February 1, 2012  was the first-ever Digital Learning Day.  This national awareness campaign is designed to celebrate innovative teachers and highlight instructional practices that strengthen and personalize learning for all students. Digital Learning Day explores how digital learning can provide teachers and students with the opportunities they deserve in an effort to build or become part of a workforce that is ready to succeed in college, a career, and life.  (Learn more at WI DPI site:  http://dpi.wi.gov/imt/dlday.html)

In Sun Prairie, we are fortunate to have many examples of digital learning taking place every day in our schools.  Here are just a few of them:

SMART Response WTI Grant Project
Written by Ben Baltes, Horizon Elementary 5th Grade Teacher
Mr. Baltes has begun using SMART Response WTI in his classroom.  These "clickers" allow Mr. Baltes to put a question on the SMART board and he asks students to answer the question by pressing the button on their "clicker" they believe is the correct answer. 

In my classroom there are students who range in reading levels from a 3rd grade to 7th grade. During direct, whole group instruction, a traditional teacher may ask questions and call on students to assess their knowledge and gain a formative plan for whether to proceed to the next level of content or provide remedial help on the current content.  

This traditional method can be inconclusive for several reasons:

1. It does not provide 100% student participation and engagement,
2. One question only assesses one student  --  even though other hands may be raised,
3. It provides less confident or academically weaker students to not be assessed
4. It gives no ability for the instructor to differentiate based on learner proficiency.

Since having the WTI SMART Response System (SRS), I have been able to actively engage ALL my students - regardless of whether they felt comfortable on the material or not. In fact, those shy students have told me that they now feel that they have a "voice" in the class. Within 30 seconds, I can tell which of my students are ready to proceed to the next level of content and which are not, and I then differentiate my instruction based on that. Students that understand the content may be given an extension activity while I do remedial work with other students, for example. In addition, the SRS provides me with solid evidence of proficiency - even on a formative level so that I can inform students, families, administration of student progress.

Nooks in Our Schools -- Patrick Marsh & Prairie View
Information provided by Library Media Specialists Chris Schiemann (Patrick Marsh) and Vicky Brucker (Prairie View) 

The newest digital learning tools our district supports include NOOK Color tablet readers and Skype interactive webconferencing. NOOK Color tablets provide a new digital platform for student literacy needs. With their wireless network connections, they allow students to interact with their text and explore pieces of text by linking directly to the internet while reading.

Prairie View Nooks have opened up more than a different way of reading at our school. In one 7th grade classroom, students used the nooks to listen to a book (through the MP3 piece of the nook). In one of our special education classrooms, students are able to keep up with the rest of their class in an anchor book by listening to the book and reading along with it on nook during their studyhall. For another special education student, the nook was used as way to keep the student engaged in the classroom so that he was listening to the teacher rather than walking out and missing important information. Nooks have become an important part of student learning keeping our students learning by different means.

Prairie View TV Announcements
Information provided by Vickie Brunker, Prairie View Library Media Specialist

Prairie View Middle School has a unique way of presenting daily announcements. It has a 7th grade club that creates and presents a live broadcast through the school’s cable system. Each morning, up to twelve students convene upon the television station in a teacher’s office. Each student has an integral part of the presentation from anchors/sports/weather to the camera people to the production manager who provides the viewers what they see in their classrooms. The reporters use flip cameras to ask survey questions to our students such as “What do you like to do in the winter?” and record sporting events which are then showed as video clips. With our technology-based daily announcements our student’s keep listening and stay engaged.

Web Conferencing
Information provided by Library Media Specialists Chris Schiemann (Patrick Marsh ) and Jen Baltes (Horizon)

Skype webconferencing allows students and teachers to connect to other classes in the district, state, or around the world, as well as people in certain fields of expertise. At Patrick Marsh, the band classes have webconferenced with a music composer out East and some of our reading students have had a book discussion with other students in the district.

At Horizon Elementary, award-winning Author K.L. Going visited with nearly 100 fifth grade students at Horizon Elementary School on Tuesday, December 6th – via Skype! The visit was a surprise for the 5th graders who recently finished reading Going’s book, The Liberation of Gabriel King, as a class and were enthralled with the story. The “virtual” author visit was the culminating event for the fifth grade reading unit on the realistic fiction genre. “Everyday we find new uses for the technology resources we have,” said Horizon Library Media Specialist Jenny Baltes. “Whenever we can, we try and connect kids to authors and nothing could be better than a face-to-face meeting with one of their favorites. Making that connection with video conferencing technology makes it easy, less expensive, and more interactive than with letters or reading a book about the writer.” This is the first author visit via Skype for Horizon Elementary, but Baltes says they will try to do it often in the future. “This type of event is easy to set up because we have fantastic technology infrastructure and a supportive technology team that are geared toward what we can do to increase student learning,

Eastside Elementary Lego and Robotics Club
Program organized by Margene Anderson, Eastside Library Media Specialist

The Lego Robotics Club is an example of how schools can create curriculum to help children become better thinkers and innovators to compete in a world where they will have the Internet, cells phones, and access to immediate information. The Lego Robotics Club allows students to build knowledge by learning to use computers and other digital tools to harvest information that is applicable to the problem.
 

7th Grade Computer Literacy Course
Written by Vicky Brucker, Prairie View Library Media Specialist

Our 7th grade computer literacy class is all about playing with technology. One of the student’s favorite units includes watching and understanding what it takes to create an infomercial, creating their own product that “makes someone’s life easier” and producing an infomercial to sell that product. Some of these are shown on our morning announcements. The students use Googledocs sharing to create a script without leaving their seats, taping their presentation using the flip cameras, and editing, adding music, and voice overlays with Windows Movie Maker. In the end, the student’s use many different technology pieces to create a professional video.

8th Grade Math WTI Grant Interactive Classroom Technology
Written by TJ Rantala, Cardinal Heights Middle School

Technology has changed the way I teach math. I have been fortunate enough to receive several pieces of technology through the TOSA foundation, John & Tasha Morgridge. Through the foundation I have received a Smartboard Slate, Smart Response system, and a Document Camera. All of which have played a huge part in the way I teach math.

The students in my 8th grade math classroom are surrounded by technology in their everyday lives. Having the ability to bring technology in to the classroom has been a great way to bridge the gap between school and life. The biggest advantage of the technology is being able to get my students actively involved in class. They are no longer able to sit back in class and let me do the work. I am constantly checking for their understanding, and they are constantly working together. When I talk with my students about the advantages of the technology they have access to in the classroom, they talk with excitement.

The Smart Response system, “clickers”, is one of their (and my) favorites. This system helps make each & every student accountable for what we are learning. They are able to demonstrate their own knowledge in a non-stressful situation. The only two people that see their response are me and themselves. I also like when we look at the results as a class. We are able to discuss incorrect answers and what possible mistakes people may have made in doing the problem. It is ideal in a math classroom, because as my students say, even the results are math!

We also consistently use the document camera and slate in class. My students like to use the slate because it gives them a chance to be the teacher, but they don’t have to get up in front of class to do it. They can teach from the comfort of their own seat. The document camera allows us to share and or compare students work. We can also take pictures of work and compare between classes. The document camera lets us breakdown the walls between classes, so students can see what other classes are doing. I feel so very fortunate to have been a recipient of these pieces of technology. Both my students and I realize how lucky we are. Thank you to the Morgridges for their dedication to helping make education better.

Digital Collaboration Tools and Classroom Sites
Written by Janice Mertes, Sun Prairie High School Social Studies and District Tech Integrator

Digital Technologies are transforming the way students work, learn and share materials. With the adoption of digital classroom sites like Edmodo, Moodle, Wikis, Google Sites and webpages students are accessing online course materials and digital resources. Teachers can engage student in structured online learning communities re-enforcing netiquette ad digital citizenship.

Students grades 8-12 utilize Google Docs software programs and collaboration tools to create paperless classrooms, multimedia projects and access to their files 24/7 via the Sun Prairie Google Docs cloud environment.


Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Opportunities
Written by Michael Mades, Supervisor of Technology

The transformation of the Sun Prairie School tech infrastructure has created a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) environment for students. Students have access to the filtered, public wifi and are allowed under district policy to bring in personal technology devices for access during nonclass times or for teacher approved classroom activities. Promoting the environment of responsible use cultures a key component to have students understand the time frame of appropriate power up and power down expectations. Teachers are embracing new opportunities to utilize tools like cell phones, tablets, ipod touches, texting features, smart phone tools for a variety of instructional purposes.

Our students are accessing these digital devices for functions like calculators, cameras, voice recorders, digital calendars, education apps and more. Our students are living in a real time information access world and our schools are allowing students to utilize their personal devices and mobile technologies to enhance their education.
 

Technology Professional Development Transforming Teaching and Learning
by Janice Mertes, Sun Prairie District Technology Integrator

The training of district teachers goes beyond the basics of reading and math to include emerging technologies and tech tools to reinforce student achievement. In the past couple of years, teachers have been trained in the following: SMARTBoards, document cameras, Web 2.0 tools, Google Docs, Learning on Demand/Flipped Conference topics, flip video cameras, video editing, Moodle learning management system, Nooks, 21st Century Learning and Teaching, Infinite Campus student information system and digital file organization. Teachers complete all daily tasks on the computer including email, attendance, grades and research to re-enforce classroom curriculum.

This last fall the Sun Prairie School District hosted the Wisconsin Technology Initiative Academic Forum on the Flipped Classroom bringing educational leaders, students and administrators from around the nation and state to embrace in collaborative learning practices.

This summer the Sun Prairie School District is scheduled to host a statewide Smart Content Creation Session and also the 2nd Annual Wisconsin Moodle Moot for educators from around the state.

Here in Wisconsin, State Superintendent Tony Evers and others at the Department of Public Instruction have been leading the cooperative effort with PK-12 schools, higher education institutions, and education agencies to organize Digital Learning Day.  "Today’s technology can enhance education to a considerable degree if we apply it correctly,” Evers said. “We can personalize learning to better serve individual students, and districts can cut their costs.”  As part of Digital Learning Day, Evers and Wisconsin educators highlighted successful and innovative examples of digital learning from Wisconsin’s schools through a virtual showcase event, open to the public and the media. Sun Prairie's Technology Supervisor, Mike Mades, was one of the presenters on the webcast. 

Taking advantage of the day’s theme, the State Superintendent’s Digital Learning Advisory Council also released its digital learning strategic plan, a Vision for Digital Learning in Wisconsin for Wisconsin. The plan has been in development over the past year. The council represents educators, parents, libraries, and businesses.

More Information: 

Technology Resources for Parents
Google Docs for Parents:  http://www.sunprairie.k12.wi.us/googleforparents.cfm
Infinite Campus Student Grade and Information Portal Registration: http://www.sunprairie.k12.wi.us/Portalapp.cfm#d87185
Sun Prairie School District Cyberbullying Policy & Resources: http://www.sunprairie.k12.wi.us/parents/CyberbullyingInfo.cfm
Cyberbullying Resources: http://www.ncpc.org/topics/cyberbullying and http://www.stopbullying.gov/topics/cyberbullying/parents/index.html
Digital Citizenship Standards: http://digitalcitizenship.net/Nine_Elements.html and http://digitalcitizenship.net/Resources.html