techdirections September 2009 : Page 36
Website of the Month GHS Auto Program Integrates Academics— Tech Students Build Winning Site S TUDENTS in Jim Anderson’s Automotive Technology Program at Greenville (OH) High School have created a very impressive web- site. And they’ve done so entirely on their own—Anderson says they received little assistance from their instructors. We name www.green- ville.k12.oh.us/GHS/Career%20Tech/Auto%20Tech/08- 09%20Auto%20Tech/index.htm the September 2009 Tech Site Content The website’s home page features an introductory de- scription of the Automotive Technology Program and the concept and benefits of the annual auto tech project. A key link —www.greenville.k12.oh.us/GHS/Career%20Tech/ Auto%20Tech/08-09%20Auto%20Tech/project.htm—takes visitors to the Project page, which describes the initial project challenge—testing the two different oils—and then details its evolution. The heavily illustrated page features many photos of students working on their proj- ect and of the equipment they used, in addition to charts illustrating the results of their testing. It also documents a presentation on the project that students made to the local Kiwanis Club and the 2009 annual Automotive Technology Banquet. The banquet, which drew almost 200 people, recognized the efforts of the students and the contributions of their partners in the project: school staff and administrators, representa- tives from postsecondary education, dealerships and business partners, parents, and automotive manufactur- ers. Finally, the Project page covers the awards that An- The site’s home page Directions Website of the Month and encourage readers to check it out for good ideas they can use on their own program sites. Anderson strongly endorses use of a project-based approach in all his classes. “All students in the program benefited from a project-based learning experience. It’s one of the best teaching methods to get a concept across and engage all students in a learning activity,” he says. The 2008-2009 assignment involved a preventive main- tenance project in which students tested the varying results with two different kinds of engine oil: one clean and one already dirty. They used their website to thor- oughly document the project and share it with people outside the class. Anderson says, “The students wanted to use the Web to reach as many people as possible about their project.” 36 techdirections ◆ SEPTEMBER 2009 The project page details the activity’s evolution. derson’s students received for their project: first place in their state competition and the gold medal at the National SkillsUSA Championships!
WEBSITE OF THE MONTH
STUDENTS in Jim Anderson’s Automotive Technology Program at Greenville (OH) High School have created a very impressive website. And they’ve done so entirely on their own—Anderson says they received little assistance from their instructors. We name www.greenville. k12.oh.us/GHS/Career%20Tech/Auto%20Tech/08- 09%20Auto%20Tech/index.htm the September 2009 Tech Directions Website of the Month and encourage readers to check it out for good ideas they can use on their own program sites.
Anderson strongly endorses use of a project-based approach in all his classes. “All students in the program benefited from a project-based learning experience. It’s one of the best teaching methods to get a concept across and engage all students in a learning activity,” he says.
The 2008-2009 assignment involved a preventive maintenance project in which students tested the varying results with two different kinds of engine oil: one clean and one already dirty. They used their website to thoroughly document the project and share it with people outside the class. Anderson says, “The students wanted to use the Web to reach as many people as possible about their project.”
Site Content
The website’s home page features an introductory description of the Automotive Technology Program and the concept and benefits of the annual auto tech project. A key link —www.greenville.k12.oh.us/GHS/Career%20Tech/ Auto%20Tech/08-09%20Auto%20Tech/project.htm—takes visitors to the Project page, which describes the initial project challenge—testing the two different oils—and then details its evolution. The heavily illustrated page features many photos of students working on their project and of the equipment they used, in addition to charts illustrating the results of their testing.
It also documents a presentation on the project that students made to the local Kiwanis Club and the 2009 annual Automotive Technology Banquet. The banquet, which drew almost 200 people, recognized the efforts of the students and the contributions of their partners in the project: school staff and administrators, representatives from postsecondary education, dealerships and business partners, parents, and automotive manufacturers.
Finally, the Project page covers the awards that Anderson’s students received for their project: first place in their state competition and the gold medal at the National SkillsUSA Championships!
Other pages on the website include the Program page, which shows additional activities that Greenville auto tech students participate in and describes how their project was integrated into their math, English, and science classes. A Preventative Maintenance page provides background and advice for visitors regarding several key aspects of car maintenance: oil, coolant, tire pressure, various fluids, and wiper blades.
Constructing the Site
Anderson reports that four students were involved in building the website. He worked with them and the school district’s website manager to address restrictions put on the school system’s site.
Students used Microsoft FrontPage to create the site. They generated content through research, field trips, and guest speakers and updated the site every two weeks.
Several of the students had previously taken web design classes and had conducted a lot of experimentation at home.
In the beginning, students worked on the site as an after-school activity, but it later became part of an academic English class. This integrated-education approach offered real benefits. “The students realized that they needed to be accurate, so the message they wanted to put on the site was what they really meant to say. This taught them the importance of English, in addition to the importance of timelines and working as a team towards a common goal,” Anderson says.
Anderson’s students honored him with the following comment they posted on their award-winning website: “Mr. Anderson has taught for the past 26 years at GHS and is truly the gold behind the medals the automotive program has earned through the years. It is his dedication to each student that makes this program excel each year. He believes in not just one student but all and gives each one every opportunity to achieve all that they can plus more—he doesn’t give up on them so he expects the same from his students.”
Congratulations to the Greenville automotive technology students—and to their teacher, Jim Anderson!
