DigiTechTeach

  • Berkeley Unified School District

Introducing Technology with Buddies

February 5, 2018

This DigiTechTeach blog is a testament to the many powerful ways technology is boosting students’ learning in Berkeley. Although the Chromebook carts primarily live in third through fifth grade classrooms at the elementary level, second grade students are being introduced to technology and building foundational tech skills. Some second grade classes are even buddying up with fourth and fifth graders.

Caroline Brooks who teaches second grade at John Muir Elementary and serves as the site’s Tech Teacher Leader put together a master schedule for John Muir staff listing when Chromebook carts are usually used by the grades 3-5 teachers. Now John Muir’s K-2 teachers know when the carts are available and can implement tech-infused activities. Caroline also put together a presentation for teachers filled with helpful links for getting started.

Her 2nd graders now have “tech buddies” in Alessia Cook’s 5th grade class. Alessia’s students visit Caroline’s classroom for a half hour every two weeks. The peer mentors have taught the younger students how to log into their Chromebooks and introduced them to Typing Club, a self-paced typing program consisting of typing lessons, games, videos, and tests. The fifth graders are stepping up as teachers, the second graders are learning how to navigate computers, and friendships are forming.

Photos Courtesy of Caroline Brooks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Susan Gatt’s fourth grade students at Rosa Parks have second grade reading buddies that sometimes collaborate on special projects. Just recently her students introduced the 2nd graders to Tynker, a self-paced coding program which students can use to animate their own scenes and characters, solve puzzles, and play games using block coding.

All 3rd – 5th grade students have Typing Club accounts and all elementary students have access to Tynker. Students access these subscriptions using the big blue Clever button on the library webpage and logging in with their students.berkeley.net account. Please reach out to one of us on DigiTech if you’d like to learn more.

– Mia Gittlen, K-8 Instructional Technology TSA

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Jessica Lee

Jessica Lee is the Coordinator for Library Services for BUSD and DigiTech lead. Prior to this year, she was a teacher librarian on special assignment supporting elementary schools and the Teacher Librarian at Willard Middle School for 13 years.
Jennifer Nguyen

Jennifer Nguyen is the BUSD TK-8 Instructional Technology Teacher on Special Assignment. She has over 14 years of experience working in both public and private schools, as a classroom teacher and technology integration coach.
Eric Silverberg

Eric Silverberg is a BUSD Teacher Librarian on Special Assignment, supporting libraries and instructional technology and Digital Citizenship. He has over 20 years experience working in public schools, as a classroom teacher, a teacher librarian, an arts coordinator, a drama/music specialist and a digital media teacher.
Mia Gittlen

Mia Gittlen was the BUSD K-8 Instructional Technology Teacher on Special Assignment from 2017-2019. She has taught English and history/social studies for eleven years. She also actively participates in East Bay CUE and the Krause Center of Innovation--two organizations focused on inspiring innovative learning.
Allison Krasnow

Allison Krasnow was the BUSD K-8 Instructional Technology Coordinator and a Teacher on Special Assignment from 2013-2018. She has taught grades 4-8 and is now teaching math at Willard Middle School.

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