STSD Curriculum & Technology Update

Regular updates and musings on curriculum and technology in the Salisbury Township School District in Allentown, PA.

Videoconference Provides Students with Innovative Experience

Thanks to Kristen Kelly for contributing this article that originally appeared in The Falcon Courrier (Vol. 28, No. 2), Salisbury High School’s student newspaper.

Teachers are always looking for new and out of the ordinary ways to teach their students. Science teacher Cheryl Criscuolo has found a way for students to gain knowledge of hard-to-learn concepts during an enriching experience. Students in Criscuolo’s Anatomy and Physiology and AP Biology classes attended a virtual knee surgery videoconference on November 14. Criscuolo first heard of the knee replacement videoconference through Director of Data and Technology Randy Ziegenfuss. The webinar provided students with the opportunity to watch a live total knee replacement and interact with the surgeons and medical personnel by asking questions during the event.

While conducting the surgery, the staff went through a detailed, step by step explanation of what was happening, starting with explaining the anesthetic used to put the patient to sleep. The surgeon then opened up the patient’s leg and proceeded with the surgery which included shearing of the leg bones and placing of the metal prosthetics inside the knee joint. The surgery took place at COSI Science Center in Columbus, Ohio, and was sponsored by Cardinal Health Foundation and Mount Carmel Hospital.

Before attending the videoconference, students in Criscuolo’s classes went online and took on the role of a surgeon during a virtual knee replacement surgery. The online program allowed students to go through the motions of a knee replacement operation, foreshadowing what they would see in the webinar.

“The online virtual knee replacement program benefited me significantly because it allowed me to see what exactly happens during an actual knee replacement surgery,” said senior Angela Swavely.

Students agreed that watching the live webinar was beneficial to their learning. “It was a fascinating experience that vastly increased my knowledge of the inner workings of the human body,” said senior Brian Ludrof.

Criscuolo said the videoconference allowed her students, especially those in Anatomy and Physiology, to gain additional insight and preview future topics and concepts addressed in the class. She felt the webinar benefited her students. Criscuolo said, “It allowed them to experience something they would normally not have.”

In the future, Criscuolo plans on hosting another webinar; then, the students will watch a live autopsy. Because of the graphic nature of the autopsy, the webinar may only be viewed by her honors Anatomy and Physiology class.