Conrady pilots computer program

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A teacher’s aide assists a student in a collaborative social studies classroom that is piloting computers to enrich learning at Conrady Junior High School. | Supplied Photo

Updated: March 6, 2012 8:04AM

It’s just after 11 a.m. on a recent weekday, and students are filtering in to Kristin Frickenstein’s sixth-grade social studies classroom at Conrady Junior High School in Hickory Hills.

But rather than opening their textbooks to learn more about ancient Greece, they walk to the back of the classroom, retrieve one of the new laptop computers and log on. They browse through various websites to find the latest information on ancient Greece, and they are encouraged to share their findings through blogs, widgets and other electronic means.

It’s all part of a program North Palos District 117 is piloting this year at Conrady that uses computers as teaching tools in a collaborative setting. The computers were purchased with a grant the district received.

Frickenstein is collaborating with special education teacher Melissa Smotherman to team-teach the social studies class. There also is a teacher’s aide to assist students who need additional help.

Getting all the students to grasp the technology component has been a challenge, Frickenstein said.

“They’ve all progressed since the year began; some a little faster than others,” Frickenstein said, noting that lesson plans have been modified to incorporate the technology component.

Students are instructed to save their research to their P-drives and check future assignments through homework drop-boxes, and each student has his or her own email account where they can interact with classmates and teachers. Teachers also can shut down a student’s e-mail account if needed.

During class, teachers engage their students to share ideas through blogs and other electronic forms. Pens, pencils and paper aren’t obsolete, but they’re a little harder to find these days, Smotherman said.

“The activities we do are computer-based,” Smotherman said. “That’s the whole idea. I’m really proud of the way the kids have responded. They’ve been great. It’s been a really positive experience.”