The Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB) is hosting an open house featuring displays and workshops on how students are using technology to learn.
“Digital Saturday” takes place on March 5, from 9am to 12:30pm at Westminster Woods Public School in Guelph.
“In the last few years there has been exponential growth in the use of technological tools and resources in Upper Grand schools,” said Brent McDonald, superintendent of education responsible for information technology. “Students don’t stop using what they’re learning as soon as the bell rings at the end of the day. A good number of these resources are available 24/7, so they’re used at home and school.”
A presentation on technology in the classroom to the board’s parent involvement committee was the inspiration for the idea of hosting a technology open house.
Digital Saturday will be an opportunity to explore and learn about:
– new technologies in the classroom like Chromebooks, UGCloud;
– assistive technologies to support all learners including Kurzweil and Read and Write for Google;
– robotics and coding and virtual reality in the classroom demonstrations; and
– online digital resources for assisting student learning such as UG2GO, UGCloud and Homework Help.
There will be lots of opportunities for interaction and co-learning. Older children (8 and up) may find the display tables and workshops informative and engaging, officials say.
