Southwood Valley Elementary School students take learning to high-tech heights
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – A College Station ISD teacher had the surprise of a lifetime last December when Amazon and Illumination gifted her, and Southwood Valley Elementary School, truckloads of high-tech learning tools.
Magie Tran teaches dual language math and science. Since the surprise, her fourth graders have built robots, taken virtual field trips to Antarctica and used a 3-D printer.
Tran said it’s made a big difference for her students with different learning styles. She’s seen students who used to hardly raise their hand, now show off their knowledge with excitement.
“They are just, like, blooming with this. They’re so excited and they’re the first ones to want to participate and collaborate,” she said.
Her students can’t wait for class to start each day.
“School is amazing, and life is good!” fourth-grader Tabitha said.
Their days are filled with explosive science experiments, stargazing through telescopes and seeing the world through virtual reality headsets.
“It’s just, it’s just super cool being here,” fourth-grader Benjamin said.
Tran said her students are more excited than ever to learn thanks to these tools. It’s a way for her to make lessons more interactive and engaging.
“I want to get the kids involved in building a weather map. So I think that’s gonna be very cool with the 3-D printer,” she said.
Her students are reaching for the stars.
“I like the telescope because it’s really cool to see the phases every day,” fourth-grader Max said.
They’re building a path toward future academic success.
“If you put your mind to it, you can build, like, an amazing thing,” fourth-grader Sophia said.
Nearly all Southwood Valley Elementary students have had the chance to experiment with the technology.
