Technology in Our Classrooms

Q&A with Andy, Village Technology Integration Coach and Teacher to the Magical Pencils

What is the guiding principle or vision for technology use at Village?
For students to become familiar, comfortable, and independent with the use of our most recent technology devices and to be up to date with the latest technologies. The hope is that in doing so they will become responsible for their own learning and maintain excellent digital citizenship.

What technology tools and resources do we currently have at Village?
We have an almost 1:1 ratio of students to computers and iPads. Each 3rd through 5th grader has a Google Chromebook, there are 90 MacBook Airs (divided into 3 carts) for Kindergarten through 2nd grade, and each classroom has 8-12 iPads. We also have 2 iPad carts: one cart with 30 iPad mini’s and one with 30 full-sized iPads.

All grades, except Kinder, use a district-adopted software program called i-Ready. It has a diagnostic for reading and math that pinpoints student needs down to the sub skill level. It also has lessons and progress monitoring, providing personalized instruction targeted to students’ unique areas of need. Lastly, it provides rigorous, on-grade-level instruction with additional lessons aligned to the Common Core that help meet individual student or small group needs.

What technology are we hoping to get in the near future?
We are hoping to have a 1:1 ratio (of students to computers/iPads) for all students at Village. As stated above, we are very close.

What types of activities do the students use technology for in each grade level?
Kinders use educational apps for exploring. They especially love Math Ninja, Google Earth, Sight Words, and letter name and sounds apps.

1st Grade is using educational apps. The teachers are also looking into an app called Seesaw which is an age-friendly digital portfolio.

2nd Grade is exploring Genius hour and the SOLE (Self Organized Learning Environment) classroom. They are picking their own topics of interest and coming up with research questions to design a project and presentation.

3rd- 5th Grades are using Google Classroom and Google Apps for Education to make videos, create avatars, and write bios on the Chromebooks. They are submitting their work through Google Drive and communicating with each other about the work they create. In addition, they are making iMovies and Keynotes on the iPads.

Does Village have a specific point of view on the role of technology in the learning process?
The point of view is that technology should facilitate the learning process by providing opportunities for students to create and design projects to maximize their learning abilities. We are working towards students becoming more responsible and independent with their technology skills.

Does the District have a specific point of view?
The point of view from the District is that by the end of 5th grade students are able to master and demonstrate the following skills:

• A responsible use of technology
• Proficiency in the use of computers and applications
• An understanding of hardware, software, and connectivity with basic operations such as word processing, spreadsheets, multimedia and presentation tools
• An ability to use technology for research, critical thinking, decision making, communication, collaboration, creativity and innovation.