1. "How did High Tech High do it?"
2. "How can our school duplicate their system?"
3. "Can we put in place our OWN VERSION of projects, websites and reflection without hurting our staff (teachdrs and administrators)?"
4. "What can we learn from High Tech High?"
5. "What would they do differently if they had a chance to start from scratch in a school in Florida?"
I've sent these questions to administrators at High Tech High. There's a PDF that might provide some answers.
1. "How did High Tech High do it?"
They did not ask students to "study the process" or wait until the kids were in high school. The philosophy is "use what you have learned while you are learning."
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| FIND THE DOCUMENT. DOWNLOAD THE PDF Put these procedures to work in your school |
a) The school defined itself as a PROJECT school.
b) Then the school chose to DISPLAY those projects.
c) The school asked the students to take primary responsibility for displaying their projects.
2. "How can our school duplicate their system?"
Most of our schools can't duplicate the HTH system. Most schools are not so committed to projects.
Many schools can put a "list of websites by students" on the website. See how High Tech High displays its list of student websites:
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| HTH staff also have portfolios. In Florida, the schools don't need to require teachers to adopt the system. |
Yes. We don't have to require teachers to get involved. Some students might not want to learn website making. Some students might become "advisors" and create and maintain the websites for other students.
4. "What can we learn from High Tech High?"
It helps if teachers know how to make the websites, but it's not essential. Students can teach each other.
Students are likely to have a range of responses. Some websites are private. Some websites are complicated (the kids put EVERYTHING into the site) while other sites are clearly organized and curated.
Avoid making a "standard product" and don't expect a uniform look.
Give the process time.
PRIVACY: Warn the students.
5. "What would they do differently if they had a chance to start from scratch in a school in Florida?"
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| Link to Abel's Website |
I'm waiting on a reply from HTH for this question. Something tells me (from the tone in the PDF) that they believe that projects are "the way to learn" and a good portfolio is filled with projects that the kids are excited about. It won't be necessary to "motivate" kids to describe the projects. They are so engaged in the projects that they WANT to describe what's happening. Read Abel Thon's DP
Since I was small I cared about health and being active which is why I'm so interested in a Physical Therapy internship. Being active and being able to move is a very important part of life and everyone should be able to move. Which is why I would want to devote my career into helping people with injuries and making them active and happy.
I learned how to communicate more effectively, and learned great observational skills. Physical therapist have the ability to look at the way people walk and see small details that are off and throughout my time there I was able to see some of those small details. I learned how fun working in a physical therapist clinic can be. They work in a really great environment and it feels like their not working just doing what they love every day and that's where I want to be in the future.
I can't think of a way to impose that sort of motivation. It would be difficult to create a system of external rewards to generate the focus that Abel brings to his website.
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The choices in Florida.
If the goal is to "bring portfolios to schools in Florida," what choices do principals have?
(1) Hire someone to build the websites with the students.
Cost: $6,000 for two months of work, $3,000 a month. Given enough info, a motivated webmaker can generate ten frames in Google Sites per hour, 8 hours per day for a week and build over 500 sites in a week. Then it's up to the principal to decide how much will go into those frames. Filling the 500 websites could take 15 minutes to an hour for each student. If the student has already digitized some work, then the work can be installed in under 30 minutes. 500 students x 15 mins = 125 hours or about three weeks.
If some of the work needs to be scanned or loaded into Google Docs, then the time might be an hour per DP. 500 hours = 12 weeks. The goal should be to train the students to maintain and update their websites.
(2) Hire someone to train teachers, then the teachers can train the students.
Cost: Teacher time (and perhaps "pushback" from teachers who don't have a "growth mindset." $250 for a one-hour workshop with materials for ten teachers ($5 per teacher). Follow-up might be needed. Given enough info (if teachers arrive with their materials already digitized), a trainer can train a group of twenty teachers to put together a simple website in under one hour.
Ideally, the teachers would then train students (either during the same session or in a followup training session). The consultant can monitor how the teachers are training. The goal should be to train the students to maintain and update their websites.
(3) Hire someone to train a team of students.
This appears to be the most cost-effective strategy. SunEd High School is using this procedure. The outside contractor sits with ten student volunteers (the students are selected for their willingness to help others and the need for service hours). The cost per student volunteer is an hour of the consultant's time, either one-on-one or in a small group workshop, with one-on-one followup by email and telephone with each student volunteer. At $50 an hour, the consultant can usually complete the training and give followup in 3 hours ($150).
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Workshop
What is a Digital Portfolio?
What schools use the DP?
What goes into a DP?
Let's see some examples (complex Ben Staley, simple Able Thon)
How can we copy this system?
Using WEEBLY or Google Sites (compare them)
Choose one or learn both.
Build a website.
Feedback to each student or in a group.
Bring in "clients" (students who need websites) and let each student "advisor" create a website for the "client" and guide the "client"
Followup can be with a second visit or by telephone and email to answer questions.
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The workshop could involve some hands-on practice during the same session.
After a break, the student "advisors" (volunteers) could each sit with a student from the school and help set up websites. The consultant can hover and check and answer questions.
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