Here at BVIS Primary, we are always exploring new ways to be innovative in our teaching and learning. One such way is incorporating the use of learning technologies into our teaching and learning. This will provide an environment where your children’s academic potential is realised through an enhanced learning experience, harnessing technology to support enquiry, reflection and perseverance. At BVIS, we endeavour to develop confident, caring members of the digital community who behave with integrity and respect, learning together safely as global digital citizens. Our commitment to the use of learning technologies is evident in the 18 members of staff who successfully completed the 6 week facilitated online study course run by Nord Anglia, entitled ‘Making sense of technology in the classroom’. Each week, the teachers and teaching assistants focused on different tool types, how these work and how they could be applied in the classroom. They studied tablet and desktop applications and platforms and were able to share their learning with other colleagues in the school through ‘TeachTech' masterclass sessions enabling the teachers to become experts in a particular area.
Three of our favourites to date and which have had the greatest impact have been:
Quizlet
Great for our second language learners as this enables exciting ways to introduce and learn new vocabulary.
PearDeck
No longer does a teacher stand at the front of the classroom and present. Pear Deck transforms presentations that teachers give into classroom conversations and has an array of interactive and formative assessment questions.
Nearpod
Also an excellent resource for engaging children in the lesson so that they are more interactive. Nearpod is also an excellent tool in building in assessment opportunities.
We hope to share these and more with you very soon. Mr James McMeekin, our Primary IT teacher and Head of Global Campus, will be leading a Parent Workshop for parents of children in Years 4, 5 and 6. This will take place on Thursday next week- 8:30-9:30am on Successful Parenting in the Digital Age.
This workshop is for parents who want to develop family expectations around the use of technology to play, learn and connect. We will explore children’s use of technology, get a better understanding of potential challenges and learn proactive parenting strategies to build and maintain connections with our children concerning the technologies they are using. We hope many of you will attend.
Have a restful weekend.
