Project 6: My Interview With Mrs. Cockson

Throughout the course of this semester, I had been trying to get in touch with a teacher or an educator living and working somewhere other than Alabama. The reason for this was because of a class assignment known as Project 6 (which almost sounds like some kind of top secret project conducted by a government agency). Of the many teachers and educators that I tried to establish some sort of contact with, only one responded. Her name - Mrs. Sylvia Cockson (who just happens to be a teacher, as well as my mother).

Mrs. Cockson has taught grades K-2 (5 students ages 5-8) at Bondurant Elementary School in Bondurant, Wyoming for the past year. I asked Mrs. Cockson a few questions concerning the subjects she taught to her students, the different types of curriculum she utilized, and how she incorporated technology within her students education.

Mrs. Cockson told me that she covers many subjects, such as Language Arts (English, Reading, and Spelling), Math, Social Studies, Science, and Music. In terms of the curriculum she uses, she informed me that she uses a county/district approved program (known as the "Treasures" Program) to teach Reading to her students. She also said that she has used the "Bridges" Math program to teach her students lessons on measurement, rate, and picture/word problems. Mrs. Cockson also uses keyboards and singing to teach her students Basic Music Theory.

As far as technology and education are concerned, Mrs. Cockson's students (who each have their own classroom computer) have learned about Natural Resources (Earth Day and Recycling specifically) by viewing the website National Geographic.com. Her students also use the Internet to learn about Endangered Animals, as well as lessons about Typing (Dancemat.com and Type to Learn.com). She also informed me that many of the students parents are concerned about their child's' computer proficiency/skills. Because of this, Mrs. Cockson continues to find more ways to use technology within her classroom. Currently, she is working on a Smart Boards for Math program for her students. In terms of teaching related uses for technology, she uses Ed-Helper.com (for curriculum /holiday ideas) and Mailbox Companion.com.

One of the last things I asked Mrs. Cockson was if she was going to utilize web-based media or blogs to introduce her class to other educators and classrooms around the world. She said that she would look into these - especially to communicate and share ideas with other teachers and their classrooms. Overall, I enjoyed talking with her about not only about her teaching and curriculum, I enjoyed talking with her about the use of education within technology as not just a possibility - but as a reality (especially within her classroom).