Yukon Students Show Teachers How to Use Technology

By Jennifer Pierce, NEWS 9

YUKON, Oklahoma – Yukon High School teachers got a crash course in technology Monday. It was a full day of learning, but the roles were reversed and the students were the teachers.

Even though students had the day off some came in to teach the teachers. This is the first step in Yukon High School going high-tech.

Jacob Miller takes teachers through the process of finding and downloading educational applications.

It is a professional day for teachers to get up to speed on the technology students use on a daily basis.

"It's a better way for them to connect with the students," Miller said.

Miller showed them how to use it more effectively in the classroom.

"We have a group of teachers that are learning how to search iTunes for things like interactive components for iPods and things they will use in the classroom, we also have a group of teachers learning how to create podcasts," Director of Technology with Yukon Schools Dawn Danker said.

This is all in an effort for the day staff and students will move into the new high school.

Technology will be just a touch away. Classrooms will be equipped with laptops and iPod Touches.

School officials want everyone tech savvy.

"Like every four months they update iTunes and they'll have a new version," Belinda Bedell said.

Teachers look forward to the day learning in their classroom goes beyond a book.

"It kind of adds a new dimension into the classroom," Bedell said.

And so are the students.

"If you ask a lot of kids, high school students, 'Hey, you ready to read a book?' they're like, 'No, I don't want to read a book.' But, if you put technology in their hand they would want to grasp that information; they would want to explore that iPod," student Jacob Miller said.

Students say they have already reaped the benefits of technology. Those preparing for the ACT can download test apps to their phone or iPod. One student says the apps helped him raise his test score four points.

The new high-tech high school will be complete in the fall of 2011.