A few of the kindergarten classes at Brooks School Elementary had a very exciting day! We had the great opportunity to Skype with a local firefighter. Our class had not used Skype for learning in the classroom yet this year, so I thought that we should start off small by using it to reach out to someone in our community. In our social studies lessons we are learning about our community and the leaders that help us and our neighbors. I reached out to a firefighter and asked if he was interested in answering some questions from my students to help us learn more about a day in the life of a firefighter.
During our Skype conversation with firefighter Josh, the students were able to ask questions about his job, the firehouse, his uniform and the fire truck. He gave us a tour of the inside cab of the fire truck and the tools that are attached to the outside. Right after Josh put on the mask and helmet that he has to wear when entering a burning building, we heard alarms going off in the fire house. They were being called out on a run and Josh was able to take us with him for a bit through Skype. We heard the sirens and could see how fast they got to drive when answering a call. Our classes could hear everything that was going on with them but they could not hear our questions anymore. We wrote a few down and held them up to the camera so that he could answer a few more before we had to go.
Through Skype and thanks to firefighter Josh, the walls of our classroom vanished for a bit, and our students were able to experience the world outside in the middle of our day. Skyping a community helper was a perfect way to begin using this technology in our classroom!
-Submitted by Mrs Breiner, Brooks School Elementary, Kindergarten
Walk into Mike Fassold’s sixth period social studies class at Fishers Junior High, and what you won’t hear is a standard lecture. What you won’t see are students silently completing worksheets. Instead, you’ll experience a student-centered learning lab, with groups of students working together as they research and evaluate key questions surrounding American history, law, and society.
He worked closely with students to help them build their four-minute opening statements, which they presented today before an authentic audience of legal scholars from the community (pictured on right). HSE21 Shorts will revisit this innovative class later in the year to follow the students’ progress and get their perspective on this unique learning experience. Stay tuned!
HSE21 Shorts 
