NOTE: Photos available online at www.abpc21.org.

Journal profiles West Blocton Elementary

Technology-infused teaching key to rural area's 'economic survival'

Teachers at West Blocton Elementary are using technology in the classroom to make sure their students are ready for good jobs one day, and they are helping a whole community understand that the Internet can be a safe and valuable resource. Because of these innovations, the school is featured in the latest issue of the Working Toward Excellence journal.

Fourth grade teacher Dianna Bush believes that helping prepare West Blocton students for the rapidly-changing world of tomorrow is vital to the economic survival of Bibb County. Referring to the nearby Mercedes plan, she points out “there are good jobs there but our young people are going to need new skills to get them. Our county has a lot of timberland. We don’t have many opportunities. We don’t have much of a tax base. We have to prepare for a better future,” Bush added.

For this reason, West Blocton Elementary became one of 40 schools to participate 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.

"Technology is ever-present in more and more of today's jobs, and these teachers understand that when their students enter the workforce, technology will have an even greater presence," noted Cathy Gassenheimer, President of the Alabama Best Practices Center.

Other schools could learn from West Blocton's approach, which has already catapulted students to international acclaim.  A team based at the school placed in the worldwide top 10 in the Oracle Education Foundation's ThinkQuest International 2007 competition. The educational Web site CSI: Cahaba Student Investigators  (http://snipr.com/wbcsi) competed in the 12 and under age category.

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 schools – including West Blocton Elementary – where teachers 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.

The Bibb County school, won notice for teachers' quick adoption of technology infused instruction throughout the school. "This is a fast-paced, technology-filled world where abilities like critical thinking, collaborating with others and communicating effectively are necessary to adapt and thrive," Gassenheimer said. "Schools across Alabama could learn from West Blocton's example."

Teachers Vicky Parker, Amanda Johnson, Michelle Carroll, Dianna Bush, and principal Karen Hubbard comprised West Blocton's 21st Century Learning team.

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

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

FIND IT FAST
These articles feature West Blocton:
"Interview: A Day Without Paper" http://www.abpc21.org/withoutpaper.html
"Schools Must Bridge the Digital Divide: Every Student Needs 21st Century Skills" http://www.abpc21.org/digitaldivide.html
"Alabama's 21st Century Schools Are Blazing Trails Through Cyberspace" http://www.abpc21.org/blazingtrails.html
Classroom 2.0 Projects: An Alabama Sampler 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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