Copy Tech is Happening @

 Last year we started exploring the idea of student digital portfolios. In English 9 students created their own Digital Portfolio Google site.They experimented embedding, linking and uploading different types of work, including Google Docs, Word Docs, scanned docs, screencasts. Visual Arts also joined in the experience including pictures of their work, reflections and art resources. This year started very busy with Grade 10 taking over the already created student portfolios and Grade 9 students started creating their own as well. Many conversations emerged about how this might look like in terms of checking progress. The English Dept  took the initiative to go for the organization of subjects under each grade level. At the image above you can see an example where the student organized the English work from last year under "Grade 9", creating new pages for "Grade 10". Visual Arts also continued using digital porfolios this year, and discussed how progress could be se...

The goal of the PE class in the weight room is to teach students about maintaining a health-enhancing level of physical fitness.  In order to do that, Sueli Valades requires students to record their workout in terms of sets, repetitions, weight, heart beat, etc, and also write reflection journals. As we discussed ways to wave technology into the process to facilitate record keeping and engagement, the idea of using cellphones came up. The use of cellphones in schools has been debated for some time and I have been waiting for opportunities to explore those for educational purposes. The idea of record keeping in the weight room seemed perfect, as students need to constantly move around a room full of equipment and therefore require an easy way to keep records on the spot.  A Google Spreadsheet was then created to keep records online and therefore accessible anytime anywhere. The spreadsheet also provided an automatic calculation of target heart rates according to age. At the end...