Professional Development on Election Day

On Election Day, Saint David’s faculty attended a series of dynamic hands-on workshops, led by members of the tech department and fellow faculty, related to the incorporation of technology tools into their classes. Faculty were introduced to new digital tools, which they had the opportunity to explore hands-on. They discussed how their students might use these tools in ways that could make learning more efficient and/or deepen student understanding.

Among the sessions was one on 3D printing with the MakerBot Replicator, a 3-D printer. During this workshop, faculty experimented with manipulating two-dimensional shapes into 3-D and learned the steps to print an object or design from the computer to the MakerBot Replicator.

A particularly lively session on iPad apps included Sonic Pics, which allows you to take photos and record your voice over the photo to create a story or provide an explanation. Teachers experimented with the app, creating their own visual/audio narratives, and discussed how these might make for great projects, especially in the lower school reading classes.

In addition, there were workshops on online research and databases; and Scratch, a visual programming language developed by MIT, which enables users to create interactive stories, games, and animations. Teachers explored examples of Scratch projects and made their own simple interactive project relevant to their subject areas.

At the same time as these technology related workshops were taking place, our athletics coaches met to discuss the Positive Coaching Alliance workshop they participated in earlier this fall and to plan and refine the upcoming winter sports season.

Today's sessions underscore our commitment to professional development of faculty at Saint David's, STE(A)M initiatives, and our yearlong theme of critical analysis.

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