When educators approached the digital age at the turn of this century, they did so with some fear and trepidation. Producer Bill Drummond, himself a professor of journalism at the University of California, Berkeley, took the plunge for his own coursework, and discovered the many settings where education was beginning to shift. He visited a collaboration between the College of Education at Cal State Hayward and a high school in Logan California where students were working on research papers and turning them into documentaries. Students participating in the famed Algebra Now project in Mississippi demonstrated their mastery of graphing calculators as seasoned journalist Charlie Cobb, who was writing a book on the subject, talks about how the technology empowered the students. Larry Pryor, a faculty member of Southern California University, discusses the need for educators to communicate with the generation raised with technology. These early adaptors show how the role of the teacher took shape in the digital age.

The Soundprint documentary series features the best work of top radio producers. The award winning documentaries are renowned for drawing the listener into the story with compelling interviews, authentic voices and rich sound. From memoirs to science, health and popular culture, Soundprint creates a powerful experience the listener will not soon forget.

Classroom Cool is part of Soundprint mini-series called The Education Connection. The series examines the early introduction of technology into the classroom. Here are some other documentaries in the series:

“Building Blocks” Produced by: Judith Kampfner

“Click Here for College” Produced by: Richard Paul

“Cut and Paste” Produced by: Jean Snedegar

“Digital Equity” Produced by: Kathy Baron

Soundprint Executive Producer: Moira Rankin

Technical Director: Anna Maria de Freitas

Audio Engineer: Alexandra Gardner

Assistant Producer: Kellye Townsend