Electronic Conversation

For my electronic conversation I emailed Mrs. Mary Garrison from Ocean Springs High School. She is a certified teacher and runs the Career Center there at Ocean Springs High School. She is sort of the "eyes and ears" of the whole school. She helps the students in her learning lab with finding the right University to attend, helps them with schoolwork, and helps them use the technology available at the school. Since she has such a big part in the technology at school part of things I thought she could be a good candidate to ask some questions too. She was really excited about sharing what she knows and has learned while being at Ocean Springs High School. Below I have copied and pasted some of our emails we had between each other.

My first email:

Mrs. Garrison,Hey! My name is Rachel Beaty and I attended Ocean Springs High School where you work. I am a student at the University of Southern Alabama now and I was just wondering if I could ask you a few questions about your school. First off, I was wondering if the teachers use technology in the classroom, and if so to what extent? Another thing I would like to know is if the technology actually helps the students learn or if it hinders their ability to? Does the technology make it easier for students to catch on? At your school I know their are special needs children, do they have access to the technology labs and if so how do they work in that situation? I know you run the Career Center at the school, so how does having the technology lab make your job easier? Do you think technology in the classroom is a good idea? And last but not least, what technology would you like to see used more in the classroom? Thank you so much for helping me out!Rachel Beaty

Her response:

Rachel,It is nice to hear that you are doing well! The University of Alabama is a fine school. As for your questions, I would be more than glad to help you out. The first thing you wanted to know was if the teachers use technology in the classroom, and if so to what extent? Well here at Ocean Springs High School technology is a big part of classroom learning and becoming bigger by the minute. Each classroom has a minimum of two computers. On those computers the students are able to research their studies, type out papers, and complete any assignments given to them by the teacher. The students are also required to visit my lab once a month to keep them updated on college and University information via computer. I help them apply to school online for two reasons. One reason is so that students who are not familiar with computers can get hands on experience, and so that they can someone is their pushing them to apply to college. Technology is a big part of learning here and I would like to see it grow even more. Your next question regarding if the technology helps or hurts the students, I would definately say that it helps 100%. In the world today, technology is everywhere. If the students do not get accustom to using it, they are going to be left to dry in the real world. It is our job here at the high school to prepare the students as much as we can for college and the real world. One major factor in succeeding in the world is to be able to use technology. Our special needs children here at Ocean Springs High School do, in fact, get time in the learning lab. They have special programs on the computers to help them better their skills. They have designated times to come in the lab and they seem to really enjoy it here. Technology makes a world of difference with my job. If I did not have the lab then all students would have to apply to college via snail mail. Nowadays that is pretty much unheard of. Technology is a great idea. I would definately like to see my school using more of it.Sincerely, Mrs. Garrison

My Second Email:

Mrs. Garrison,Thank you so much for helping me out with this. It sounds like technology is really import to you guys over there. I'm glad to hear that the special needs students don't miss out on the lab. For another assignment I had to visit a school here in Alabama to see a lab they have called an ACCESS lab, do you think Mississippi will ever get something along the lines of this? It seems really helpful to students.Rachel Beaty

Her response:

Rachel,I did some research on the ACCESS lab you spoke of. It sounds like a really cool idea. It allows the students to engage in Advanced Placement courses that they would otherwise not have access to. Here at Ocean Springs High School we have "AP" courses available, but we do not have a lab for the students to go to. If the students here score well enough on an exam given at the end of the class, they are able to count that class as a college credit. This seems like it is something along the lines of what they are doing in Alabama. Although we do offer AP classes, I would like to see us get an ACCESS lab. Of course it wouldn't be ACCESS here it would be MCCESS ;).Sincerely, Mrs. Garrison.

My Third Email:

Mrs. Garrison,You are right about the MCCESS ha ha! Thank you for all your help you have given me on this subject. I hope that your students are learning all they can from the technology y'all have available.Rachel Beaty

After this conversation I had with Mrs. Garrison I realized that technology in the classroom is a big deal. Teachers and administrators are becoming more into using technology. I think it is great that the students are getting a chance to use the technology.