Wonderful examples of technology as a two-way street are ongoing electronic investigations such as Maya Quest or the Jason Project which can bring our world to life in the classroom by enlisting the power of technology to connect students to archaeologists, scientists, and other researchers. Perhaps the greatest use of technology is for students to understand their relationship to the world. A school's data is compiled with other schools' data by scientists in order to tell a story about the state of our environment. Students begin to see that along with acquiring knowledge, they can also have an impact upon the world. Information they provide can be a critical piece in stories about migratory birds or global weather patterns.
Students are excited to learn when they are interacting with and exploring the world.
It is real learning with the power of technology rather than typical edutainment software's focus on low-tech drills or rote memorization of facts. Hyperstudio is a fun and powerful organization and presentation program that is usable by kindergartners with adult support or by fifth- grade students with fairly minimal initial guidance. In one first grade unit, students examined different cultures, such as Asia. In another class, a second-grade student chose to explore the life of Martin Luther King Jr. in order to talk about him on his holiday. One kindergarten class incubated quail eggs, so a student explored Encarta and the Internet and found a few facts and some pictures of mature quail to share with the class.