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I worked with a class of students with behavioral disorders and a class of academically gifted students. It was the students with behavioral disorders that I enjoyed working with the most, because it was those students that I felt really needed me in the classroom for something beyond technical help. It was out of that group that one student in particular caught my eye, Travius.

Travius is the kind of student who would just sit in the back of the room and not say anything, and not even learn anything, unless you noticed him and got him involved. Travius was the one who didn't ask for a lot of help from me and it was Travius from whom I expected the least. It's amazing what happens with those from whom you expect the least. By the end of the project, Travius produced a viable multimedia piece of work and one that had quite a lot of information. What makes Travius come to my mind is not the work that I did with him, but the work that I saw him do on the computer. Travius really got into what the project was all about. To watch him discover the idea of putting sound into his project, or watching him put a picture just so, or even typing information showed me the real motivational power in the use of computers for some students.

What did I learn from participating in this project? Good question. I learned about the use of Hyperstudio and its various components. I learned about planning with students in the middle school and how crucial it is to do that planning.  On the other hand, I also learned how crucial it is that the students get a chance to explore a new medium before they can successfully plan. A lot of the students didn't know the full capabilities of Hyperstudio and ClarisWorks when they were in their planning period. This seemed to be an inhibitor to some of the groups. The most asked question I got was "Can I do this, or can I do that?" I also saw, with the students with behavioral disorders, how computers can help self-esteem and motivation. With Travius, who never vocalized what he had done, you could tell how proud he was of himself. You could see it in how he reacted to his project when you asked to look at it.

Overall I found this project to be a lot of fun. It was exciting to see the kids get into working on the computer and also to think about further possibilities.

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