The Ontario Board of Education met in regular session Tuesday evening, hearing from Stingel Elementary teachers regarding technology implementation in the classroom.
Stingel Elementary Principal Mike Ream introduced the team teachers of a third grade class, Mike Buttil and Alecia Schalmo, noting that the class they teach is “self-contained” and houses students with learning disabilities. He further commented about the teachers: “Both of these folks are homeruns.”
Buttil and Schalmo then proceeded to discuss innovative instruction tools that they use, including Google Drive, ClassDojo, Nooks, and Skype.
Each student within the class has his or her own iPad, which allows for the use of the aforementioned instruction tools.
“On Google Drive, basically you can collaborate with somebody from another computer on the same document,” explained Buttil.
He said that the students use Google Drive for “book talk,” in which the students present on a book they’ve read. “As they’re working, Miss Schalmo and I can actually comment on what they’re doing, while they’re doing it,” he said.
Buttil added, “Instead of them handing in assignments to us, us editing them and handing them back, we’re editing and working with them live, while they’re working on projects, which is saving us a lot of valuable time and getting the kids a lot of help while they need it.”
Google Drive further allows the teachers to collaborate on lesson plans. “We collaborate on lesson plans from our house over the weekend instead having to do it until six o’clock at night on a week night,” said Buttil.
Schalmo discussed another tool the teachers use called ClassDojo, behavior management software, or “a reward system that’s based on positive reinforcement,” said Schalmo.
Students, as well as parents, can access this software via the internet and view their performance reports, which are based on a points system. “It’s good for conferences, too,” said Buttil.
Six Nooks are also available to the students in the classroom. The students can read eBooks on the Nooks and highlight words they may not know, take notes, and ask questions. The teachers, then, can see what notes they take and words they look up, and answer any questions the students list on the Nooks.
“It’s great to be able to give instant feedback on all of these different things that we’re doing,” said Buttil.
One of the final tools the teachers have just recently started using is Skype. Buttil stated that he and Schalmo already have five or six guests lined up, with whom the class will communicate via Skype. The students will ask the guests questions about their profession.
Schalmo added that they may use Skype to connect with classes from different schools so that they may read and discuss books together.
In other board news, the board approved the adoption of a resolution to request that the governor work with the Ohio Department of Education to push Ohio Achievement Assessments (OAA) testing dates back two weeks because of the several school closings and delays that have occurred.
Superintendent Lisa Carmichael noted that the school has already experienced nine school closings, along with numerous two-hour delays. “We really, really need more time to prepare our students adequately,” she said.
Carmichael also addressed a comment that was made during the previous board meeting regarding Board Policy 5430 Class Ranking, stating “My recommendation is not to change the policy this school year.”
“At this time I would feel more comfortable if I turned the matter over to Mr. Smith [high school principal] and he has a BLT team, a building leadership team, that consists of teachers, administrators, and guidance counselors, and allow them to spend the remainder of this year and even the summer looking more into this policy and giving it the due diligence it requires,” Carmichael said.
In executive session, the board approved a three-year agreement among the Ontario Board of Education, the Ontario Federation of Teachers, and the Ohio Association of Public School Employees in which the Ontario District staff will be awarded a one percent stipend in March and September of this year, a one percent base wage increase for the 2015-2016 school year, and a one percent stipend for the 2016-2017 school year.
Treasurer Randy Harvey noted that for the past three years, the district staff has gone without a raise.
