One of the things we strive to do at Columbine is create and empower students to be leaders. There are a variety of ways in which we do this, but one of the major things we try to do is create opportunities for students to work on things that have real-world consequences. I can remember being a kid and doing random homework assignments that seemed to have no bearing on anything I’d ever need to know for my actual life. I feel that engagement increases if students know that what they’re working on has real life consequences. One way we try to is through our Problem Based Learning units that kids work on throughout the year. A key part of the PBL process is having the kids present to and engage community members in solving whatever problem the kids are addressing. Students at Columbine have designed the playground that ended up being built for our new school, worked to get out the vote during the 2016 election, and tried to solve the invasive species problem in our rivers. These are just a few examples of our PBL’s.
Another way in which we strive to foster leadership opportunities is through the student tech squad. The students on our tech squad, which they renamed the iHelpU Center, help me to maintain technology here at Columbine. Everything they do has a real-world impact. They help students and teachers solve tech related issues. Since we’re a 1:1 iPad school, it is important that everybody in the school has working devices. The iHelpU Center students also work on projects as teachers request. For example, students have filmed lectures, edited the raw footage, and given the final cut to teachers for posting to Google Classroom as part of a flipped classroom. The tech squad students make video tutorials and videos that highlight tech happenings too. The iHelpU Center students are also responsible for contributing to this blog once a week. Their purpose in the blog is to review educational apps or write about technology related happenings that are going on here at Columbine. Every Sunday our principal sends out an email called This Week at Columbinewhere he showcases what’s coming up during the week. A link to the latest blog entry is included in his email so that teachers can read what our help center students think about various apps the teachers should use in class. So that’s what this blog is. I hope you enjoy reading what our kids have to say and maybe learn a little something too.
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