Russell Street School

I must say that I was somewhat skeptical when first exploring Russell Street School as to how much the students are learning and how effective this type of learning environment could be. But once I took the time and really began to see how this school is educating their students I quickly changed my mind. I must say that the way in which they are using blogging is very effective. It is a great example of how it can be used to further students' learning. In stead of standard testing the students can create video blogs to show their understanding of the things they are learning. I watched two videos in which the students described interviewing skills. They were great. You can really tell that the students took the time to not only learn the information but were able to present it in a very creative way. I also watched a video one students did about John Walker which I think was very well done. It clearly showed that the student not only has high technological skills by creating the video but also knew a great deal of information about John Walker. The other part I really enjoyed was the students' blogs. I spent some time and looked at different students' and found them to be very worthwhile. By having the students put in their own words the process they are following to complete an assignment or just their opinions about what they are learning, shows great reflection. The students are able to look back and describe to others what they are doing and how they were feeling when doing it. It think this school is a great example of how to use technology in an effective way so that students are learning and enjoying it!