THE KINKAID SCHOOL
Middle School science teacher Shari Hiltbrand with Kennedy Gamble ‘18 and Isabella Rivero ’18
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n the past a major focus of science was dedicated to the memorization of scientific terms, sometimes with the student not completely understanding how to apply their knowledge. While the memorization of terms is still present, these new tools aid the teachers in teaching scientific concepts that the students are able to truly understand and apply. Students are asking for more quests, faster than Mr. Gessel and Mrs. Hiltbrand can create them. Who knew science could be all fun and games?
Kinkaid is filled with talented teachers who recognize that the purpose of teaching is not simply to impart knowledge but also to kindle passion and potential.
Seventh grade history teacher Diana Kokernot has also found a new way to captivate the minds and attention of her students by creating an iBook. In January 2013, Ms. Kokernot was introduced to her first iBook while at the Apple Store. She was amazed how the book came to life with video, images, interactive diagrams, etc. This got her thinking; she hadn’t used a traditional textbook for her Latin American history section for several years, and she truly enjoyed using movies, keynotes and additional electronic media to teach her class. The iBook would be able to combine all of these together for the students to enjoy at home and in the classroom.
After organizing her materials, she enthusiastically started the project. “The more I got into the project, the more I loved it,” she explained. After working through the summer, the iBook was published on the iTunes Store as a free download in October. Ms. Kokernot’s students love the iBook as well. Cole Vicknair ’19 explains, “The iBook to me is a fun, easy and extremely useful way to learn. In the iBook, like a PowerPoint, you can add effects and pictures. The difference is it is a book instead of just a presentation. Therefore, you can get the same information but in an easier and smaller version that you can carry in one hand. It’s a successful learning tool combined into an endless version. The iBook will create a new future in the learning process that is for the better.” The iBook is a true textbook transformation. Corrections and additions can easily be made, which is another added value of the iBook. Students and teachers no longer have to wait for a new edition to the textbook. Students these days have grown up in a world completely immersed in technology, and the iBook is the excellent complement to their technology world. Grace Breeding ’19 and Sophie Lipman ’19 enjoy the technology that
Middle School history teacher Diana Kokernot with her iBook 16