One of the district’s initiatives is to integrate technology within classroom instruction. 5th graders and teachers at Mineral Point Elementary School have taken this to a new level.
In a previous post, it was shared that students and teachers are using Google Classroom, a learning management system, to communicate and collaborate with peers in Italy and England. The purpose of this global partnership is to “facilitate innovative and creative use of technology in classrooms and build friendships with students around the world” (Source: JDO Foundation website).
This post is an update on that work, including images and video.
Students pictured here are from Rome, Italy.
This class is from Wales, England.
Students and teachers discuss academic projects through Gmail. For example, this week students are sharing their writing with each other via Google Docs to get peer feedback.
Once a month, students will video chat with each other through Google Hangout. Our students learned that they have to connect in the morning as it is the afternoon for their global peers.
Below are two short clips of our students talking about their school experiences with their friends overseas.
Students are learning so much about the world through this global collaboration. Culture, beliefs and diverse backgrounds are as much a part of this experience as the academics. This is an excellent example of the positive benefits of technology.
MATT RENWICK
PRINCIPAL, ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
This is Matt’s seventeenth year in public education. He started as a 5th and 6th grade teacher in a country school outside of Wisconsin Rapids, WI. After seven years of teaching, Matt served as an assistant principal, athletic director, and building principal all in Wisconsin Rapids. Now as an elementary principal with the Mineral Point Unified School District, he continues to enjoy working with students, staff, and families in their collective pursuit of lifelong learning.