The first annual Alliance Public Schools Technology Fair was held September 20 and September 21 at the Alliance High School Performing Arts Center. By most accounts the fair was a huge success. AHS principal Dr. Pat Jones thought that for the first time this event was held, “It went very well and was a great success. There was great information introduced by great presenters. There was great information available to all attendees.” Dr. Jones was “… very pleased with AHS students. They went to sessions, and they seemed to enjoy it.” He said that this is planned to be an annual event. “There is a lot of planning and preparation involved for an event this large in scale. It takes a lot of time, but it should get easier with time as plans are already set.”
The first day of the Exposition was set aside for Alliance High School and Alliance Middle School students to attend. On the second day, Alliance High and Alliance Middle School staff had the opportunity to attend the workshops alongside other teachers from throughout the district. Friday sessions were also open to the general public.
There were eight presenters sharing information with the attendees on topics including: Social Media in the Classroom, Internet Safety, Empowering Students In a 1:1 Learning Environment, iPads-Changing the Face of Education, Designing Your Digital Legacy, and a Virtual Field Trip to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Every student was required to attend Internet Safety, a session presented by Ed Sexton who works in the Attorney General’s office as a computer forensic investigator. Mr. Sexton informed students about the dangers and consequences of cyber bullying and sexting. Karli Farritor and Madi Hawk, AHS freshmen, both agreed that the Internet Safety session was very eye opening and kind of alarming because any information put out on the Internet is available to anyone, including child predators.
Students were also required to attend the presentation of the main keynote speaker, Kevin Honeycutt. His presentation, “Trends, Tools and Tactics for 21st Century Learning,” was very entertaining and introduced students to many educational tools, including programs such as Google Sketchup. He also taught students a valuable lesson about how one can come from any background, and, through hard work and a little talent, he can create a name for himself. Ashtyn Shrewsbury, an AHS senior, said the keynote speaker was “very good and entertaining.” Ashtyn and junior Roy Kesterson jokingly said they would have spent all day in Kevin’s sessions, if they could have, because “… he was kind of weird, but he was a really neat guy.”
Another session that grabbed students’ attention was the Virtual Field Trip presentation, where students had the opportunity to listen to a Holocaust survivor’s first hand account of the horrific event. Helga Shepard, who spoke with students live via Skype, had a very full classroom listening to her stories about what she experienced during World War II.
In the “Death to PowerPoint, Long Live Prezi” presentation, Travis Allen and Sunny Narshi did a great job engaging the audience and teaching them to use Prezi, an online program that uses a spacial presentation format as opposed to the linear one used in a PowerPoint.
The first annual Alliance Public Schools Technology Fair was a great success. Students, teachers, and community members gained valuable insights about technology and how it can be a benefit in the classroom.
