Twin Lakes Academy Middle School Students Are STEAMING
William Jackson, STEAM Educator
#TLAM #DuvalSchools #Jacksonville
Students at Twin Lakes Academy Middle School are
learning how their future career choices will be
influenced by the continued commercialization of
Space. The growth and collaboration of SPACEX,
NASA, Blue Origin and other companies are providing
new career choices that require new skills that were
not needed just 5 years ago.
The internet has changed how students are educated,
access to digital tools that are increasingly interactive,
engaging and involved. The true digital natives are rising.
Education is slowly adapting to the needs of digital
worlds and parents should be keeping track of the future
employability of their children. Career choices are not
based just on gaming and entertainment, students need
coding, programming, creativity training, critical thinking,
the Arts as a solid foundation for learning.
Schools that do not have dedicated STEAM Education
and Art Education programs are putting their students
at risk of not preparing them for digital careers that require
digital skills. Technology is allowing youth, teens and young
adults phenomenal growth potentials as digital leaders,
digital creatives and digital innovators.
Youth are developing their voices using and applying their
knowledge. The growth of Block Chain, NFTs, Meta and
the Metaverse are challenging how education will prepare
the future workforce.
We are transforming into a society of thought leaders,
digital collaboration and a digital artistic renaissance that
will shape how we explore the planets, the oceans, and
seas and even face global climate changes. Technology
will help us globally to connect and collaborate.
Duval County Public School students will be the future
Mayors, Senators, Representatives, Governors and potentially
Presidents. They will be attorneys, plumbers, first responders,
accountants, carpenters, auto mechanics, store managers,
librarians, mental health professionals, teachers, nurses and
ministers. The combining positions all these careers are
influenced by technology in some form and some fashion.
What we put in our students from the education they
receive is what we will get. There are great works being done,
but there is more that needs to be done for our ESE populations,
over age students who have lost the drive for school. The ESOL
students yearning for an education, but cannot understand the
spoken and written words.
Duval County Public Schools is doing phenomenal works and
should continue to grow its partnerships with space agencies
like NASA, SPACEX and others so students can go forth to the
next level of learning and careers. Learning is not just in the
classrooms of schools, but the global engagement of learning.
Students need to be on field trips and in class speakers.
The collaboration of STEAM Education and STEAM Learning
is needed to excite students to apply new learning and extend
their visions to the future for them and their families. We have
to ask what will be provided for the refugees that are coming
here from other nations. Will we welcome them with open
and caring arms or treat them with distain, anger, racism,
bias and hatred? We need to make sure our schools, churches,
businesses, social services and community as a whole is on
the same page of building leaders that accept diversity
and inclusivity.
Jacksonville is only as strong as the lowest reader in the
classrooms, the student that is disabled is just as important
as our honor students and students of color, culture,
nationality are respected just as our white students that live
in gated communities, higher educational status and whose
parents can afford the latest and greatest technologies.
Poverty and privilege should have equal access to support
and services to make sure all students are covered and
cared for. Holistic educational strategies are needed to
meet the needs of students.
TLAM has a newspaper and podcast club that the community
is invited to view. The clubs are sponsored by Ms. Canepa and
Mr. Jackson, both teachers at TLAM and digital content creators.
They’re preparing students with diverse technology skills to
inspire and educate the next digital leaders. More needs to be
done to empower, encourage, inspire and educate equally
and equitably for students across this vast district and even
connecting globally.
View what Twin Lakes Academy Middle Schools students are
doing and feel free to reach out for collaborations to share
learning and skill development.
TLAM Newspaper – https://tlamnpc.wordpress.com/
TLAM Podcast – https://anchor.fm/tlampodcast
Take Flight with Your Innovation and Creativity in STEAM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU7q500O6lM