California’s most broadly distributed newspaper came out to Oak Middle School in Los Alamitos last week and found  Teacher Todd Schmidt and his approach to technology irresistible. Scroll down for an inspiring “in-action” photo gallery from Schmidt’s class.

LOS ALAMITOS–Oak Middle School has seen a significant jump in its state test scores since the introduction of a new learning technology that forces students to participate in classroom lessons and helps teachers better tailor their lectures, officials said.

Students in Oak Middle School's Todd Schmidt's 8th grade U.S. History class use Quizdom technology to participate in class. Los Alamitos School District is one of the larger users of of the Qwizdom program in Orange County. Photo Credit: Ana Venegas, OC Register

Social Studies teacher Todd Schmidt acted as the guinea pig for the Los Alamitos Unified School District in using a hand-held, question-and-answer program called Qwizdom that he says helps students better learn and retain information.

“There’s this lofty goal that sounds unattainable, but (we can) actually achieve it: to get every student to answer every question, every time,” he said.

Teacher Todd Schmidt engages his eighth-graders in U. S. History with the Qwizdom Student Response System. "It's a tool that assesses and engages. It does not replace the teacher," said Schmidt. Photo Credit: Ana Venegas, OC Register

The technology allows the teacher to ask a question related to the lesson, then students plug in the answer on a hand-held remote. The teacher can see who has answered and who hasn’t.

Answers are projected onto a computer screen that uses kid-friendly graphs and games to keep students engaged.

Oak Middle School teacher Todd Schmidt lobbied to bring the Quizdom Student Response System to Oak Middle School in Los Alamitos. " The retention is so much better with these because every one of them is engaged," said Schmidt. Photo Credit: Ana Venegas, OC Register

Schmidt said Qwizdom specifically benefits students who are shy or not confident to answer questions out loud in the classroom because it allows them to participate anonymously.

“It is non-threatening,” he said. “I have proof that shows these kids are definitely getting it.”

And that proof comes in the form of better standardized state test scores, he said.

Eliot Bland, 13, center, responds to a question with the Qwizdom remote at Oak Middle School in Los Alamitos. Teacher Todd Schmidt tested the Qwizdom Student Response System on a couple of classes and noted a 15% increase in CST test scores. Photo Credit: Ana Venegas, OC Register

“We had a 20-point jump in Social Studies in the California State Test,” Schmidt said. “Los Alamitos is 75 percent proficient, which is three times the state average. Last year, we went up to 84 percent because we’ve been using these. I think next year our scores are going to be even higher.”

The program also lets teachers better mold their lesson plans because they can see what students are grasping or what concepts may need more attention.

“Now, I know exactly what to hit,” Schmidt said. “It has impacted my teaching so dramatically… because I know they’re understanding and retaining the material.”

The program started in Schmidt’s classroom last year and this spring the district has been incorporating the hand-held devices into more classrooms and a variety of subjects including math, language arts and science, he said.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7953 or jfletcher@ocregister.com

[Click here to read the entire article at OCregister.com]

Eight-grader Tailynn Carlton, left, shows McGaugh Elementary School assistant principal Bill Mac Donald, center, and Los Alamitos School District Superintendent Dr. Gregory Franklin, how to use the Qwizdom remote in class. Los Alamitos School District personnel and parents visited teacher Todd Schmidt's class to learn about Qwizdom. Photo Credit: Ana Venegas, OC Register

Oak Middle School teacher Todd Schmidt uses the Qwizdom Q7 presenter's tablet. Photo Credit: Ana Venegas, OC Register

A student uses the Qwizdom student remote at Oak Middle School in Los Alamitos. Photo Credit: Ana Venegas, OC Register

Natalie Landis, 13, gives her response with the Qwizdom remote in a U.S. History class at Oak Middle School in Los Alamitos. Photo Credit: Ana Venegas, OC Register