The 1:1 Chromebooks were handed out to students less than ten days ago, and already they are finding their way into the teaching and learning practices in a variety of classes at ConVal.
In Mr. Wickham’s String Ensemble class, for example, the Chromebooks are used by students to arrange their own music for violin, viola, bass, and guitar. They take shared thematic material, pick a leitmotif, melody, or orchestral portion, and adapt it so they that the resulting score can be played on their instrument of choice.
“The Chromebooks have already made a big difference in my classroom,” said Mr. Wickham. “The on-demand access to technology allows students to switch from their instrument to their computers and back again, which makes the students’ compositional feedback cycle instantaneous. Students can try out new musical ideas and prototype musical drafts — with actual playtime built in — before progressing to the next section of the assignment.”
“The other advantage is that students can take their work home and don’t have to wait to come back to a lab the next day. The learning resources are always with them.”
Anywhere, anytime learning, where students remain actively engaged with their assignments, is one of the long-term goals of the blended learning environment at ConVal High School.