'Tech It Easy'
From July 13-16, Marian Educational Outreach hosted “Tech it Easy,” a summer day camp for diocesan students in grades 3-12 who benefit from assistive technology.
Assistive technology allows students of various learning needs to discover and create personalized ways of learning that optimize and enhance their classroom experiences.
This goal ties in with the mission of Marian Education Outreach, “a ministry of the Catholic Diocese of Evansville committed to providing opportunities for students with unique learning needs to reach their highest potential while remaining in the Catholic school system.”
This year’s camp, which focused on using iPads and a variety of apps, was held in the Reitz Memorial High School media center, and it was broken into sessions for students in elementary, middle school and high school grade levels. Resource teachers and tech specialists from diocesan Catholic schools directed the camp, which included scavenger hunts and other activities designed to make learning as engaging as possible.
During the camp, elementary school students used the app Pic Collage to create digital poster boards about themselves, and they used apps like Photofunia and Puppet Pals to create other engaging videos and presentations.
High schools students used a “smart pen” and special paper to take recorded notes; they were then able to review their notes and listen to what their teachers had been saying as they wrote.
Students also used an app called Green Screen to create videos of themselves, to which they could add recordings and images. They worked in groups to create video reports using the app, and they used various tools to label and add notes to assignments and projects.
The technology tools incorporated during the camp will provide students with knowledge and resources they can carry into the school year as alternative tools to complete class work. If a student struggles to present in front of his or her classmates, for example, that student could create a video or virtual presentation instead.
“Students who learn differently often need alternative options to demonstrate their understanding of a particular standard or subject content they have learned in the classroom,” said Bart Burke, technology coordinator at Sts. Peter and Paul School in Haubstadt. He taught at this year’s camp and also serves as MEO's social media coordinator.
“Our mission is to teach them how to use several apps so that they can find one or two that they can relate with that will help them be successful in their studies.”
