Gone are the days when students had to physically handwrite their essays, pile them up on the teacher’s desk, and wait a week for their marks.
Almost all homework and assignments can be done digitally and online in today’s classrooms.
On Monday morning, St. Marie of the Incarnation Catholic School in Bradford West Gwillimbury hosted staff from St. Padre Pio Catholic Elementary School in Woodbridge, as well as other staff from Simcoe County District School Board, to showcase their technology program used in the classrooms.
Students in Grades 1 through 7 were given the opportunity to share their knowledge of iPad and computer technology and applications in classroom demonstrations.
Ms. Spratt’s Grade 1 class was the first to share their knowledge.
They were able to use problem-solving skills with the use of the math learning application Mathies. The students were able to solve problems using digital math manipulatives on their iPads. Each student in the class has his or her own QR (quick response) Code for easy access to their work and programs.
Ms. Jeffries’ Grade 4s made riddles for April Fool’s Day by using illustrations created on a painting and drawing software called Sketchbook. Once they completed their artwork, they were able to upload it to a Google Slides program to present on their iPads.
The use of the iPads in the classroom also helps the students collaborate, as they are shared amongst the group, said teacher Jennifer Jeffries. Currently, the school has a 1:3 iPad to student ratio.
“A lot of people think it’s a disadvantage not to have one piece of technology per student, but in this case you can see they are problem solving and it gives me a chance then to talk to everybody,” she explained.
Students’ days are spent learning using a piece of technology, which makes it not only easier for them to learn, but for her to collect and grade work more efficiently and share it with the parents, she said.
Ms. Allan’s Grade 5s used iPads to show how to present decimal places by using various applications, including voice and video recordings.
It was Ms. Wood’s Grade 7 class who ended the presentation showcasing the use of Quizlet, an application for sharing content. They also demonstrated the use of Brightspace, a cloud application used by both students and teachers for submitting and assessing assignments.
The purpose of the event was to highlight how staff and students are effectively using technology in the classroom.
There is a lot of integration and teaching with the iPads. The use of technology in the classroom aims to make it easier not just the students, but for parents and teachers to keep track of each student’s projects and homework.
St. Marie’s Principal Bob Harrison said technology in the classroom has helped with student learning.
Students are constantly using technology, from the minute they step off the bus, to even at home, he added.
“How do we harness that (usage) to make it effective?” he said. “Now what we are doing is we are capturing their learning. It takes out some of that ambiguity that we may have there and makes it very definitive.”