TestimoniesOne of the greatest markers that helps people gage the success and benefits of a policy or plan, is to learn about real life success stories and experiences. Teachers are lifelong learners and just as we hope that our students learn from one another, we too can learn and benefit from the experiences of out peers.
BYOD is a relatively new model. Below are some personal experiences by teachers in the classroom who have first hand recognized and learned of the benefits of BYOD in the classroom, particularly in an Arts setting. (M.S.) |
Ms. Thibert
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This past spring, while volunteering at a Montessori in Colombia, I was introduced to a great project where students were permitted to use their own personal, handheld devices. It was a French class and the senior students (ages 14-15) were required to create a weather report in French, film it with their iPhones or iPads and then present it to the class. Each group was given time to rehearse, time to film in the hallway and then some additional time to do basic editing if necessary. The final presentation of all of the videos the following day made for an entertaining and fun afternoon.
This simple project became memorable and more authentic by simply introducing to the students the possibility of filming their performance with hand-held devices. It allowed each group a new creative outlet in which to present their work and it also allowed them more freedom to work together on their own. The freedom the devices provided also allowed students an opportunity to learn new skills, let loose and have fun while keeping them engaged throughout the entire project. K.T. |
Ms. Spritzer
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This past year, I taught Design and Technology. The nature of the course is that the students go through the four phases of the design cycle as they embark on different projects that all yield some sort of end result be it product design or digital design. The phases are Inquiring and Analyzing, Developing Ideas, Creating the Solution, and Evaluating. I had them do a project where they needed to create their own website to convince their parents and siblings to go away on a vacation of their choosing; their website was to be a "one stop shop" to get all the information a family would need when choosing a location to go on vacation. Each student chose a vacation spot, did some research and then used Weebly to create their own websites (they were required to embed code which made it more of a challenge). Each student would use either their own laptop, the school provided laptop, or their personal tablets.
The most amazing part of the project was that it became something real and some tangible that they could use and refer to outside of the classroom. Students actually used this project as a way to convince their families of a place they truly wanted to visit. They were able to show their siblings, families and friends. The benefit of BYOD and using digital technology in class, is that it truly expands student learning beyond the walls of the classroom, giving them the opportunity to connect and invest in their project in a relevant and current way, keeping them engaged throughout. M.S. |
Ms. Longtin
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I had the pleasure this past year to introduce Photoshop Elements to Grade 10 visual arts students to enhance their artwork and contribute to their creative process. The project was to use magazines to create a collage that is strong in composition, aesthetics and using the elements of design. Students were taught different ways of doing collages such as ripping edges, cutting close edges, leaving borders, etc. Once they were finished their collages, they all scanned in their image to the computer so that they could digitally alter them.
I taught one lesson on Photoshop Elements and the tools and filters they could use and then encouraged them to experiment and help others. I was very impressed with how well everyone worked on their collages, they were definitely more productive during this lesson than the previous lesson. Their works of art came out amazing, we printed them with boarders to make them official prints. I would strongly reccommend the use of technology in the Visual Arts classroom. H.L. |
Teacher
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