Published on February 10, 2014 | by Jesse Espana Photography by Tiana Gordinho
0Some elementary teachers drop the pen and paper
Not too long ago, the idea of handing a child an iPad in place of pens and paper would have seemed impossible.
While the days of traditional teaching may seem like a safe bet, the shift to technology has allowed for faster and new ways of learning in the classroom.
Patti Gordinho, a third grade teacher at St. Padre Pio Catholic Elementary School in Woodbridge, has seen the differences electronic devices make in her classroom.
“I didn’t expect it to be so simple,” said Gordinho. “You start to get overwhelmed at first but the SMART Board allows you to do everything.”
The school has provided its teachers with SMART Boards, which act as interactive whiteboards, as well as class sets of laptops and iPads.
However, the cost of all this has sparked some hesitation with St. Padre Pio’s principal, Jo-Ann Dawson.
Dawson understands it is one thing to get the technology in the classrooms but keeping them updated is going to prove costly, especially with the amount of devices they’ve brought in.
“We have just about every classroom on par but now the computers and laptops that we got eight years ago are old. It costs a lot of money to keep up…what’s sad is we now have to go back and replace the older devices,” she said.
The principal says a large part of funding for the school’s devices comes from yearly fundraisers, such as the Halloween dance in October, which raised about $10,000 to $15,000 in previous years.
The next step would see students bringing in their own personal devices, a task that will require new policies for the York Catholic District School Board to create.
The Board will need to address concerns surrounding teacher-student privacy within the school as well as property liability for lost or stolen devices.
“Students have to be responsible and understand the dangers that come with these devices and the teachers have to embrace this whole new learning,” said Dawson.
The school’s devices would continue to remain at the school and personal devices would be allowed to travel back and forth with the students.
However, Gordinho has explained that she’s experienced her own classroom malfunctions with the devices in the past.
“I was standing there in the middle of a math test and the SMART Board turned off. I was thinking, what do I do now?” she said.
To her surprise the students simply suggested she resort back to “the old way,” something that Gordinho said reflects how easily her students are able to adapt to new scenarios of teaching.
But both teacher and principal suggest this new learning experience allows for teachers and students to learn together as each have something to offer to the other.
“The kids probably know more than the teachers,” Gordinho says.
“But that’s what is so great about it, everyone is a learner and a teacher,” said Dawson.
St. Padre Pio has a staff of many young, tech savvy teachers, like Gordinho, who are keen to learn and get their students thinking in new and critical ways according to Dawson.
“It’s best for the teachers to make the most of it. It’s going to be very hard to find any kids who don’t want to use these devices,” said Gordinho.
About the Author
Jesse Espana is a third year Media Studies student. Apart from working on becoming a better writer, he fills his time with all things music and technology. As the Radio/Podcast Division head of GuHu Media, Guelph-Humber's student-run media society, Jesse hopes to one day work with a music or technology based publication. Remaining open minded and taking every opportunity as they come is a large part of Jesse's life and he plans to make the most of his post-secondary education.
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