Hello ! Welcome to Instructional Technology!
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Our vision is to use classroom technology to engage students in asking questions and choosing tools to facilitate real world problem solving.
This year Chestatee is piloting the B.Y.O.T. (bring your own technology) initiative for the second year, and we are very excited to see more and more classrooms joining this project. This new approach in teaching is designed to raise student engagement, bring the real world problems into every day lessons, and help students become independent thinkers and eager learners. The B.Y.O.T. goal is to make technology an invisible tool that enhance student learning and help teachers establish inquiry-based classrooms.
Technology integration is a very complex and deep process. There are three levels of technology incorporation: literacy, adaptive, and transforming. Even though we understand that there is a period of time during which students simply learn about their devices and applications (literacy level) and use many drill-like assignments to practice different academic skills, we desire to move quickly onto the adaptive level, where students respond and redeliver the knowledge through media presentations. Our goal, however, is to reach the transforming level by challenging our students to think critically, create new knowledge, and to connect with real-world situations. This is the time when classroom instruction becomes rigorous and project-centered, students take the charge and ownership of their learning, and teachers turn into instructional coaches instead of lecturing knowledge-givers. We want for Chestatee students to reach the world around them and bring the world to Chestatee. The B.Y.O.T. initiative gives us such opportunity.
All students and parents who are taking part in B.Y.O.T. must sign Chestatee Protocol and Contract before any personal technology can be brought and used in the classroom. If needed, you may access a French or Spanish version of the contract.
B.Y.O.T. is a change, and as any change, it takes time to learn and feel successful about it. Together we can make the difference and transform learning experiences for our children.
Chestatee is filled with technology resources that help create an engaging learning environment in which every student is given an opportunity to become an independent and responsible learner.
In addition to a Promethean ActivBoard, there are four desktop computers available in all classrooms. Teachers use ActiVotes to assess students and guide daily instruction. One hundred-five wireless laptops are also available for lab-style lessons. A great amount of different software is used daily to reach the needs of every learner. We have also purchased some iPodTouches to support our B.Y.O.T. initiative.
The Instructional Technology Specialist plans with teachers to use the resources in the most engaging and effective way. I am looking forward to developing and implementing many lessons in every classroom.
