Students at Wolf Creek Public Schools (WCPS) are leading the way when it comes to technology and learning.
For the third year running the Youth Tech Nation (YTN) conference is paving the way for WCPS students to show their peers how they use technology in their classrooms. The conference was held Feb, 10 at Ponoka Secondary Campus and featured break out sessions showcasing different tools.
Davis Carlson was the keynote speaker who happens to be a student. Carleson is in Grade 11 and studies at Rundle College. He is certified as an educator for Google for Education and was asked by organizers to speak on some of what’s happening in the ever-changing world of education and technology.
With the many different options available for education Carlson says he focuses on bringing ideas that directly benefit students. “I try and turn that into a presentation that I can give to a teacher.”
From an early age Carlson was fascinated with technology and how it can help others. For him, if it benefits teachers and students, he’s happy. Being certified through Google for Education continues that goal.
His motto when it comes to learning: “You’re never too young.”
As for trends in education the push to cloud-based technology and learning has grown and Carlson suggests that is where kids will have their learning done. The biggest challenge is for teachers learning all the different apps and tools out there.
“The point of it is not to know everything that’s out there and memorize every single tip and tool,” advised Carlson.
He suggests being able to share information and learn new tips to enhance education for students should be the focus. Another benefit of technology is being able to remove physical barriers and truly becoming collaborative.
“I think we really need to be open and we’re going to end up being a really unified world eventually.”
“You don’t need to go through customs to Face Time with someone in another country,” he concluded.