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Lawson Students, Teachers travel At Show Me TechKnowledge Day
Students from other school districts, left, try out the ActivExpressions devices at the Lawson Elementary School booth during Show Me TechKnowledge Day in Jefferson City. Behind the table are Lawson fifth grade teacher Savanna Green, at the laptop computer, and fourth graders Alexis Morkisz and William Ross.
Students and staff members from Lawson Elementary School in the Hazelwood School District traveled to Jefferson City to take part in Show Me TechKnowledge Day.
Show Me TechKnowledge Day is a hands-on exhibit that illustrates how technology dollars are being spent in classrooms around Missouri. Legislators, educators, students and others from all over the state attended to show their presentations and view those of other districts. Lawson was the only school from the immediate St. Louis area invited to attend.
Susan Gentry, Lawson’s teacher mentor and Savanna Green, a fifth grade teacher, and two fourth grade students, Alexis Morkisz and William Ross, presented the Math Wizard program, which is a collection of interactive Microsoft PowerPoint activities for students in second through fifth grades. The activities center on grade-level expectations in math and skills tested through Tungsten testing. The Lawson team illustrated its use for visitors to their information booth, which consisted of a laptop computer, a projector, a large screen and other accessories.
“Students are presented with a question. They choose their answer but have the option of changing it when given a clue. The activities include animation and sound, making it a fun learning experience for all students. These activities may stand alone or they can be used with the Promethean ActiVote peripherals,” said Gentry as she explained the program.
ActiVote is the name of hand-held device that is part of the District’s Promethean Board equipment. ActiVote resembles half of a large egg shell and has a group of buttons on its top surface. ActivExpressions is a more advanced version and students can do more with them than simply vote on correct answers, such as answer multiple-choice questions. ActivExpressions looks like a cell phone, with a display screen and controls on either side of its display.
“At Show Me TechKnowledge Day, we displayed how the ActivExpressions both engage and excite the students, and also allow for accountability, as each student is assigned a number and when the child sends in his or her answer, the number lights up on the screen,” Green said.
