Teacher Encourages Students Through Projects and VideosAt Holy Cross, technology has grown leaps and bounds since Kevin Schroeder came on staff 32 years ago. From early computer games like The Oregon Trail to today’s coding apps, technology continues to evolve, keeping Mr. Schroeder on his toes so he can prepare students to be tech savvy.“I want students to get familiar with the tools they can use,” Mr. Schroeder says. “When they get older, they won’t have these tools. They’ll have something else that they’ll accept and use that.”
Holy Cross has a technology class for each grade, kindergarten through eighth, and starts the youngest students with mastering Microsoft Word’s basic tools. Mr. Schroeder also coordinates grade-level projects so that students can use technology to enhance their assignment.“I coordinate it with what they’re doing in their classrooms. The social studies teacher has a project on the graveyard of American history. They do the project in iMovie and upload it to YouTube. If they’re studying Indiana history, then we work it out with what they’re doing in the classrooms.”By adapting technology to student ability, students are able to work at their own pace. “I steer them in the right direction as far as what they’re working on,” Mr. Schroeder says. “They help each other and do a lot of work in groups. My job is to facilitate. I try to make the projects so they can do it simply or integrate other things into it so they can make it more advanced.”
Former student Joey Chandler flourished in the technology classes at Holy Cross. Now a freshman at Concordia Lutheran High School, Joey took a video production class and an advanced video class this year. He got his start doing videos at Holy Cross under Mr. Schroeder, using green screens to do video news segments. He appreciated how Mr. Schroeder taught him the basics of video production and then gave him the freedom to be creative. This was the foundation he needed for continuing his learning at Concordia High School.Mr. Schroeder also teaches students to use technology in a way that glorifies God. “Hopefully we can instill in them the values of the Christian education and using technology with the gifts we’re given and in a God-pleasing way.”
