SBTS EdTech

At Lane Elementary, Fifth Grade special education students are learning to speak math as they teach their fellow classmates strategies for multiplication. The students are using the Smart Recorder to demonstrate their learning. They plan their “lesson” and demonstrate their learning as the other students observe, listen and learn. Their recordings are then posted on the teacher’s Blackboard site so parents can better understand the new strategies they are learning.  

In preparation for the Global Awareness project  5^th graders at Cameron ES created powerpoints  on Syria, Jordan and Spain.  The students researched their topic and took virtual field trips with the librarian and classroom teacher.  The completed projects were posted on Blackboard for everyone to see.  Additionally, the classroom teacher posted one powerpoint per week for the students to blog about within Blackboard. 

At Hayfield Elementary, the SBTS is preparing 5th Graders for the Global Awareness Project. Recently, the SBTS taught a lesson to each 5th Grade class on the Great Wall of China. The lesson included a video from United Streaming which segued into a lesson using Mapmaker’s Toolkit. Students acted as cartographers and added the required elements to the map: title, key, and compass rose. They also added symbols such as a tower to represent guards along the Great Wall and camels to represent those who traveled the Silk Road. Students then learned that they could export maps for future use in their GATP. This week, the entire 5th Grade gathered together for a special GATP preview session. Presentations were accessed via the 5^th Grade Gateways on Blackboard and provided students with a general idea of what is to be expected for the project. The students enjoyed having the opportunity to take part in constructive critiques.

Fifth graders at Mount Eagle are using Audacity as an editing tool. After learning about editing symbols and where to use them, students read their writing and record themselves. They then listen to their readings and edit their papers as they listen. They are able to capture the “oral editing” that students tend to do when reading their writing aloud and add in punctuation and emphasis where they hear it.

At Island Creek Elementary 4^th Graders are collaborating on a weather wiki.  Students formed groups to tackle different parts of the POS including Storm Types, Weather Instruments, and Precipitation. They then demonstrated communication skills and interdependence as they collaborated to build image-rich and informative wiki pages.  Additional emphasis was placed on vocabulary and citations.

4th, 5th, and 6th graders at Oakton Elementary are using wikis in Blackboard to discuss big ideas about modern artwork and important historical pieces. (”How does this painting reflect the concept of change?”) They are also going to be posting pictures of their own artwork and blogging their comments about each other’s work.

SBTS in Neighborhood C have been busy getting our teachers up and running with all the technology that is available in our schools.

 All Kindergarten teachers have been trained in the KMRA and are ready to begin assessing students and collecting online data in order to have a consistent and ongoing view of student progress and areas of need in mathematics.

SBTS are already working on training teachers on how to create their own common assessments using ASPIRE in eCART, with some, creating and entering their own questions. 

We have been working with classroom teachers and specialists to set up class blackboard sites that are ready for students to access.  Blackboard is being used in a variety of ways including; posting announcements and websites for students to access for extra practice or to gain the needed background knowledge for an upcoming lesson.  United Streaming videos have been posted in BB for students to view at home or on their own during centers time. Students are creating their own wiki’s as a place to recommend books for others to read, plus they get to read and comment on other book recommendations and make connections!  Students have also been blogging with classmates as a way to brainstorm for projects or discuss books they are reading.

SBTS are working with teachers to create SMART Notebook lessons that allow curriculum content to be taught in an interactive way that captures student attention and works to engage each learner in the process.

As many teachers review geography skills in the beginning of each social studies curriculum, mapmaker’s toolkit was utilized at many of our elementary schools. In 4^th grade students’ created maps of Virginia where they demonstrated knowledge of the geographic regions in VA. Fifth grade students worked on perfecting their map reading skills by locating states and countries using latitude and longitude coordinates and pinning these areas on their maps.  They also created maps that demonstrated their knowledge of direction and the hemispheres’.  Sixth grade students created maps of the 8 geographic regions as these regions are the basis for how and where settlement began in the United States and will be key in helping students understand settlement in the US.

At Weyanoke Elementary school teachers are working with the SBTS and other resources teachers to use technology to analyze data and create common activities and assessments.

The 2nd , 3rd  and 4th grade teachers are collaborating with their SBTS and 2 SUM teachers to improve student scores in math.  These professionals are creating common activities and assessments and then meeting to analyze the data. This project materialized as teachers were looking at SOL math scores and noticed a disparity between boys and girls, as well as, in certain math strands. In order to work towards a solution to this problem the SBTS organized a plan to implement Destination Math in grades 2-4.  The SBTS trained the 2 SUM teachers and the grade level teachers in the use of the Destination Math software.  The group planned common activities and tests for each grade level that targeted the areas of need.  They are currently working collaboratively to analyze the test results during common planning times and then use this information to drive their math instruction.  In the future the SBTS and teachers are going to use this same approach in creating Aspire tests in grades 2-5.

Science SOL scores indicated that girls were outperforming boys 4:1. The SBTS, 2 resources teachers and all grade level teachers are now working to create common assessment in ASPIRE that highlight the lowest science strands.  The teachers are using the data from these teacher created assessments to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the students.  They are now working to locate remediation activities that would best serve the students.

Fifth graders at Colvin Run Elementary are one of four FCPS schools participating in a Global Classroom project as part of their social studies curriculum. Students in one 5th grade class have been participating in a special part of the project, using video conferencing to connect with students from Oldbury Wells School, Shropshire, U.K., sharing and learning about each other’s cultures.  This collaborative learning experience was highlighted at the Governor’s Luncheon on October 26th as the 300 luncheon guests, including Gov. Tim Kane, shared in a live video conference between Colvin Run 5th graders and the students from Oldbury Wells School in Shropshire U.K. The video linked here was shown at the luncheon and outlines the Global Classroom Project.

At Cameron ES, a September training was conducted on Photo Story and Movie Maker. The goal was to get cameras into the hands of teachers who in turn would do the same for kids. The results have been fabulous! Students and teachers at various grade levels are creating photo stories and mini movies that are posted to Blackboard for all to see. The principal spotlights some of them on Cameron Morning News.

Grade 1
School Bus Stop Safety
Students created a mini movie to discuss the importance and procedures for exercising good safety tips for the bus and walkers. Students created posters in groups with various tips and then generated their scripts from the posters.

Grade 5
Social Studies
Students created timelines of their lives, including pictures and memorabilia, on poster board. They took photos of each timeline and narrated them using Photo Story. Students enjoyed sharing their videos with family on Blackboard.

Grade 6
Language Arts
The principal works with a small reading group daily. After reading about the solar system and the planets, kids created posters and a script to create a Photo Story about the Solar System. The kids were engaged and loved the entire process from start to finish.