Post by Chris_Wendt on Jan 12, 2015 7:50:18 GMT -5
This past Saturday ~100 Wantagh students from 5th through 12 grades spent the day in school learning or polishing computer programming skills, in classes and hands-on workshops presented by 12 Wantagh Alumni and one current WHS senior. I visited at the invitation of Peter Mountanos, one of the organizers of the event, himself a WHS alumnus, and presently a member of the Wantagh Board of Education.
IMG_20150110_143302431_640 by Chris Wendt, on Flickr
Alyssa Kelly and Peter Mountanos hold their students attention to creating computer code for a
ring buffer and simulating the plucking of a guitar string, in the program for "Guitar Hero".
Five classrooms, including the Mac Lab, plus the IMC (library) were used for the activities. Students were grouped by ability and experience rather than by age or current school grade level, which was one of the most provocative aspects of the event, in my opinion, especially in one high-level class where the participants included a 5th grader among high school juniors and seniors. Each class had 2-3 adults (alumni) instructing and all the students were actively involved in the various activities, using computers aided by SMART Boards, and connections to various external resources, like MIT’s “Scratch” programming application.
Kids came away with valuable exposure to computer programming, as well as having created accounts and profiles on professional learning and development resources which they can access from home on their own time. They also got a really nice lunch, courtesy of Peter Mountanos’ family.
Some of the kids worked on Super Luigi, others on Guitar Hero, while others wrote apps for iPhone or Android smart devices. The material was challenging, as challenging as each group could handle. It was heartening to observe kids helping one another as problem solutions were discovered and shared.
The event was produced and delivered by these WHS alumni giving back to their alma mater. It was facilitated by the District which provided the facilities, computer equipment and network, and equally importantly, by the district’s senior administrators who were intensely interested in the structure and methods as well as the content and resources employed by the program. I spent some time with Maureen Goldberg and Maureen Appiarius, the Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent for Instruction, respectively, who were on hand along with Kathy Cahill, Director of Science and Technology, and Penny Curry, Director of Technology. Kera McLoughlin, another member of the Board of Education, was also observing during my visit.
In addition to organizing the event, Peter Mountanos also co-taught the high level Guitar Hero class along with Alyssa Kelly; Peter attends NYU and Alyssa, former WHS Valedictorian, attends Wharton.
I left feeling inspired and motivated, certain that I had been let in on the future of education unfolding right here in town.
Impressed,
Chris Wendt
IMG_20150110_143302431_640 by Chris Wendt, on FlickrAlyssa Kelly and Peter Mountanos hold their students attention to creating computer code for a
ring buffer and simulating the plucking of a guitar string, in the program for "Guitar Hero".
Five classrooms, including the Mac Lab, plus the IMC (library) were used for the activities. Students were grouped by ability and experience rather than by age or current school grade level, which was one of the most provocative aspects of the event, in my opinion, especially in one high-level class where the participants included a 5th grader among high school juniors and seniors. Each class had 2-3 adults (alumni) instructing and all the students were actively involved in the various activities, using computers aided by SMART Boards, and connections to various external resources, like MIT’s “Scratch” programming application.
Kids came away with valuable exposure to computer programming, as well as having created accounts and profiles on professional learning and development resources which they can access from home on their own time. They also got a really nice lunch, courtesy of Peter Mountanos’ family.
Some of the kids worked on Super Luigi, others on Guitar Hero, while others wrote apps for iPhone or Android smart devices. The material was challenging, as challenging as each group could handle. It was heartening to observe kids helping one another as problem solutions were discovered and shared.
The event was produced and delivered by these WHS alumni giving back to their alma mater. It was facilitated by the District which provided the facilities, computer equipment and network, and equally importantly, by the district’s senior administrators who were intensely interested in the structure and methods as well as the content and resources employed by the program. I spent some time with Maureen Goldberg and Maureen Appiarius, the Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent for Instruction, respectively, who were on hand along with Kathy Cahill, Director of Science and Technology, and Penny Curry, Director of Technology. Kera McLoughlin, another member of the Board of Education, was also observing during my visit.
In addition to organizing the event, Peter Mountanos also co-taught the high level Guitar Hero class along with Alyssa Kelly; Peter attends NYU and Alyssa, former WHS Valedictorian, attends Wharton.
I left feeling inspired and motivated, certain that I had been let in on the future of education unfolding right here in town.
Impressed,
Chris Wendt