School Board discusses tech benefits
The Bigfork School Board met with two teams of teachers that were assembled earlier this year to explore new venues of utilizing technology in the classroom. Each team experimented with iPads and laptops and tried out various online tools such as My Big Campus and software programs such as iMovie and various iPad applications.
“When given the opportunity to manipulate something, they are doing a different level of thinking,” BES teacher Bridget Martel said. “It’s not so much getting the information and memorizing it, it’s about getting it and manipulating it. When it comes to if they are better educated, you better believe they are.”
My Big Campus is essentially like Facebook, where each class has online discussions for asking questions or exploring content further. They can even post photographs and videos. Superintendent Cynthia Clary pointed out that My Big Campus has filters that won’t allow students to post photos with too much skin revealed and prevents them from swearing or using acronyms that contain profanity.
Board trustee Mike Roessmann asked if the tools were enhancing and improving the academic experienced and if the students weren’t just immersing themselves into the device as opposed to the subject.
“Digital engages it, you see sparks when interacting with it rather than just doing another worksheet,” BES teacher Carrie Ann Smith explained.
The teams of teachers have been adding new applications to the school’s iPads such as educational games to supplement the material covered in class. On the elementary end, some of the students skip recess to spend that time playing educational games and exploring lesson content on the iPads.
Bigfork teachers have also been trying out a new technique for instruction with My Big Campus called “flipping the class.” This approach means class time is used for homework assignments so students can ask their teachers for help, then their homework involves watching online videos of lectures and taking notes.
This has allowed students to pause and rewind lectures to take notes at a comfortable pace without having to ask for something to be repeated. BHS teacher Charlie Appleby demonstrated how these online lectures work and showed how the video of him talking about the lesson could be accompanied with a guided tour of the website used for the lesson.
My Big Campus has allowed teachers to send out text message reminders to their students’ cellphones about upcoming assignments and due dates and answer their questions about assignments.
“I’m sick of kids using technology as an excuse like ‘my printer broke,’” Appleby said.
Board trustee Denny Sabo asked the teams what percentage of their students do not have internet access at home since utilizing this method requires having it. Appleby estimated maybe one percent and knew of one student who was not allowed to use a computer.
Clary pointed out that the school has old laptops the students could check out to take home with the lessons downloaded onto them.
Sabo also asked about using digital textbooks and Appleby said his classroom has Kindles which allows one book purchase to be used on up to five Kindles.
The board and the teachers also discussed the possibility of having an informational session to help parents learn how to use these tools at home to make sure their kids are doing their work.
“When we first brought computers into the classrooms we offered a technology class and passed a technology levy because of it,” board chair Maureen Averill said.
The next Bigfork School District board meeting will be May 9 at 5 p.m. in the BES cafeteria.