Adapted Novel Studies

Students in Grades 3, 4, and 5 will write abridged versions of novels for use by students not able to access the full versions.  Five versions of three novels will be produced – the versions will include PowerPoint, Clicker 5, SwitchIt Maker, Pictello and Kurzweil 3000.  The novels include “Sarah Plain and Tall”, “The Twits”, and “Harriett the Spy”.

Ancient Civilizations Innovation

Students in a Grade 7 class will be using Clicker 5 adapted content on Ancient Civilizations as well as materials from ARC-BC and general internet research to identify influences and contributions of ancient societies to present-day cultures.  The students will use Kurzweil 3000 to support their writing and will work together to create a multimedia presentation that contains video interviews, a Clicker 5 book and a PowerPoint presentation.

Canadian Identity Video

Students in a Grade 5 class will produce a story board movie that highlight the contributions of significant Canadians.  Students will use technology to gather information about the Canadians, script the video using a story board and then assign classmates roles.  The video produced will be edited and shared with a peer audience.

Creating a Model of Technology Integration in a Life Skills Program

Students in a secondary life skills program will explore elements of social skills, daily news, weather, sports, and their community while practicing and integrating functional reading, writing, and math skills.  They will collect and share news and information using digital photos, sounds and videos captured in their class, school and community and then use a variety of multimedia software including Clicker 5, PowerPoint and SwitchIt Maker to create and share their talking books with peers, family and friends.

Creativity, Inclusion, Accessibility (CIA) in the 21st Century

Students in a Grade 5 class will use a classroom based wiki to learn new material, store information and collaborate with peers.  This project is not based on a single assignment but on the ongoing classroom activities and tasks so that all students are engaged and their needs met.

Examining the Efficacy of iPads to Support Students with Written Output Challenges

Students in Grades 5 and 6 will work together with teachers to collaborate on goals and assessment measures for using iPads as a writing tool to support curricular based learning assignments and weekly journal entries.  Students will then teach their peers skills developed during the project.  The project team will develop a plan to implement iDevices as writing tools within the classroom, school, and district.

Exploring Relationship Circles

Students in an intermediate Life Skills class will use technology to build a visual presentation depicting social boundaries in their lives.  The Circles program provides a basis for the students to help organize and delineate social relationships.  Students in this project will create a photo-library of individuals in their circles and will edit the photos using iApp tools.  Audio will be added to their presentations and the final products will be shared in a variety of settings in the school.

Exploring Universal Design for Learning Through Novel Studies

Students in a grade 6 class will conduct studies on novels such as Parana’s Journey using both a traditional and UDL approach.  Students will use laptops and Kurzweil 3000 as well as other software (e.g. iMovie, Clicker 5) to express their learning and understanding of the story elements.

Greek Mythology and Poetry Units

Students in a middle school will explore a variety of poetic styles and will have a choice of creating a video, digital illustration or song that uses those poetic devices learned.  A second theme, “Mythology”, will then be introduced with students creating a variety of products including digital comics, songs, electronic trading cards and presentations based on their own original myths.

How Did We Get Here?

Students in a Grade 4/5 class will learn about the cultural identity of their community by exploring personal family stories and the relationships between these histories and the evolution of diverse communities.  Using internet and a primary source of information, students will explore their family heritage through interviews – each student will photograph, write and orally describe an artifact associated with their family.  They will then work in small groups to compile personal histories in a pod or videocast that will be shared on the school’s website.

Literacy Project for Intermediate and Primary Buddies

Students in intermediate grades will identify and produce either a fiction or non-fiction visual presentation that includes photos and text and/or illustrations.  Their presentation products will be shared and read with a group of primary students.

Personalized 21st Century Learning

Students in a Grade 6 class will create meaningful and thoughtful representations to communicate a personal response to a topic of their choice.  Working collaboratively in pairs or small groups, students will gather information and create a multi-modal product using Web 2.0 tools, iPads, laptops and digital cameras.  They will share their presentations with a student audience.

SMART Project

Students in Life Skills classes will research a variety of topics on the internet to solve problems and to answer critical questions.  Using software that supports written output, students will develop a variety of literacy skills and will use online personalized stories and videos to develop their social thinking.

Supporting Organization for Students with Asperger Syndrome

Students with Asperger syndrome will investigate the use of iPod Touches for prompting/cuing and for scheduling tasks and events. The team will determine if the use of these devices is appropriate for this student group and what iApps may be helpful in supporting the student’s IEP goals for improved organization.

Writing Activities

Students in a Grade 1 class will use computer software to create journal entries on topics of their own choice.  The writing will be shared with the entire class using a SmartBoard.