Merkel HS Flattens Their Walls During Animation Class

Merkel High School is flattening the walls of their classroom with Skype!

Students taking an animation class participated in a Skype Q&A with David Condolora, formerly of Dreamworks, Disney, and Pixar Animation Studios.  They prepared questions to ask before meeting their chosen guest expert on animation.

You want to see student engagement?  Skype in an expert on things the STUDENTS are interested in.
What about Differentiated Instruction??? There was absolutely no way to determine what students, if any, had an IEP!  How cool?  Uninhibited participation for all students!

Just a few student comments:

• When asked if they would want to participate in this type of thing again, they said, "Absolutely!"
• Benefits/Drawbacks of learning from an expert versus learning from a textbook, they said,  "He gave us more insight."  "It was nice talking to someone who knows."
• Other comments: "He mentioned the Reel FX in Texas.  We should connect with them."

Merkel is currently participating in a Region 14 initiative called Culture Shift.  They began their journey in December of 2013.  Following a School Climate Survey, a Stakeholders group, and numerous leadership team meetings, a few teachers that make up a Teaching And Growing (TAG) team gets to play in the world of non-traditional instructional strategies.