How Technology Has Transformed the Classroom
To understand how iPads have transformed the educational experience at ICJA, look no further than Mrs. Chavee Gottlieb’s sophomore year chemistry courses.
In her paperless classroom, students find their pre-lab prep work in their online learning management program, Haiku. From there the students complete the work and submit it online the day of the lab. In the classroom, as Mrs. Gottlieb presents the material on Nearpod, the students follow along with her slides on their own devices. “I can see if their name goes red, they’re not on the right slide,” says Mrs. Gottlieb (so much for day dreaming!).
After a few slides, there is an exercise to apply the lesson. Once the students press “submit,” Mrs. Gottlieb gets immediate feedback for the lesson. She can then either explain the material in another way or move on.
Students now have all the slides and classroom material to take home and study. They can even log in to follow the lecture if they are at home sick or out of town.
Following are some of the many advantages of technology that Mrs. Gottlieb says she sees in the chemistry classroom:
• Students are more engaged.
• Grades are improving.
• Collaboration has become easier.
• She doesn’t start class by asking, “What was on the board yesterday?” and then put it up all over again.
• The class covers material faster.
• She no longer photocopies papers and keeps track of who missed a lab
• There’s a record of every student who turns in homework.
“Digitizing” her curriculum has taken a tremendous amount of upfront work for Mrs. Gottlieb, but the results, she says, have been worthwhile.
As we rise to the challenge of meeting our students’ needs in the dynamic digital age, we are grateful to have the support of our board and donors like the Natalie Schleifer and Jack P. Schleifer Foundation’s philanthropy to ensure our school is a model of teaching STEM both among Jewish day schools and college preparatory high schools.