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The Water Habitat Project What Parents Had to Say Parent Volunteers are an important component of the Water Habitat Unit. Parents come into the classroom to help with the field trips to the pond, photo journals, e-mail writing process, website publishing. They help in the computer lab when students are doing their pond writing. It was a parent volunteer who helped the teacher and class learn how to use Graphic Converter. It was a parent volunteer with website expertise that taught both the teacher and the students how to design and create websites using Claris Homepage. Here's what parents have to say about the Water Habitat Unit: "The Water Habitat website design is nice. It's really user friendly for a child with the color choices and the big letters." 
"As a classroom parent volunteer, I have seen first hand the use of computer e-mail and websites in the classroom. As the children write e-mail messages to children around the world, they are writing to a specific audience. This has resulted in a great enthusiasm for writing and has definitely enhanced the children's reading and writing skills. They are writing for a reason. The use of e-mail messages and computer have brought the world into the classroom in a very real way. I only wish all schools could have access to this technology."
"Trips to the pond have enhanced the children's science observations. Because they've gone there as a real experience, they remember what they have learned when they start to write. They are writing about what is meaningful to them." "On weekends, when we go to the pond, I'm amazed how our child remembers the names of the trees like red osier dogwood. I think if you just read about habitats in a book, you don't remember it so much. But when you have been there lots, you do remember!" "We have seen how when our two children did the water habitat project and worked with the city on it, they learned an important process. They learned an ability to put their ideas down in writing in a clear way. They worked through a process in restoring the island and are able to say they have ownership in the results of that process. They will always feel ownership of helping the pond habitat." "The children's pond writings are full of such vivid, realistic detail…you can tell they got their descriptive words from a real experience. I love to read over their shoulders when they are writing in the computer lab because of what they have to say." "The digital slides are really helpful because when the children are writing, the images take them back to the real experience and they can remember being there. It helps them remember other things too about the pond other than just what's in the slides. They look up at the slides, they take this quiet moment thinking, and then start writing." "It's great that kids this age are learning to use digital images. Using the digital camera gives children a lot of confidence and it's a real hands-on experience. They can see how the computer tools help make the images. They can see the process and production of the pictures. They don't have to wait for film to be developed to use the pictures. The digital images are immediate. On a practical level the children can easily take the images from the camera into the computer and get right to their work and get their work done. That justifies the technology right there! That wouldn't be possible without the technology. We can see that the children are really proud of their work!" "The 'interaction-factor' and immediacy of response offered by on-line access is great. It lets our children (and us) know that there really are a lot of people out there with similar interests - people who are willing to listen, discuss, and problem solve. What an asset technology is in terms of increasing understanding and communication for our children and generations to come." "Given the direction our society is going with computers everywhere, it's invaluable for all children in the lower grades to have access to computers and internet. Those that don't will be at a disadvantage in the future." For my son, I*EARN and Internet has expanded his understanding of children and places across the world. It is a wonderful preparation for him, for his future because his future is tied in with computers. It also generates his interest in learning. It's given him a jumpstart for interest in education." We feel that our daughter has benefited greatly by being able to use Internet technology. The ability to use e-mail to communicate with people worldwide has engendered an enthusiasm for learning to read and write. Perhaps most importantly, she views this sharing of art and notes with people around the globe as being the norm. The other children are " just kids at a another school "-- a part of the global community. Onto: |
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