October 16, 2008
Bankhead Elementary To Implement Innovative New Instructional Technology
KELOWNA, BC: Students in Grades 5 and 6 at Bankhead Elementary will be the first in the Central Okanagan to experience innovative new instructional strategies. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a pilot program that incorporates digital technology with best practices used by educators. Bankhead Elementary is currently adding smart boards to four classrooms in preparation for a January launch.
“It’s going to engage students in new ways,” says Principal Dennis Tetreau. “It will enhance the way they think of their tasks and how they express what they have learned. UDL started out with students who had learning difficulties but Special Education Technologies found it was good for everyone. That’s where universal comes from—it’s something that can benefit all students.”
When the program is underway at Bankhead, teachers will be able to project a display at the front of the classroom but unlike overhead projectors, the display will be on an interactive smart board. The teacher can touch the board to open files on their computer and navigate websites. Anything written on the board can be digitized, saved and referred to later.
At the heart of UDL is the collection of educational programs and shared lessons. For example, staff and students will have access to more than a thousand novels and a program called Kurzweil that can read text aloud and visually highlights each word as it goes along. BrainPOP is a program that provides introductions to numerous topics. The short, high tech introductions engage students and get them on task quickly. Also, as teachers create educational units and resources, they can add it to the web-based BCUDL reposititory where teachers from schools across the province can access them. “It’s all about sharing and developing the resources,” says Tetreau.
Bankhead was chosen to be part of the small, select group of schools involved in the second year of the pilot program because of their sustained interested, enthusiasm and resources. “Two of my special education teachers had contacted BCUDL to apply. Last year, with the help of the people at Hollywood Road Education Services and our school funds, we accessed part of the BCUDL website to try out some of their resources. A small team from our school also travelled to a school in Vernon to see how the program was actually working in the classroom.”
“There is a lot of genuine excitement here among staff and students. Youth are attuned to technology—it can be a very valuable tool in education. Technology helps us implement the philosophy of good teaching and extend it to the variety of ways that children learn and express their knowledge.”
Approved by the Superintendent and the Principal on October 16, 2008 |
