Anthropological Assessment

For the anthropological assessment assignment we looked closely at the technological culture at our school. Paul, Kelly and I spoke with committee members, administrators and teachers to track down all kinds of information regarding technology at our school. I was impressed with Sitka High School when I looked closely at technology use. Almost every document I needed for this assignment was online and easy to obtain. Furthermore, Sitka High seemed very focused on teaching technology skills in the classroom. There are a wide array of technology courses offered at SHS including web design, digital photography and video production to name just a few. There is also a lot of specialty equipment that can be checked out by students and teachers. Sitka High School has all kinds of opportunities for students interested in technology and computer science.

Technology seems to be highly valued at SHS. The staff has professional development time specifically dedicated to technology. Teachers are required to learn how to use programs like Word, Excel and Power Point. I have been impressed with how technology focused the school district is. This year they are working towards making all kinds of technology improvements. There is a technology committee that meets every month to discuses technology issues and ways to improve technology within the district. One improvement SHS made this year was installing wireless throughout the building. Now students and teachers can use their lap tops to surf the web. Unfortunately, the school does not have lap tops for student or teacher check out, hopefully this will change in the near future.

There are computers in every classroom at SHS. There are also two computer labs, one that can be checked out by teachers for class use and one that is specifically used for technology classes. There are also 25 computer in the library that can be used by classes or individual students. During the day students have all kinds of technology resources, however, once the school day is over there are no labs or computer resources available to them. One thing that has been done to allow students to use technology outside the classroom is an after school computer club. Many students at Sitka High School seem interested in computer science and technology. Most of them have computers, cell phones, ipods or some kind of digital device. They seem to relate to technology and enjoy activities that involve the use of technology. Analyzing the technological culture at Sitka High School was very insightful and helped me understand the student population better. It is important to know your students in order to effectively engage them and create lessons that fit their individual needs.

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