A year after adding iPads district-wide, the South Callaway R-II School District is continuing to work toward truly integrating technology instead of using it as a replacement for traditional classroom tools.
To help better support teachers with their classroom goals and technology integration, the district assigned an instructional coach to each building this year. The coaches help teachers with technology integration, classroom goals and provide peer feedback.
Mary Van Orden, director of curriculum and instruction for the district, said the school board invested in the iPads and the schools are continuing to invest time and resources into using them in ways that help students learn best.
With countless apps available, teachers and instructional coaches in the district all have their own personal favorites for classroom instruction. The district has made a strong commitment to one app - Schoology, a classroom management system.
Schoology is used district-wide. Tucker Bartley, high school teacher and instructional coach, described the app as a virtual classroom. Teachers can send out links and lessons, hold discussions and keep students who miss class updated on what notes they missed.
Liz Bittle, early learning and childhood teacher and instructional coach, said the Early Learning and Childhood building is working toward using technology in a more "transformative" way in the classroom.
"Most of the teachers have found ways to integrate it at a beginning level. We are working at integrating it in a more transformative way - not just replacing paper and pencil," Bittle said.
She added that there are a great deal of apps aimed at pre-K through second-grade children.
"That's one of the best things we are doing in this building, just getting some great apps these kids can work on," Bittle said. "The kids can take a picture, write about and tell where they are."
In that building, iPads stay at school and in the classroom. For other buildings in the district, with older children, students take their iPads home to use for homework.
Bittle described technology as a second language to her, but she said today's students are true digital natives.
South Callaway science teacher Champagne Minx often uses apps to show students models in class.
"Obviously we can't go out to space and I can't get them down to a molecular level. There are a lot of modeling apps that we use in the classroom," Minx said.
Sarah Zolinski, middle school English/language arts teacher, said working with apps on the iPads and utilizing Goolge docs has helped keep students organized. Since students write on the iPad, she said there are a lot fewer lost papers.
Zolinski added that she can better hold students accountable as well. With some apps, she can tell how long they had it open. That way she can tell if they really did read that day's homework assignment. Also, when she shares a Goolge doc with them, she can see what progress they make while they are typing.
"For keeping track of records and assignments it's so much easier than having them try to dig it out of their locker or whatever place it ended up crumpled on the floor," Zolinski said.
Zolinski also does interactive instruction slides for four different spelling groups. Then, she gives students the set of instructional slides that are aimed at what they most need to focus on.
"I can essentially have a lesson for four different groups that's taking place at the same time," Zolinski said.
She said that students don't seem less or more engaged with the iPads. She said that teachers still need to manage their classroom and keep kids focused.