My EdTech Spotlight article

I recently wrote an article on the concept behind EdTech Spotlights, and figured I'd share it with you all, in case it doesn't make it off the cutting room floor.

Here goes...

"This year, we’ve begun a new initiative that highlights the varied ways in which students use technology to enrich their learning experiences. From producing daily newscasts, to coding on iPods, our students are developing a greater sense for the ways in which technology is and can be used in their daily lives. Through weekly EdTech Spotlights, teachers throughout the school are able to see how their colleagues are leveraging the use of technology for academic purposes. This type of Spotlight has led the way to several practices that can now be seen in classrooms on a regular basis.

At Excel Academy, our girls are doing more than viewing technology. They are interacting with it, expanding their learning through it, and one day, we hope to see many of our scholars build technology tools that others can use. During Computer Science Education Week, over 200 of our scholars participated in the Hour of Code. Within this hour, students were able to program a virtual robot to light up a blue tile, using a simplified programming language. By opening our scholars’ eyes up to the world of technology, understanding it from the inside out, our goal is to increase interest amongst young girls for all fields of technology and computer science. Getting girls interested in technology at an early age, will in turn get more women involved in technological developments and related fields of employment; both adding variety and diversity to a field that is traditionally dominated by men."