Field Trip to the DRC
Visiting the District Resource Center this week felt like being 10 years old and going to Disneyland for the first time. I would have stayed there all day if they let me.
We started off our visit with a tour by a very nice lady named Maxine. Maxine showed us the DRC’S backroom of seemingly-endless shelves, stocked full of resouces available for teachers to borrow. To say the least, the District Resource Center exceeded any and all expectations I had. It was essentially a library of the most fascinating and exciting things you can bring into the classroom — I wanted to move in. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing most of the time. I had heard of the DRC before, but I had no idea this is what it actually was. I spent a lot of time browsing the shelves in the backroom. I found outdoor equipment, telescopes, a planetarium, biology sets, animal and insect models, class-sets of book series, science experiment kits, and more. Within 15 minutes of being there, I knew there wasn’t a single class resource I could think of that the DRC didn’t have or couldn’t get.
Maxine gave us some time to explore the center, which I was very grateful for. After we had a chance to get familiar with the facility, she gathered us around and showed us how to navigate the DRC’s website. Just when I thought I had seen everything, she showed us how to access ebooks, movies, apps, and other online resources approved for use in the classroom.
At this point, I genuinely thought my day couldn’t get any better. Until we moved onto the next part of our visit, where Ryan McKenzie took over the tour. Ryan showed us some of the technology he uses to create projects with students, ranging from simple cardboard buildings all the way to high-tech 3D printing and Virtual Reality. Ryan explained how to book a class in to work with him, as well as all the possibile projects students can take on. After chatting with Ryan, he sent us off to explore some of the technology on our own and encouraged us to try to create our own project using the available tech! I had so much fun trying out the different technology and experimenting with new things, and my brain was flowing with different possibilities for future lesson planning.
