Kyle+School


 * School Based Technology Goal**

This year, we wanted to utilise iPads, SMART boards, and classroom blogs in our classrooms.

In order to help us achieve our goal, we had Jade Ballek deliver a presentation on classroom blogging through Bridget on the November 30th PD day. Teachers individually researched and implemented strategies to use with the various technologies listed. If any PD opportunties arose, the administrator brought them to the staff's attention.

Every classroom in Kyle School has a SMART board.


 * Highlights**
 * In Kindergarten, iPads were used for reading assistance (vowel sounds) and for social interaction goals (turn taking, social engagement, language skills) with a student with special needs.
 * In Grade 1,2,3, students used the SMART board daily during their morning meeting routine. The SMART board was also used in all subject areas, utilising the interactive media files contained in the SMART notebook software.
 * In Grade 4, 5, 6, students used the SMART board with a Jeopardy type game for review, developed activities with math manipulatives and for review, and used it for "revealed" notes/questions. They also downloaded activities and information for science and language arts lessons (which sometimes the teacher had to adjust to meet their purposes.) The SMART board was also used as a projector and screen.
 * Middle years teachers spent time exploring blogs created by other teachers and determining how to best implement them in the classroom.
 * In Middle Years, the Smart Board was utilized with the interactive math tools and the Smart Ink tools for analyzing documents.
 * One teacher also made use of Bitstrips and Prezi as online programs for the students to share their learning, and for the teacher to share ideas with them.
 * Blogs were explored as a communication tool in IP10.
 * In ELA 30, the teacher used a blog for a //Lord of the Flies// novel study. Instead of classroom discussion, students were able to respond to others electronically. This gave the students who were less likely to contribute in class an equal voice. It was very successful.
 * In secondary, one of the teachers set up a wiki site to put assignments on. Next year, she hopes to implement it with students, as planning time interfered with it being fully operational.
 * In Media Studies 20, the Smartboard gave the students quick access to YouTube to view videos, advertisements, and documentaries that pertained to the learning outcomes. Projecting the student handouts on the Smartboard gave easily-distracted learners an added visual.
 * In ELA B10, students brought their smartphones into the class. To quickly cultivate background knowledge, the ELA B10 students searched a particular topic on their IPhones rather than heading down to the computer lab. In five minutes we learned a dozen facts about the Japanese Evacuation and Internment Camps without having to boot-up a bunch of computers.
 * Our ELA B10 class also made use out of Twitter during our study of Macbeth. The students were expected to summarize scenes or a particular point of view in 160 characters or less. It invited the students to modernize an old text and manipulate their language so it was creative and convincing.
 * A secondary Phys. Ed. blog was started; however, the teacher didn't find the blog she chose to be student user friendly to the students so it wasn't implemented as intensely as she had planned.
 * Obstacles **
 * We only had 2 iPads available for student use. Scheduled sharing of the iPads was necessary.
 * More time to develop and implement technological tools, especially wikis, was needed to make the tools more effective.
 * Our secondary SMART board was late for arrival, so this affected student and teacher use of the various SMART board tools.