From a former CTAP 4 staff member:
County: San Mateo
District: Sequoia Union High School District
School: Carlmont High School

Students in Jenna Cestone’s classroom study and learn English and social studies from the content she provides on the iPod, online and through community projects. Jenna is the quintessential 21st century teacher. She’s adapted her instruction methods and revised her standards-based content to meet the needs of her students. “I improved my own skill set and fostered my own 21st century skills set. I am competitive and modern, not crusty and old school, using outdated books and ideas.”   She’s now in her 20th year of teaching and she teachers a Virtual Classroom for American Government and Econ, as well as a couple of English classes which primarily uses the iPod Touch mobile lab.

Students with iPod Touches have access to audio content, selected by Ms. Cestone specific to their learning needs. She creates a playlist, adds content via iTunes, and syncs them all at once with the laptop dedicated to the mobile iPod Touch lab.  Content includes art, music, history, and English standards integration – with projects such as Mythology: Heroes, Gods and Monsters. The students can use ‘Animoto,’  an online slideshow application, to animate photos, translation software for second language students and, when laptops are available, she makes sure that every student creates an maintains a blog.

Students in Ms Cestone’s virtual Government/Econ class experience a hybrid of face-to-face learning days, active community-based learning, and online research and project work. Last fall (2008) she had students out in the community volunteering at the polls.  This spring students are engaged in entrepreneurship in businesses for economics.  She organizes the work for students in collaborative structures – small group or pairs.  “I wanted to give them a way to learn how to safely socially interact online while also seeing each other on certain mandatory face-to face class days.”

What do her students say about this?

• " Cestone rules"  * Jessica '09
• " It makes it easier to work around our other classes, AP etc. " Todd, '09
• " This class makes you more tech savvy and better prepared for the real world" Lupita '09
• " It makes school less stressful, and puts the 'fun' back in school."  Mike  '09
• "You actually learn and I feel more productive." Adam '09
• " I know the 'why' of what I'm learning for once, in other classes, I see no reason for what I'm learning" --Todd, and Lupita, '09
• " Other classes have more 'busy work', but not good quality of answers, Cestone requires less work, but better quality," Justin '09

When asked what she thought students might say, Ms Cestone noted that “They are engaged, respectful, see purpose in what I do, my vision and goals.  They have a whole snapshot of the curriculum going in and it is reassuring.  It can be frustrating never knowing day to day what the teacher will spring on them.”

Wonder what’s next in store for Ms Cestone’s students? She’s taking them into a global project and has signed up for Oracle’s ThinkQuest. She believes that this is the way teaching for the future ought to be. She really believes in motivating students by providing opportunities for learning 24/7 promotes life long learning for her and her students.