East students present Google Slam

On Tuesday evening, East Middle School presented its first Google slam to fellow students and community members.

The idea was that student volunteers and teachers would present learning tools that they use every day in the classroom so that patrons would have a better understanding of what 21st-Century classrooms are really like.

A flyer and radio announcement written by Alexis Officer, Baylee Broughton, and Tristyn Hickman for the event said, “Are you wondering why this generation of kids are so smart? If you attend, you will have a chance to learn our secrets.”

The eighth graders demonstrated many varieties of technology that enhance their learning environment and make the schools of today very different from the ones their parents and grandparents attended.

Some of the topics presented were Promethean boards, Google classroom, Powerschool, CK 12, Google forms, Google docs, padlet, yearbook computer applications, Google translate, Google sites and Kahoot.

Some of these are programs that allow the teachers and students to be more efficient with their work and other programs are different ways for students to learn and practice newly learned skills.

Principal Tami Flaspohler said, “This was a terrific event. I am extremely proud of the courage of my students and the efforts of my staff to host such an exciting evening. Plans are already in the works to host a Google slam again next year.”

Flaspohler hopes that as word gets out about how much everyone learned that more people will attend next year.