Editor’s Note: This is the sixth and final part of a six-part series looking at the use of technology in education. Each of the six different courses Abbi Richcreek teaches at the Warsaw Area Career Center involves one form or another of technology. Richcreek teaches Biotechnical Engineering (a Project Lead The Way course), Communication of Processes, Transportation Processes, A+ Computer Repair, Engineering-Robotics I and Engineering-Robotics II. “Technology is all around us,” Richcreek said. “Students get excited about using different technology. It’s important we utilize it in the classroom in as many ways as we can. Our society is changing dramatically. It’s becoming an electronic society.” Examples of how Richcreek uses technology in the classroom include programming robots, using iMovie instead of Power Point presentations and in her computer repairs class her curriculum is totally online. “I also do some virtual labs students participate in,” she said. “They take apart a laptop and a desktop. They seem to enjoy it. I also have a Promethean board in my classroom. That assists me by giving me additional resources for my students to have more visuals to learn from. “I strive to have more technology in the classroom,” she continued. “I’ve written some grants and will continue to do so because I think it’s important to have technology in the classroom.” On deciding what technology to use in her classroom, Richcreek said she actually will use it herself to see if her students would learn from it. “I don’t want my technology to drive my classroom. I want it to enhance my students’ learning. I want technology to make learning more meaningful for my students,” Richcreek said. Technology also provides Richcreek’s students with many opportunities. In her computer repair class, some of her students shadow the high school technician occasionally. The shadowing occurs once a week. Richcreek chooses students for the shadowing experience by if they have their classwork finished and if it’s done in detail and quality, and if the student is responsible. “I rotate students that have those qualifications for a well-rounded education. They watch what he does, they assist when it’s appropriate,” she said. “We are hoping we can grow our own technicians whether that’s in the co-op next year or summer work.” For robotics, Richcreek said students can compete with her class team or the robotics club team. They can participate in VEX robotics competition or in exhibition around the state. “In biotechnical engineering, I am working with orthopedic companies to get them sawbone training and tours to different companies to see what the community offers,” she said. Local orthopedic companies Biomet, Zimmer and Tornier send their engineers to Richcreek’s robotics classes and club every two weeks to help students with their robotics. As contests near, orthopedic companies’ employees stop in once a week. “They’ve been very, very gracious,” Richcreek said. Richcreek has been at Warsaw since 2007. She said she’s seen the number of elective classes for students to take grow, as well as the number of dual college credit courses increase. But it’s not just the students who are learning about technology. To keep up on technology, Richcreek continues to learn through listening and watching webinars, talking to other teachers at robotics competitions, participates in summer workshops, speaking with orthopedic companies’ leaders and asking them for their input on curriculum as well as reading technology newsletters and publications. She also is an officer in a state organization. “Sometimes, I actually learn from (my students),” Richcreek said. “They show me new features or programs I hadn’t learned before.” Technology in education is definitely a growing field, Richcreek said. “I believe our textbooks will be online if they’re not already. I think everything will be digital,” she said. “However, our hands-on courses won’t ever really change. We’ll always have to have hands-on learning, but rather than turn in a paper, students may deliver it differently such as a video presentation. “I think being a teacher, you’re going to have to use technology to keep up with the students,” she concluded.
