I had the privilege of being invited to the 1st ever Student ED Tech Day at St. Stephen’s last week. The logistics of the event were organized by a group of teachers (Fab Grossi, Laura Bagnara, Melissa Alonzi, and Jason Pacheco) and three students who were part of the District-wide student ED Tech team. Denise Dupuis, an administrator at the school not only supported the event, but ensured that any obstacles would be overcome.
Why a Student-led ED Tech Event?
- To provide the opportunity for students to teach other students about the tech tools they use to learn.
How did it work?
- An invitation was sent out to all students from grades 3-8 to submit a proposal for what they would teach.
- From these, a variety of tools & projects were selected and a schedule was created.
- Each class in the school was invited to come into the Library for approximately 20 minutes to go through the stations based on interest.
- In each case, the students didn’t just show their peers, but got them to co-create something. Here is a sample Animoto created by a grade 4 in just a few minutes.
What was awesome…
The excitement: it was palpable.
Administrative support: The Vice Principal was not only a supporter but a champion of the event. When it was clear that with over 50 presenters and over 100 kids to place, Denise extended the event to two days.
The risk free environment: Teachers accompanying their classes felt safe to peruse and learn as well and the students were really excited to share their learning with them.
The pride and ownership of the student organizers: Bianca, one of the student leads said she had gone around to each class to elicit participation and then organized which devices were needed and who was bringing their own devices. You could tell that she was invested in the success of the event. Kudos to Bianca, Luca, Nicholas, and Vincenzo, YCDSB Student ED Tech leaders!
The Discovery Centre: Here students could play with Augmented Reality (just for fun) or practice a tool they had just learned.
The potential: there is a plan to utilize this same model for a Parent ED Tech Day in the Fall and the school is excited about having this as a yearly event. There was definitely a realization that students are much more capable than we often give them credit.