CTAP Region 3

Ryan O’Donnell has created a technology-rich environment for his students at Rocklin High in Rocklin Unified School District in Placer County.  He was recently named the district’s 2010 “Teacher of the Year” for his ability to create extraordinary learning opportunities for his students, as well as other educators.

 Ryan had big dreams of being a head varsity football coach when he started teaching over twelve years ago at Wooster High School in Reno, Nevada.  Trying to help the veteran coach read the “plays” off either a legal pad or napkin, Ryan organized and created them in PowerPoint.  This was one of his earliest integration of technology which led him to his current video podcasting lectures for his World History classes at Rocklin High.  Ryan started video taping his lectures for students who either missed class or needed additional review.  Using Adobe Premier Elements for editing and adding PowerPoint or other features to his videos, he started using green screen technology.  His students have created videos using templates he created as if they were TV correspondents who are covering a historical character or event. Many times his web design students are busy helping him and other students with various aspects of video podcasting. Former students come back each year to peer teach and make presentations to current classes, which are also video taped.  

Ryan’s class website for Rocklin High, is the portal that links students to their AP World History chapter introductions and resources, which sometimes includes humorous videos such as Steve Martin singing his “King Tut” song or a podcast featuring music of Led Zeppelin to introduce the Vikings.  He also imbeds Discovery Streaming or other videos into his website to introduce concepts or events.  Parents are able to access course syllabus, outline, and calendar.  Student links section provides students access to their accounts and grades, audio clips, blogs, and other relevant resources.  Ryan also features a movie night where students can watch a featured movie, which was imbedded into the class website, for extra credit.  Students also are required to create reports, preferably in PowerPoint.  However, if a student does not have the program, he has links for students to use OpenOffice, an open-source software suite for word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations. 

Besides teaching AP World History, web design, and coaching, Ryan has been involved training district teachers to use web 2.0 tools in the classroom.  He does training and curriculum development for Teacher Created Materials, which recently finished training in Tennessee and created a Google website for participants.  Additionally, Ryan remains active as a member with his district’s tech committee and CTAP 3’s EdTech Leadership Network.

Ryan’s wiki site provides additional access to articles and videos for students.  His student blog site, Mr. O'D's AP World History blog, is another feature he has students use to post comments on topics covered in class.  The blog site features a slideshow of a trip to Europe he took with a group of students three years ago.  With the implemetation of web 2.0 tools into his program, it is no surprise that his class size is bursting at the seams and student participation has increased greatly.