Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
As Cherry Hills Christian School celebrates 30 years of quality education for students in preschool through middle school, we invite readers to learn how we integrate technology into our classrooms.
Citation preview
TechnologyiPast, iPresent and iFuture
When Cherry Hills Christian School opened 30 years ago, school leaders had a vision for educating the whole child- academically, spiritually, relationally, physically and emotionally. Through the years, our administration and teachers shared a willingness to employ a variety of age appropriate instructional strategies and methodologies, intentionally chosen to honor children's individual differences and learning capabilities.
Chapter 1 iPast
1
CHC Technology Timeline Video
Visionary LeadershipShared LeadershipWhen classroom technology became available, the forward-thinking Cherry Hills Christian administration looked for ways to integrate tools. We started with technology class in stationary computer labs, then invested in mobile laptop computer labs and later, interactive whiteboards. In 2010, school leadership shared a vision for one-to-one iPad devices for all students in grades 1-8. The springboard to our successful iPad launch covered an 18-month comprehensive administrative planning process.• Purchased an iPad for all teachers and administrative staff and began training in December 2011 • Piloted the iPad in fifth grade (75 students) in the spring of 2012• Roll out to all students in grades 1-8 (approximately 650 students) took place in the fall of 2013Individual LeadershipWith full support from Superintendent, the leadership team directed by Technology Manager Mike Scheid, and then Elementary Principal, Linda Wasem coordinated the purchase and deployment of the iPad. Community EngagementThe stakeholder community that surrounds Cherry Hills Christian School has always been an educated and engaged group. They give time, talent and treasure toward their child's school and the area of technology is no exception. Stakeholders financially supported our technology initiatives and attended presentations and trainings on digital citizenship and internet safety.
Innovative Learning and TeachingStudent LearningCHC has always valued student engagement and personal learning. Progressing from keyboarding class in the computer labs, classrooms “fighting” over the mobile laptop labs, or students working math problems for the class on the interactive whiteboards, technology has increased student engagement.
2
“For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by
doing them.”Aristotle
iPast
Play Video
Play
The addition of iPad devices piloted to the fifth grade class in 2012 gave us a sneak peek at the differentiated learning available to students across learning styles and abilities. The pilot caused us to make important decisions regarding classroom management, apps and direction for professional development.Instructional PracticesAs soon as teachers handed students their own iPad, they immediately took ownership of their education and their attitudes changed about learning, classwork and homework. Former Elementary Principal Linda Wasem put it this way, “It’s like renting versus owning a house; you take a lot better care of what you own.” A one-to-one device gives teachers a tool to help students navigate their own learning. With that freedom, they can engage in their own inquiry and creative steps to complete assignments.
Ongoing Professional Learning
Because technology is an integral part of the educational platform at Cherry Hills Christian, we have long been proactive in providing professional development and training for staff. Led by our IT department, the launch of the iPad initiative
was prefaced by months of meetings and research. Staff were
informed of the plans and timeline and, because of this upfront information
and extensive training sessions in the use of the tablet, the rollout of the CHCS iPad initiative, while not stress-free, was virtually seamless.
Compelling Evidence of SuccessSuccess in student engagement and staff fulfillment is very evident in our school’s environment. We have little turn over in our staff, and we see motivation and positive attitudes among our staff and students. The technology we embraced in years past was our encouragement to continue moving forward.
CHC has always been a high achieving school as indicated by our standardized test scores. Our test scores continue to be high with technology, an indicator that we are speaking the language of the digital learner in the 21st century classroom.
Flexible Learning EnvironmentSchool Design and FacilitiesCherry Hills Christian School shares space with Cherry Hills Community Church. Together we occupy a dynamic campus on 66 acres of land in the heart of Highlands Ranch, Colorado with facilities totaling 255,000 square feet. In the last year, we upgraded our WiFi infrastructure and increased our Wide Area Networks (WAN) tenfold. Our classrooms also feature AirPlay via MacMini and Bonjour Gateway built in to new wireless infrastructure.
Every classroom is outfitted with a Promethean interactive whiteboard and a MacMini mounted behind each board. We recently added two portable, touch-panel Promethean boards. Because the safety of our students is paramount in our philosophy of education, we are pleased with the reliability of our educationally focused web filter that also filters the iPad when students take it off campus.
3
As part of the 2012-2013 Annual Fund Campaign, CHC looked to raise $300,000 for a new sports field on our property. Middle School students filmed, produced and edited the video that was presented to potential donors.
Middle School Students Produce ‘Field of Dreams’ Video
Click to link to story on Mrs. Darlene Blood, 9News Teachers Who Care recipient.
Play Video
Visionary LeadershipShared LeadershipCHC is committed to utilizing the available resources and time necessary to ensure that our investment in iPad technology continues to produce marked dividends for all of our students. There are obvious challenges to such a large endeavor and we are constantly on a learning curve. School leadership has thoughtfully put in place a number of measures to monitor the many learning opportunities presented daily on the iPad. Leadership members meet biweekly to discuss product management, app productivity and value, security issues, access to servers and systems and to celebrate creative achievement throughout the school. Included on the team are not only school personnel, but also campus IT management. Periodically, outside representatives from both Apple and other education technology companies attend to enlighten the group as to new product designs or updates. Individual LeadershipMany school leaders fully support the vision and fulfill individual roles on the team. Superintendent Robert Bignell, Middle School Principal Evan Dalrymple, and Elementary Principal Deb Will fully
Chapter 2 iPresent
2
supported the initiative. From beginning to end, the process was the result of a true team effort and many staff members contributed to the challenge to transition students to a one-to-one environment.
Individual leadership cascades down to a team effort. Technology coordinators work very closely with Middle School Curriculum Coordinator Nancy Craven and Elementary Assistant Principal Kati Melton, to make sure we are in line with school specific goals, while meeting or exceeding state educational standards. Leadership monitors this piece to identify new strategies and methods that can be strategically introduced and become standard practice.Community EngagementSince the addition of the iPad, parents see their students learning in a new way. They can be involved through the Parent Portal of MyBigCampus and we provide helpful training videos on this resource.We offer parents an optional funding source through the King Soopers Rewards Program to cover their annual technology fee. Parents earn three percent of all dollars they load on to their grocery shopping card back toward their annual CHC Technology Fee. Some parents have more than covered their fee. In the first two years of this program, parents loaded $3.5 million dollars. The school receives two percent of the total toward our technology program-currently over $70,000.
Innovative Learning and TeachingStudent LearningOur teachers embrace the iPad as a powerful tool to actively engage students through a creative, balanced approach to instruction. This approach encourages student inquiry and
ownership of knowledge. Our one-to-one devices give students the flexibility of when and where work. Students can explore their interests and take creative, inquiry-based steps to complete projects and assignments. There are many opportunities and a variety of avenues for students to
demonstrate their knowledge and understanding. Workflow apps such as Nearpod, ClassFlow, and My Big
Campus help monitor student learning. Students are taught to be discerning consumers of
information, promoting independence and responsibility.
Instructional PracticesTeachers are using technology to provide differentiated opportunities for all personal learning needs. Educational apps level the playing field, keeping work at an appropriate level for all students. This digital environment provides immediate and accurate feedback. Teachers use this feedback to make data-driven
decisions to guide instruction. Our Learning Management System
promotes increased student collaboration through online
discussions, group projects, and shared responses. Students are engaged in higher
order thinking skills as they reflect and dig deeper into the subject matter.
Curriculum DesignOur school has developed dynamic curriculum maps that are vertically aligned across grade levels. We are moving away from a heavy reliance on textbooks to being digital leaders in curriculum design. Learning outcomes and objectives are clearly identified and communicated to increase student awareness and ownership of their own learning goals.
5
Play Video
This allows for increased student engagement, creativity, and inquiry. Teachers are flipping classrooms and designing integrated projects which promote ongoing feedback, reflection
and collaboration to solidify learning.
Ongoing Professional LearningIt is essential that CHC personnel, at all levels, maintain a growing, working product knowledge.
Therefore, outside trainers to work with grade level instructors and we send our personnel to acquire ongoing training to elevate the entire CHC staff’s overall product and knowledge level.
Over the past two years, our staff continue to embrace this technology as a tool capable of taking students to a whole new level of learning. Professional development is currently designed to meet the individual needs of the teacher, with the wealth of courses and information available online changing the direction of learning for educators as well. Rather than offer one speaker, or one topic for the entire staff, we are now able to differentiate professional development that will engage all staff members as they pursue growth in their own areas of need or interest.
As a result of the extended use of technology at CHC, conversations in professional learning communities (PLCs) necessitate teachers collaborating about their use of technology to maximize student learning. Sharing pedagogy and best practices as they extend the use of technology in their classes, teachers continue to collaborate and search for more and better ways to reach students, to engage students, and to offer the best education possible for each student. This is an example of a professional development site custom made for CHC staff by a 21st century learning professional development team.
Compelling Evidence of SuccessQualitativeIn many classes we have established a series of project-based activities. Students are understanding content at a higher level, owning research, problem solving, and having to explain to others. To us this means much more than a student just giving a presentation of material. It encompasses gathering data, learning exploration, in-depth reflection completed in a creative and technological presentation. Students use a variety of skills such as technical, language decoding, writing, calculation, critical thinking, and creativity. Students learn to be good communicators and work collaboratively. When a teacher sees a child learning and succeeding it brings extreme joy! With the immediate responses provided by the iPad, teachers get to see that success more readily. Our teachers love their jobs and students enjoy learning. Consequently, we have several grades with waiting lists, and the reputation of our school is reaching our community.
6
“Gratitude looks to the past and love to the present...”C.S. Lewis
QuantitativeIn the 2013-2014 school year we met the qualifications for dual accreditation through AdvancEd and the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI). This very intense and in-depth process involved several different criteria:• Purpose and Direction• Governance and Leadership• Teaching and Assessing learning• Resources and Support Systems• Using Results for Continuous improvement
A review board of seven professional educators thoroughly evaluated our school. CHC earned renewed accreditation with flying colors, achieving one of the highest scores a school has ever received. It has been an honor to have this recognition of the excellence that we provide for our students.
Flexible Learning EnvironmentInformation TechnologyUsing Information Technology, our goal is to create an environment that allows teachers to become orchestrators of learning. Prior to our fifth grade pilot in 2012, our technology manager researched and landed on an integrated Mobile Device Management, Student Learning Management System and Educational Web Filtering platform.
MyBigCampus (LMS) is built on a social network providing anywhere, all-the-time collaboration and interaction. It provides students off campus learning, a vehicle for flipped classrooms and a portal for parents. Through MyBigCampus, teachers can manage student devices in their classroom through integration with our MDM and web filter. For example, a teacher can white list or black list certain websites for three minutes to three hours, for one or more classes. In addition, teachers can enable single-app mode, disable the camera and disable touch screen. All of these are done through an interface with which teachers are already familiar.
The integration between Mobile Manager (MDM), MyBigCampus and our web filter, allow us to remove as many layers of technology as possible for the teacher. With this integration, classes are already set up in groups, with all students enrolled, saving teachers’ time.
Other Information Technology in use includes:• Apple Device Enrollment Program (DEP) - no-touch configuration
of the iPad, automatic and permanent supervision and enrollment of the iPad over the air to our MDM
• Managed Distribution - iOS and Mac App over the air distribution AND retrieval
• Overdrive Ebook Library• Ping Identity - single sign on• SIS automation through Clever integration
8
Visionary LeadershipShared LeadershipIn August of 2014, our leadership team attended a one-day Executive Briefing at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, CA. This experience focused our vision on future expansion and development of our overall iPad-based environment. We cannot afford to become complacent with technology, and see the future as a continuing evolution of the learning process with a key to even greater, deeper learning…literally at the touch of a button. We believe CHC is in a prime position to take our entire school to the next level. Individual LeadershipLeaders in our school community are forging the way, speaking at national conferences and serving in advisory roles to our vendors, shaping the future of their products. Our school hosts the regional iOS admin users group, drawing just under one hundred attendees to our school. We intend to remain strong leaders in this digital age.
Chapter 3 iFuture
3“The future belongs to those who
believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
Eleanor Roosevelt
Community Engagement Our community is digital in all parts of its collective life, and we will strive to keep all stakeholders abreast to changes, additions and solutions that will enhance learning at all ages. We encourage parent engagement through the Parent Portal of MyBigCampus, where they can look at student work, message teachers and stay virtually connected to the classroom.
Sky's the Limit StudentsThis summer, CHC invited a group of six teenagers from Denver's faith-based organization "Sky's the Limit" to inspect, clean, refresh and reset 750 iPad devices. Using the campus web help desk, these tech-savvy volunteers verified asset management for each iPad and logged those needing repair. By the end of their weeklong project, all CHC student devices were ready for the next school year. We hope the future holds more projects like this with our community.
Innovative Learning and TeachingOur future is focused on a transformed classroom where students are independent and own their learning. Teachers are facilitators and coaches, stepping aside to encourage students to inquire, hypothesize, research, reflect and summarize. Two models to help us achieve this are Blended Learning Environment and Project Based Learning. We already have a good start toward blending face-to-face instruction and online learning. Moving forward, we want our Science and Social Studies curricula to be project-based, using digital content over textbooks.
With new resources available every day, our future includes more options for student learning. For example, Stanford University’s Education Program for Gifted Youth. EPGY
10
"Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for
the future." John F. Kennedy
iFuture
Play Video
offers computer-based multimedia courses in Mathematics, English, Computer Programming and other subjects. These courses suitable for students of all ability levels through schools.
Ongoing Professional LearningThe future of staff training at CHC involves the introduction of ClassFlow™, which promises to transform student engagement in learning by providing teachers a means of using the Promethean board for interactive lessons as never before. As the more tech-savvy, risk takers on staff begin to master ClassFlow™, the “each one teach one” phenomena will soon have the entire staff on board with this transformative learning program. It is this kind of professional development –teachers actively engaged in their own learning—that we hope to continue.
As we implement more project-based learning (PBL), we want to maximize professional learning development. We plan to access professional learning opportunities Apple has available. Our Middle School Technology teacher, Chris Benschoter, recently received Apple’s Train the Trainer certification and will play an active roll in training his peers.
Compelling Evidence of SuccessIn the 2013 school year we surveyed our staff on the use of technology in the classroom. The results indicate that teachers are implementing technology on a regular basis through their use of Promethean boards and iPad. The use of interactive activities with the iPad is growing and changing every day. Using Dr. Ruben Puentedura’s SAMR model, we see our teachers moving toward levels that transform learning.
11
Slides from a recent professional development session on the subject of Growth Mindset, presented in a flipped classroom format.
We believe our ongoing classroom assessments will continue to show success in learning as will our national ranking in Terra Nova standardized testing. More than any assessment, the future success of our students in their next learning level will continue to tell the story of personalized learning at Cherry Hills Christian.
Flexible Learning EnvironmentAs CHC continues to grow, we are hope to acquire more learning space. If this includes new buildings on our campus, classroom space design is certain to be progressive, reflecting a collaborative learning environment.
We look forward to adding Learning Technology Integration (LTI). This new system will give us integration between services like Discovery streaming embedded into MyBigCampus.
As more of our teachers are trained on ClassFlow™, we can bring our smart board and iPad technology together, giving collaboration and interaction between the two. The future also holds expansion of Clever integration, leveraging our student information data into as many systems as possible to automate the set up of each third party system. Finally, single sign on through Clever and Ping Identity will eliminate username and password confusion and simplify the end user experience.
12
iFuture
Chapter 4iHope
4
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord.
“They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a
future and a hope.”Jeremiah 29:11
(New Living Translation)
Play Video
Contributions and Credits
xiv
Co-Authored by the following:Mrs. Leza ShupeCommunications [email protected]
Mr. Mike ScheidTechnology [email protected]
Mrs. Deb WillElementary [email protected]
Mrs. Kati MeltonElementary School Assistant [email protected]
Mr. Evan DalrympleMiddle School [email protected]
Ms. Nancy CravenMiddle School Curriculum [email protected]
Mrs. Patty GallegosMiddle School [email protected]
Video EditingMr. Chris BenschoterMiddle School Technology [email protected]
Superintendent of SchoolsMr. Robert Bignell303.325.8334
Enrollment ManagerMrs. Judy [email protected]
xv
Cherry Hills Christian is celebrating 30 years of quality education with a Christian worldview, emphasizing character education and service to others.
• Small class sizes
• Integrated Biblical education
• Licensed faculty
• Student readiness for their next educational level
• Classroom technology including one to one iPad devices
• Dual accreditation through AdvancEd and ACSI
Cherry Hills Christian is committed to honoring Christ by teaching, encouraging, training and grounding students in God’s truth within a dynamic academic environment. For Christ...Heart, Soul, Mind, Strength.
Cherry Hills Christian SchoolHighlands Ranch, CO
Recognized by Apple as a distinguished school for innovation, leadership, and educational excellence.
