It was exactly three years ago that, in this newsletter, I had the opportunity to acknowledge the accomplishments of a group of CAITs who had been instrumental in their task of raising computer literacy among Greater Essex County students and teachers.
Time passes and we're back at it again. The method by which computer and technology academic support will change for September.
Over the past six years, the GECDSB CAIT program has been instrumental in some monumental system initiatives. The one that is most often noted is the successful implementation of the eTeacher software. How many times has a "One Sheet Wonder" come to the rescue? While report card support may be the most universally visible one, it is but a drop in the bucket.
The support in the classroom for student computer literacy projects made Greater Essex students shine.
The list is impressive:
- all schools with vibrant web presences;
- computer skills continuum;
- multimedia festival;
- clay animation projects;
- interactive reading response journals and book reviews;
- support for StudentVista, School Connect, and Macintosh Manager environments;
- system-wide support for the electronic Program Effectiveness Survey;
- graduation video, presentations, and yearbooks;
- a knowledge of virtually every piece of elementary school licensed software;
- and, of course, the unbridled joy that comes student success from using Hyperstudio in every conceivable manner!
Monthly, they took turns sharing the creative duties in the construction of CAITs' Corner. There was always a straight forward A-Z tip or technique that they wished to share with readers. It seems very appropriate that the very last CAITs' Corner embodies the essence of the program. It's a one sheet prescription for generating a clay animation using Macromedia Flash MX.
As with previous CAITs, these folks will bring incredible value and technological talents to their new placements in September.
The May issue of GEC Computers in the Classroom is the last for the year. I would be remiss if I didn't recognize the talents of Debbie Primeau. She does truly pull it all together and makes sure that deadlines and quality in everything is there. Thanks, Deb.
Finally, Greater Essex County will offer a number of Summer Computer Institutes. If you're looking for some computer activity to beat the heat, check them out. Registration, as always, is done through BookIT.
Have a terrific summer!