In 1995, Dr. Dennis Harper was the technology director of the Olympia School District in Washington State. This video was shot then and shows some pretty forward thinking, collaborative learning going on with technology. In Olympia, students were in charge of teaching everyone, teachers, staff and students how to use computers and the Internet. Students built and ran the school website, did tech support, installation and training for peers and staff. You’ll see students from 3rd grade to high school showing how they use technology to improve learning throughout the whole school.
This was the beginning of the GenYES model, just before Dennis proposed the idea to the USDOE, who funded it as a Technology Innovation Challenge Grant. The technology being used may appear outdated, but the idea is timeless — to see youth as agents of change rather than objects to be changed.
For you DH fans out there, Dr. Harper appears about 6 minutes in. (If you can’t see the embedded video, use this link.)
Unfortunately, in many schools today, computers and technology are unused and under-utilized. Ignoring the passion and talent of this digital generation, who make up 92% of the population at any school, is overlooking a solution that works and has worked in many schools across the country.
This video was cut down from the original by Andy Baio of Waxy.org, who collects video and other artifacts about early Internet days. He says, “…it’s clear this public school district was way ahead of their time.” You can read his take on it here.
We put this link in our email newsletter and heard from several of these students (now twenty-somethings) who loved remembering their experiences, but hated seeing their teenage selves. Guess that never changes either!
Sylvia
