_9_17/Colonial.mov.

Because of these innovations and more, the school is featured in the latest issue of the Working Toward Excellence journal.

Working Toward Excellence, the journal of the Alabama Best Practices Center, is published in print and online formats to help professional educators adopt the best ways to teach. The latest edition, "Alabama's 21st Century Schools Are Blazing Trails Through Cyberspace," focuses on Alabama teachers who are changing the way they teach to better prepare their students to succeed in life and the digital economy.

Find the online version of "Alabama's 21st Century Schools Are Blazing Trails Through Cyberspace" at www.abpc21.org.

Vestavia Hills Elementary East is one of 40 schools that participated in the Alabama Best Practices Center’s 21st Century Learning Project, underwritten by Microsoft Corp. and the Wachovia Foundation. This project does two things for teachers: helps them understand what students need to know to be successful in our ever-changing world, and provides them with the skills and tools to effectively engage their students.

The members of Vestavia Hills Elementary East's 21st Century Learning Project team are Connie Stigler, Christina Tucker, Cathy Wall, JoAnne Walsh and Charlotte Wilson.

Vestavia Hills Elementary East, a Vestavia Hills City school, won notice for student podcasts posted at
http://snipr.com/tuckerpodcasts. The first installment captures a Veteran's Day visit by a Vietnam veteran. Students researched Veteran's Day ahead of time, and prepared questions about the holiday and the military for their visitor. The project succeeded because "Each child was able to authentically, interactively experience a living example of why we have Veteran’s Day, and developed a deeper appreciation for those who have served our country in the military," Tucker says.

"Vestavia Hills Elementary East is a pacesetter in this work. Teachers worked hard to expand their use of effective teaching strategies that not only help students learn more, but have fun while they are learning!" said Gassenheimer. "In this Digital Age, in addition to the basics, children will need a broad range of skills, such as critical thinking, problem-solving and how to effectively collaborate with others."

Liberty Park Elementary and Pizitz Middle School also participated in the 21st Century Learning Project.

The A+ Education Foundation in Montgomery is home of the Alabama Best Practices Center, which receives major support from Microsoft Corp. and the Wachovia Foundation. Since 1991, A+ has advanced policies, programs and initiatives that result in high achievement by every child in Alabama's K-12 education system. A+ believes Alabama's economic future depends on strong public schools.

KEY LINKS

Tucker's Treasures Podcast Corner http://snipr.com/tuckerpodcasts (click on the next arrow in the lower right corner of the page to find three more installments)

Digital version, Working Toward Excellence journal: www.abpc21.org

FIND IT FAST
This article features Vestavia Hills Elementary East http://www.abpc21.org/classroom20.html

PDF (449 Kb) of the Working Toward Excellence journal's 16-page print edition, www.bestpracticescenter.org

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