May 7, 2009
Tech Savvy Eden Teacher Honoured
From cell phones to iPods, Facebook and blogs, today’s students are using technology more than ever before.
For his work to boost student learning by incorporating technologies students use into the classroom, Eden High School teacher Eric Moccio has been invited to join the Apple Distinguished Educator (ADE) program as part of the Class of 2009.
“We are all very proud of Eric,” says Ruth Hernder, Principal. “By using the internet, social networking and other web 2.0 technologies, Eric has found an innovative way to further engage students in their education.”
Currently in his sixth year at Eden, Eric teaches a mix of music, media arts and French classes. His students all have access to a social networking site customized specifically for his classes. On the site, there are discussion forums for students to collaborate on projects, share their thoughts and ideas. Students are also able to upload/download documents, works in progress and other media. “Think of it as an educational Facebook,” says Moccio.
In music class, Moccio uses the social networking site to provide students with near-instantaneous feedback. “I have electronic forms that I use to evaluate performances. By the time they arrive home, students receive that feedback along with their marks. Students are also able to review their own work to identify their strengths and areas of improvement because a recording of the performance gets posted to the site,” says Moccio.
The internet also offers students a unique opportunity to collaborate and work with their peers in ways that would have never been possible otherwise. Moccio’s Grade 11 music class has partnered with another class in Fergus, Ontario, to plan, shoot and record a music video.
As part of the ADE program, Eric will attend the program’s summer conference in New Brunswick from July 5-9. The conference brings education professionals from around the world together to exchange ideas about the effective use of new technologies in the creation of rich learning environments.