Our Wildwood, Summer 2016, Volume 39

behalf,” Megen says, “but it’s really better for them to find someone they can work with and connect with.” Nicholas, who loves storytelling, knew he wanted to write a graphic novel. He found enough encouragement through Into the Wild to return to what he had abandoned over the summer and write a 352-page script. His mentor, Division Two humanities teacher and self-published author Alex Cussen, suggested that Nicholas write down the entire arc of the story in three pages. “I had worked in film before,” Alex says. “I know that all scripts need to be compelling enough for someone else to read in three pages.” Nicholas did it in 16. They went back and forth about the length, but it ended up becoming invaluable as a story outline that kept Nicholas focused. As the projects develop, students blog about their progress. This fits well with the Digital Civilization class because in the process of blogging, the students learn research skills, copyright issues, and interviewing techniques, including requesting interviews and writing thank-you letters. The blogs then provide the teachers with opportunities to give feedback on the projects. Peers reading the blogs make suggestions, too. Into the Wild will continue to evolve, Megen says. The mentoring aspect will become more structured to help students take the initiative in seeking out someone from whom they can learn. Mentors will also benefit from greater understanding of their role, especially for those who don’t work at Wildwood and are unfamiliar with the program. Into the Wild is, along with the student projects, a work in progress.

INTO THE WILD WAS THE CATALYST FOR A NEW 8TH GRADE DIGITAL CIVILIZATION COURSE THAT PROVIDES A WORKSHOP FOR STUDENTS TO DELVE INTO THEIR PROJECTS. THIS COURSE TAKES A UNIQUELY PROGRESSIVE APPROACH TO THINKING ABOUT AND TEACHING TECHNOLOGY. STUDENTS EXPLORE DEVICES CYBERWELLNESS, CODING, AND ALGORITHMIC THINKING; ONLINE LEARNING; AND GAMING – WITH THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF TEACHING MINDFULNESS AROUND TECHNOLOGY. AND HARDWARE; SOCIAL MEDIA AND NETWORKS;