If Woodland Elementary teacher Bobbi Starling had it her way, every child would have access to the kinds of technology her students use.
“The technology in my room does not represent what is school-wide. The other classrooms have one iPad for the whole classroom,” said Starling, who earlier this year was named one of 100 teachers nationwide as a PBS Digital Innovator.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photos)
Woodland Elementary, which has an enrollment of roughly 1,000, is a Title 1 school, meaning that it serves children living in an area with high rates of poverty.
“The PTAs in communities with higher socioeconomics provide the equipment the schools can’t provide,” said Starling, who has been able to equip her classroom by securing grants.
She believes technology levels the playing field in education.
“I think it’s the great equalizer. They (students) get to experience a lot of things they normally would not have access to,” Starling said.
“We do virtual field trips,” said Starling, who also was selected by PBS as one of the nation’s 30 lead digital innovators.
Starling incorporates digital tools in every aspect of her teaching.
In science, for instance, the students use electronic notebooks as well as traditional notebooks.
Her lessons combine instruction from Starling, as well as information from videos that play on each student’s computer.
Children wear ear pods, as they listen to the videos to gather needed information to answer questions.
And, as they work through the lesson, students record what they’re learning in their science notebooks.
They cut and paste the old-fashioned way, using scissors to trim worksheets and glue sticks to paste them into their notebooks.
They move with ease, from traditional to digital.
Technology gives children access to a much broader frame of reference than traditional textbooks.
And, when there’s a glitch or a question, Starling is right there to help.
Besides engaging the students in the classroom at her Zephyrhills school, Starling also spends considerable time before and after school preparing to deliver instruction.
“I try to make it personalized for the kids. I try to figure out what they’re missing and then try to fill those gaps. They’re kind of like Swiss cheese, and I’m trying to fill the holes — and the holes are not the same for every kid in every subject. They are all so different.
“So, to really try to pinpoint what they need and then get something (to fill the gap), takes a long time,” Starling said.
She customizes instruction. Some children may be reading for one purpose, while others are reading for another.
“It depends upon what their goal is, and what they are working on at the time and what they need,” Starling said.
Besides obtaining grants, Starling’s classroom is involved in a district pilot of an engineering program called “Project Lead the Way.”
Her selection as a lead digital innovator by PBS enabled her to attend an all-expense paid summit in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she enjoyed luxurious accommodations and great food, while enhancing her digital know-how.
She also had the opportunity to attend some sessions at the International Society for Technology in Education conference. And, she has access to premium content from PBS.
For “Project Lead the Way,” Starling went down to Florida Gulf Coast University, where she spent a week in the dorms, again, adding to her tech savvy.
Starling is obviously passionate about her work.
Her interest in becoming a teacher dates back to when she was just age 5.
“I had a teacher that I fell in love with in kindergarten,” she said. “I just loved being there.”
She believes that new educational standards, commonly referred to as Common Core, benefit both students and teachers.
“I think that it definitely helps them (students) to become college ready, and I actually think that it really focuses the instruction (for teachers),” Starling said.
Teachers can look at the standards children are expected to achieve and plan how they are going to get them there, she said.
The culture at Woodland Elementary promotes a college education for every child.
“They go to a different college campus every year, from the time they are in kindergarten,” Starling said. “For a lot of the kids at Woodland, they might be the first kid in their family to get to college.”
And, while the teacher believes that new education standards are beneficial, she also realizes that the transition may not be easy.
Children beginning kindergarten with the new standards in place will have an easier time than fifth-graders who are facing new expectations, she said.
For older students, she said, “not only do you have to teach that year of standards, but you have to go back and fill in, and make sure that they’ve got the standards that they missed before it became Common Core,” Starling said.
Starling applauds the idea of adding standards for speaking, listening and technology.
“Most of the jobs that these kids will be competing for have not even been invented yet. I definitely think that they need the 21st century learning skills. Collaboration is going to be big. They’re going to have to be pretty techie,” Starling said.
As a teacher, Starling hopes her students will realize “that learning is fun — and that they should be lifelong learners, that every day they should be learning something new.”
She also hopes parents understand that they can turn to her if they need help in supporting their child’s education.
“Sometimes, I’m not sure that they’re aware of what’s available, or what’s out there, or how to help them (their children).
“I guess my message to them would be if they needed anything, whether it was resources, information or just extra time, that I could meet with parents and kids one-on-one,” Starling said.
While teachers do not command the kind of salary often enjoyed by those in other professions, Starling has not been tempted to leave teaching.
“The pay is there for me. It’s not monetary pay – but the pay you get in changing lives, making kids realize if they can dream it, they can do it.
“I am excited every day,” Starling said.
Published October 7, 2015