School Forgoes Open House to Showcase How It Uses EdTech During Technology Night
According to THEJournal, an elementary school in Oregon opted to forgo the traditional open house night in order to host its first “technology night,” where it used the opportunity to show families how it is using edtech to benefit students.
Juniper Elementary School has made tech a priority since adopting it in 2006, and according to THEJournal, “[e]very grade between kindergarten and fifth uses technology with curriculum.”
"Students in grades 3-5 have their own Apple iPads. The school uses Edmodo as a learning management system. Parents can view day-to-day academic progress through mobile app ParentVUE, and students can stay on top of school events, assignments, tests and their progress through StudentVUE, both from Edupoint Educational Systems,” the article said.
Teachers interviewed by local news outlet KTVZ said that they support the school’s aggressive tech initiatives because they have a lot of say in the decisions being made.
“...we've gotten really good at seeing what's new out there and how we can incorporate it into our curriculum as part of our everyday education,” fourth grade teacher Kathi Smith-Boyle told KTVZ.
Based on several recent studies, teachers are more likely to support edtech implementation if they are given a say in the matter.
In December, a majority of teachers interviewed in a survey conducted by TES Global said they would like more decisions when it comes to edtech.
The school’s principal Dan Wolnick says the school’s tech initiatives are also widely supported because educators enjoy the “quick feedback” that is provided by teachers to students.
Read the full story.
Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor
2/22/2016
