LRSD Spotlight

Debra Sloan, EAST facilitator at Forest Heights Middle School, recently was interviewed by eSchoolNews.com in its June 2010 issue concerning the use of Augmented Reality in the classroom. eSchool News is a national educational technology magazine.

Augmented Reality comes from virtual reality developer Scott Jochim and Digital Tech Frontier and is a technology that overlays digital information on top of real-world surroundings as viewed through a smart phone or other handheld, GPS-enabled device.

Augmented Reality is the next step in allowing technology to be interactive within all classrooms. Developing lesson modules that many different courses can utilize is very exciting as students not only can learn using the modules, but they also have the opportunity to create them!

"[Augmented Reality] is such a nice direction to go...in incorporating technology in the classroom, because it makes learning more interactive,” Sloan said in the article. “The kids love it because they are active...they love [participation] more than just sitting and watching things happen."

Virtual Reality projects such as the Clinton Library virtual tour and the current virtual tour of St. Vincent Infirmary have catapulted Forest Heights Middle School EAST into a positive, productive program where students are eager to participate.

Pictured above: Forest Heights EAST Lab students attending the national 2010 EAST Conference, where the group received its first-ever perfect score and the "Talk-A-Holics" award for spreading the word about their projects. Also pictured is EAST founder Tim Stephenson.

Congratulations to the members of the Quiz Bowl team from Pulaski Heights Middle School who were invited to participate in the National Quiz Bowl Tournament in New Orleans on Memorial Day weekend. The team placed 7th in the tournament.

This tournament marked the first time Pulaski Heights has participated at the national level. The students and their coach, Janet Buford, were delighted to have been invited to participate and gained valuable experience. 

Quiz Bowl team members include (from left): Will Nicholson, Peyton Robinson, Nathan Harkey, Scout Snowden, Louis Rockefeller (kneeling), coach Janet Buford, Anna Troll and Taylor Stone.

Governor Mike Beebe recently honored seven LRSD students for their artistic efforts and participation in the 2010 GLO-PAR (Global Peace and Reconciliation) Poster Contest at a ceremony at the Arkansas State Capitol.

The GLO-PAR Project is a collaborative effort between Park Central Little Rock, the City of Little Rock and the Little Rock School District. Students in all grades were encouraged to submit posters reflective of the theme “Ripple One Minute of Silence into One Full Day of Non-Violence” and illustrating peace and reconciliation. The winning posters were displayed in the State Capitol rotunda as part of a traveling exhibit planned for the City of Little Rock, Pulaski County and throughout Arkansas. Student winners included (shown from left to right in photo): Mandi Carreiro, 12th grade, Central; Vicki Wang, 12th grade, Central; Daphne Zhang, 12th grade, Central; Rebecca Berry, 10th grade, Central; Lucy Richardson, 11th grade, Central. Not pictured: Shane Hernandez, 7th grade, Felder Academy; Michelle Lee, 12th grade, Central. Also shown: Grace Blagdon, Executive Director, Park Central Little Rock (far left); and Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe.

Governor Beebe and Secretary of State Charlie Daniels signed a Proclamation on November 20 declaring January 1, 2010, to be the first annual Day of Global Peace and Reconciliation throughout the State of Arkansas. Park Central is working in association with the City of Little Rock to provide a forum to develop an effective, powerful, influential and collaborative community GLO-PAR plan for non-violence that will ripple throughout the community.