Technology integration in Primary at Northbridge

Technology integration in Primary at Northbridge Technology in schools such as Northbridge International School Cambodia can be used in a number of ways, mainly to (a) substitute for traditional instruction, (b) change and transform instruction, or (c) redefine how kids learn and showcase that learning.

Technology in schools such as Northbridge International School Cambodia can be used in a number of ways, mainly to (a) substitute for traditional instruction, (b) change and transform instruction, or (c) redefine how kids learn and showcase that learning. 

As an IB school, let us look at  what the PYP says about technology?

“ Though many schools teach ICT as a discrete subject, the PYP strongly emphasises that technology should also be used as a tool for learning by all teachers and students. The PYP acknowledges the transformative potential of technology, when it is used purposefully and meaningfully as a tool to facilitate learning.

 

In the publication, Making The PYP Happen, it states:

The use of ICT:

Can document the learning, making it available to all parties

Can provide opportunities to rapid feedback and reflection

Can provide access to a broad range of tools to store, organize and present their learning

Encourages and allows for communication with a wide-ranging audience.”

(Making the PYP Happen, pg. 43)

Here are some apps/websites our Primary students at Northbridge use to document and showcase their learning:

 

Google classroom

Teachers set up class google classrooms to post class announcements, ask questions, and post assignments. Students create and turn in work directly in the google classroom environment. Teachers  post videos, links or presentations for students to view along with assessments and quizzes to measure learning.

 

Google Presentation

Gr.4 teachers created a Google presentation template for their unit on migration. The students completed independent presentations where they also learned to take screenshots of maps and input photos. The students also learned about intellectual property rights when choosing photos to include in their presentation.

 

SeeSaw

Most Primary students use this to reflect on their work or explain their learning. From Early Learning to Grade  5 classrooms, students has been posting their reflection on their work/learning in their SeeSaw journal. In Grade 4 classes, for example, they use SeeSaw for homework where they take a video of them showing a consolidation of what they have done in Maths.

 

Book Creator and Explain Everything

“The students researched information about an art movement they were interested in and then made a digital book using Book Creator or an Explain Everything presentation app to show their learning and share with other students about the movement. This worked like a jigsaw so that each group learned about a different area of their choice and then shared their learning with other classmates. They also shared this learning when parents came in for the art exhibition at the end of the unit.”  – Ms. Jyll Cox, Gr3 Teacher

 

Dance Mat Typing

Dance Mat Typing from the BBC is used to improve proper typing skills in Grades 2 to  5.

 

PicCollage

Students used Piccollage to create a collage of photos showing students exhibiting the Learner Profiles.

Podcast

“Grade 5 used Project-based Learning to begin a primary focused radio station. Our client, Mr Jack, wanted us to create Podcasts that then would be listened to by the community. This pushed our students to learn how to create interesting content, how to present successfully and how to use Garageband to record and edit their final content. Following this they used canva.com to create a thumbnail of their podcast. “ – Mr. Andy Groom, Grade 5 Teacher and Grade 5 Learning Leader

 

The website for the Grade 5 Podcast is up and running in this link: https://sites.google.com/nisc.edu.kh/niscfm/home

Stop Motion

“The teachers in Grade 1 are planning for the children in their classes to use Stop Motion to show their understanding of the life cycles of different animals and plants. Before doing this, we wanted the children to gain experience using the chosen app, so we created a task where the children had to create short, funny stop motion movies. The aim was for the children to show one piece of action between their characters and involved using comic strips for planning, designing sets and then using the Stop Motion app to record. The end results were fantastic, with the children learning how to make slight changes to their characters in order to create the illusion of movement.” - Mrs. Hannah Gaffney, Grade 1 Teacher.

 

Here’s a link to Stop Motion films made by some Grade 1 students: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1zP5Nw13kNxA5QYgfa2LlV79vm36fcKw2

 

Integrating IT into teaching and learning allows all our students to develop their IT skills in a meaningful and intentional way and opens up options for showing what they understand and have learned in class.