Every year, dozens of 5th graders sign up to be part of Tech Club. This extracurricular activity gives students opportunities to be leaders and engage with technology in exciting ways. They do everything from assisting in our primary classrooms and learning new tools, to developing digital citizenship lessons and practicing advanced design skills. They're pretty much rockstars. The things these 10 year olds are creating are INCREDIBLE. This is only the start for them. We can't wait to see what's to come in the future.
For the past two years, I've hosted the Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Teaching (shoutout to the wonderful foundation) on WTTW, Channel 11. That's where I met, Eddie Garcia, who was part of the fabulous production team. As we spent time together, I was amazed at his attitude, insight, and experience. Given the student opportunities and skills at DuJardin to engage with media and technology, we both thought it would be neat to connect! Fast forward about six months, Eddie and his colleague, Ricardo visited our Tech Club students. They shared about their experiences, gave advice and fielded many questions from our 5th graders. They offered tips for success in the media industry and life, stressing the importance of teamwork, dedication and passion. The kids sat there in pure awe as they watched the award-winning documentary produced by the two gentleman on WBNA star, Linnae Harper. Everything from the interviewing, camera footage, and editing was carefully woven together to generate a package that was captivating. Planning, scripting, editing, and producing are all tasks that our kids often practice with our DJ Weekly News: Student Produced Video Announcements (read more about them here). Eddie and Ricardo said that they wished they had more opportunities to grow their media passion and technology skills when they were younger. It is so great that the kids were able to connect the work that they are doing now, in 5th grade, with a potential future career in the media industry! Here's some of what the 5th graders had to say afterwards: "Before I didn't really think about doing anything with media, but now I realize that I'm really interested in different kinds of media production and technology." - Aidan- "Work hard and follow your dreams. You don't have to be an athlete to be involved in sports. Your passion and experience can come from other avenues, like sports media." - Kaylen- "It was amazing to view the documentary and see all the effort put into the production of the piece. As an audience viewer, you don't really think about all the details that come together to make it awesome." - Ava-
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March 2020
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