BY TAMARA BELKOV
While their students began their summer vacations Friday, a
group of teachers from the Sudbury Catholic District School
Board attended a seminar called An Apple for the Teacher Day at
Marymount Academy.
The auditorium was buzzing at 8 am as the board's Grade 7
and 8 teachers drank their apple juice and waited to receive
their Apple.
Each teacher was given a MacBook wireless laptop computer as
part of the Learning with Laptops program. In total, 1,100
MacBooks will be provided by the board to all Grades 7 and 8
students, teachers and school leaders to be used in classrooms
in the fall.
Jean McHarg, academic superintendent of education with the
board and Zandra Zubac, director of education, had prepared the
surprise apple-fest for the teachers. Zubac has seen the
benefits of similar programs in B.C. and Quebec.
Teacher Julie Caissie was only one of the surprised and
excited educators .
"It's all about engaging the kids," Caissie enthused. "It's
all about being digital."
A techno-newbie herself, Caissie bravely entered the digital
world last year by using her own computer. With the help of her
students, she produced some short movies featuring famous
characters in history.
"It's a new kind of literacy," she said. "Books are still a
good way to learn. But if we can get them learning, without
knowing they are learning, and applying those literacy
skills...it's that much better."
The board passed a motion for teachers to receive the
laptops only 10 days ago, according to McHarg, making it the
first board in Ontario to champion the new innovative way of
delivering education.
All Grade 7 and 8 students will have wireless computer
access when they return to classes after Labour Day, she said.
This is the fourth phase of the Learning with Laptops
program. Last year, the board introduced ibooks to Grade
9 math students. Previously, it had partnered with Apple Canada
to improve literacy skills in younger grades.
Dave MacDonald has seen the benefits of using laptops as
learning tools. MacDonald is the board's academic computer
instructor.
"We've been using Apple computers to expand our literacy programs at the elementary schools," said MacDonald.
"The laptops are a co-operative way of educating.
"It blows open the doors in all aspects of educating the kids. They focus on what they are doing, not on the process.
The Apple technology is intuitive to them."
Former teacher Robert Kennedy is now education manager for
Apple Canada and was part of the contingent from the computer
manufacturing team of experts who led the day-long seminar
promoting the link between computers and curriculum.
Apple works within the government curriculum and helps
teachers look for applications that will engage students in
building and using knowledge, said Kennedy.
Kennedy says teachers and students will be able use the
multi-media features on the MacBook to make presentations,
create projects and make movie vignettes.
They can even use the built-in web camera to conference with other students in remote classrooms.
