Sharon Campbell, Teacher at Redwood Middle School in Napa, Calif., details her Activclassroom, which is powered by a battery, which is in turn powered by a bicycle which students ride to generate electricity. Energy conservation, science, history and math are all incorporated into the curriculum.
ESD: What gave you the idea of the human-powered classroom?
SC: I thought, if I could just harness the power and energy in these 12 year olds, I could power the whole city! So, that’s what we did. We built a kid-powered bicycle that generates power to a battery that runs the Activclassroom. We found that 15 minutes of cycling powers the Activboard and peripherals for an hour.
ESD: How has this impacted your students?
SC: They experience the lesson—that motion can be changed into electricity. When they understand that they have the power to make energy, then they understand they have the power to save energy. When they understand that they can save energy, they realize that they can be part of a solution to the environmental challenges they face as they grow up. This is all about giving students power.
ESD: Aside from the energy focus, how do you use technology to engage your students?
SC: We have embedded science, history and math in my classroom and the students work in a hands-on way. They learn that a math class has applications in a science class, and what they learn in an art class has applications in a social studies class.
For example, we often fire up the rockets and go on missions to outer space using the Activboard. We explore other worlds and the ecosystems of other planets. Without technology, I couldn’t always reach the students. If I can create something that makes them curious, I’ve got ‘em!
As teachers, we must meet our children where they are and speak their language. Technology is a major tool in this effort. From there, it’s the unleashed genius, sincerity and idealism of the students that makes the classroom what it is.
ESD: The George Lucas Educational Foundation just completed a film about your students. Stories of the pedal-powered Activclassroom are popping up all over the news. Why do so many people respond to this message?
SC: There is a lot more to what we do than just the technology. Last year our students led the largest youth pledge drive for the EPA’s ‘Change a Light’ program, ever. They distributed thousands of compact fluorescent light bulbs. They also have a recording studio in the back of our classroom that we use to create ‘commercials for the environment,’ which are broadcast on local TV. Each news story focuses on a different aspect of the classroom because there is too much information to cover all of the amazing things these children are doing. But I think what the public likes to hear is that children are being given a structure which enables them to learn, make important distinctions, and most importantly, discover their power in the world.
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