WHS American Studies Gets Techy

High school students have perfected the art of surreptitious cell phone usage. Sometimes it’s slipped between two textbook pages, other times it’s sheltered beneath the edge of a desk, and sometimes it’s even hidden in the top of someone’s furry boot. But however they do it, high schoolers manage to evade the “turn off the phone and turn on the brain” posters. As essays are written and equations are solved, text messages still flood the network, Pac-man stuffs himself with virtual pellets, and a heck of a lot of angry birds sail into the pig pen.

But in one class at Westfield High School, when students take out their phones they don’t even try to hide it. In fact, the juniors in Mrs. Jackie Spring and Ms. Caitlyn MacDonald’s American Studies class are encouraged to layer their learning with technological resources.

According to the American Studies website (amstud.weebly.com), the class is a “team-taught…. two-period block with an English and a Social Studies teacher. Students will use literature, history, media, art, architecture, theater, music and dance to study and understand the American experience.”

Since MacDonald, who teaches English, and Spring, who teaches History, developed the curriculum six years ago, American Studies has evolved into a collaborative, discussion-based class that integrates technology with the hope of bringing learning to another level.

Due to funding provided by The Education Fund of Westfield, the WHS Humanities program—which includes both freshman Humanities and American Studies for juniors—has its own iPad cart. Students are each assigned an iPad for use in class, and the majority of assignments are completed using them.

Last year the teachers also created a “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) policy, allowing students to use their own technology. According to Spring, the policy was created after a number of previous students voiced a desire to be able to store notes and documents on their personal devices.

Now, almost half the class is involved in BYOD; most use their smartphones, although some bring in iPads and laptops.

“The technology allows kids to actually be a part of academic experiences that traditional school doesn’t have room for,” said Spring.

Junior Kelly Webber said, “I like this class because it helps everyone, no matter what their learning type is . . . everyone is challenged.”

In the past year, American Studies has earned statewide acclaim for its use of technology in the classroom. In October, MacDonald and Spring were recognized by the NJ Department of Education, and in December they gave a presentation at Montclair State University for the New Jersey Educational Computing Cooperative (NJECC).

On February 10th, Ms. Takecia Saylor, Director of School Innovation, and Mr. Evo Popoff, the Assistant Commissioner of Innovations of the NJ Department of Education, visited American Studies and discussed with students the format of the class and how using technology has changed their experience.

Popoff stated that two goals of the Innovation Department are to support schools and districts that are looking to implement the use of technology, and to spotlight those that are already have innovative practices in place.

Having heard about American Studies from Renwick, he first visited the class last year and “was impressed by the commitment of the teachers to providing a highly engaging and rigorous experience for students in the class, and to continuously improving the course based on, among other things, feedback from students.” He added that he “was also very impressed with how excited students were about the class, and the level of ownership each student had for their own learning.”

Popoff decided to visit the class again to speak with a new group of students and observe any changes from the previous year.

During Monday’s discussion, the students were asked about their experience with technology in American Studies, and whether or not they would use it throughout the day if they could.

Junior Dan Coelho explained that students have research days where they are given questions and links on the class website, and then access various databases to respond to the questions and complete further research.

“Typical history classes have more specific questions; in this class [there are] much better questions, because [they are] much harder to answer,” said junior Jake Kania.

Said junior Lauren Echausse: “[The teachers] will just give us a topic, like, ‘WWII—go!’ and we have to find out as much as we can about it…. We have to find reliable sources…. And people have all different answers.”

According to Spring, learning to identify reliable sources is an important part of American Studies.

“For example, [the students] were asked a question about GDP,” she said. “They found this ‘Investopedia’ website, and it created an authentic conversation: why do you trust that? What do you do now? …. It’s a more authentic way of doing things.”

“It prepares us for life,” junior Caroline Kacmarsky said. “No one in the real world is going to tell us: ‘This is where you’ll find this.’”

Junior Sarah Pavleszek stated: “It’s really hard (transitioning between other classes) because you’re thinking on your own. So like in science, where everything is so precise and there’s only one way to do it, you question it, and then the teacher yells at you…. [American Studies] makes you think in a different way.”

As well as the direct benefit of being able to access new resources, students cited other benefits of the technology.

Said junior Amber Crane: “In past years, I just concentrated on taking notes instead of contributing and gaining from the discussion. So I like how everything is put on the board, because I can just take a picture.”

“The class is like a family,” explained junior Katie Chou. “We have Evernote and Google docs to organize our notes…and there’s the Facebook group where we share notes and key points and ideas.”

She added: “The basis of technology is comforting, because I always have my notes…. I would use technology in other classes if I could, because you can’t lose your notes and it’s eco-friendly.”

American Studies increasingly puts an emphasis on collaboration. According to MacDonald, students often use Google docs to share information. Before the midterm, they posted notes and ideas from the first semester on a Google doc on the class website, enabling them to add to their original ideas and to their understanding of the material.

“[The class] is one big discussion,” said Pavleszek. “[And the technology] pushes the class forward, because you have all of these different ideas.”

“I continue to be impressed with the manner in which our teachers use technology to improve instruction. Many of our students are getting invaluable lessons on how to learn and conduct research with modern tools,” said WHS Principal Peter Renwick. “Having some of our teachers be recognized…. for their good work with instructional technology speaks volumes of the commitment our school community has made to preparing our students for life after high school.”

 “Technology is only a small part of what makes [the] American Studies course innovative,” said Popoff. “[It is also] the design of the course as an interdisciplinary blend of English and Social Studies, [and] the hard work of the teachers and the administrators (and the students) to develop a classroom experience that gives students greater ownership of their learning, while also changing somewhat the traditional role of the teacher.”

He added: “[It is] an innovative approach to teaching and learning that is not only aligned to the rigor of the Common Core and its goal of preparing students for college and their careers, but is also highly engaging. At the heart of what makes this class successful is the dedication of [the] teachers, and the relationship they have with…. the students.”

Junior Nick Buontempo stressed that American Studies is not “a copy and paste class,” but rather a unique course that requires the right teachers to make it work.

“I like that the students are being highlighted for the things that they do with technology,” said MacDonald. “The class is a platform; it doesn’t have to go any one way; the students make the most of it…. and it becomes clear…. that the technology makes everyone’s experience more rich.”

MacDonald added that the class could go as far as the students take it, and that she hopes to possibly do assessments online, implement other modes of technology and maybe use it in day-to-day classes.

“The possibilities are endless,” she said.