The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
High tech space invites collaboration
Redesigned creativity spaces encourage new ways to involve technology in learning.
An invigorating green and redesigned creativity spaces invite students and teachers to respond with new ways to involve technology in learning at Marion L. Steele High School in Amherst.
The Amherst Schools Education Foundation Creative Learning Center was unveiled to the public Aug. 24 with a ribbon cutting ceremony and tours.
The foundation provided $200,000 of the total cost of $700,000 for changes to a former media center in the school.
Duane Neidert, president of the foundation, said he was pleased with the project.
“This has turned out fantastic,” Neidert said. “It looks like it brings new techniques and technology to the school district and it brings a new feeling of moving forward. At the educational foundation, we look for projects that impact the district as a whole, and that benefit students and staff. This fits all that criteria. And I noticed there’s quite a contrast between this and the hallway.”
School board members also participated in the open house and ribbon cutting.
“It’s an awesome space,” said Board President Rex Engle.
He also sits on the foundation, so about a year ago he presented the project and helped secure funding.
Superintendent Steve Sayers appreciated the generosity of the foundation.
“I want to say a special ‘thank you’ to Amherst Schools Educational Foundation. Without them, this wouldn’t have happened,” Sayers said. “Isn’t it cool? It’s awesome. I think it’s great. I’m so happy for students and for our staff and for the Amherst community in general. I think it’s going to be a source of pride for everyone in Amherst. It’s cutting edge, and it’s great to have something like that happening here in Amherst.”
In addition to the foundation grant, the district used permanent improvement and capital funds to pay for
the project, Sayers said.
Principal Michael May said the day after teachers left the high school at the beginning of the summer, workers started demolition on the media center.
With the new school year under way, the room is stretching concepts about class time.
“This was booked from 7 a.m. until dismissal today,” May said. “Teachers are already finding new ways to teach lessons. The students love it. I’ve had graduates on Twitter send out Tweets, ‘What? Now that’s there?’ At one point there were three different classes in here, working on all different items and that’s what it’s meant for.”
The area includes regular seating and higher seating, individual chairs, and booths. One couch is shaped like a bookworm. Most of the seating can be moved as needed, and some of the chairs have wheels.
“It’s flexible,” May said. “We had three classes with 90 students in here at one time. You wouldn’t have even known. And a separate area is an active learning classroom. That has its own door. The kids just hit it. They’re used to the multitasking and the openness, especially with the technology they have today. That is what this is about.
“Many of the students are
going to go to college and see this type of learning centers,” May said, adding about 1,300 students are enrolled at the ninth- through 12th-grade school. “Here in Amherst, they’re very fortunate to have this. It’s amazing.”
Because the Creative Learning Center was unveiled on the same evening as a school open house, he expected many tours by parents.
Jon Heyd, who works in tech support for the district, stood in a Media Scape area, which included a table, a curved modular couch, with high seating behind and around the couch and an interactive screen that allows multiple people to connect displays from laptops, iPads or cell phones.
“This is a collaboration area,” Heyd said. “There are four pucks. If they tap on that, it will switch the display to their laptop. Teachers or students can sit around and work on a project together. An entire class can come in here and collaborate. Various members of the group can share without having to unplug to do it.”
Enclosed in glass in one corner of the creativity center is a “One Button Studio,” Heyd said. Students can enter the studio, plug in their flash drive, and hit one button.
That fires up a camcorder, microphone, and professional grade lighting systems, so they can record a video presentation.
“The system saves it automatically to the flash drive,” Heyd said. “They can take it to wherever they need to take it.”
Even though the district operates with Macintosh 99 percent of the time, Heyd said, the area was designed to include many types of systems, whether the person brings along Windows compatible, Macs, or Chromebooks.
Four enclosed collaboration rooms can hold eight to 15 people each “if you were friendly,” he said. “These were meant for classes to connect in smaller groups.”
A large presentation space includes an Apple TV to allow users to connect wirelessly, Heyd said. Three available screens can display the same information, or each can display different information.
Modular furniture throughout the space encourages movement and gatherings.
In an active learning classroom, two televisions enable sending presentations wirelessly with modular desks and chairs.
“All the furniture in here is extremely valuable,” Heyd said. “You can reconfigure the tables. The whiteboards are versatile. On the Interactive Whiteboard, you can draw on a website with a stylus. It’s wireless.”
He pulled a long strip from the Interactive Whiteboard a little smaller than a yardstick, with colors and actions assigned in motifs down the length of it.
“This is magnetic,” Heyd said as he touched the strip with the stylus, and changed the color drawing on the website. He touched the strip with the stylus again, and changed the display further.
Mark Kostur, technology
“This has turned out fantastic. it looks like it brings new techniques and technology to the school district and it brings a new feeling of moving forward...”
— Duane Neidert, president of the Amherst Schools Education Foundation
supervisor at Amherst Schools, headed the project that began with ideas about a year ago.
“It turned out every bit as good as we thought it would,” Kostur said. “The students love it. The teachers love it. There’s excitement by the staff, figuring out how to use it. It’s great. They love the new space. It’s a happy place to work. Kids love it.”