Grayslake Middle School to Participate in Annual Tech 2017 Event

GRAYSLAKE, IL - The annual “Students for the Information Age” TECH 2017 event will be held on Tuesday, May 9, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Illinois State Capitol Building in Springfield where hundreds of students and teachers will represent schools from throughout the state. At the event, students will show the public and members of the Illinois State Senate and House of Representatives how technology is being used in the classroom to increase student engagement and improve achievement, according to a news release.

From elementary to the high school classrooms, TECH 2017 highlights the crucial role that technology plays in education – ranging from increases in collaboration and critical thinking to promoting learning beyond the limits of the school day – by creating a space for students to share their learning and innovative uses of devices, the internet, and digital curriculum.

Grayslake Middle School teacher Jennifer Ersler and seventh grade students Noah James and Abigail Black-Mishaan will be taking part in the demonstrations from 1 to 3 p.m. GMS Instructional Coach Italy Wallace will also accompany the group, according to a news release. The students will be demonstrating how Mrs. Ersler uses hyperdocs in her science classes. A hyperdoc is an interactive, engaging, digital unit.

The purpose of TECH 2017 is to raise awareness of the critical role technology plays in preparing students to succeed in today’s world, and to show the need for increased funding for classroom technology. Students will demonstrate for lawmakers and the public the creative ways technology is being used to enhance and accelerate student achievement in Illinois schools today.

“Personal devices, the internet, and digital content are the enabling tools of the modern learning environment, expanding the boundaries of the classroom while promising to transform all aspects of learning: teachers, students, and parents are provided access to tools and resources that promote accountability, communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking; digital resources and curriculum offer dynamic, engaging, and affordable content to enhance or even replace traditional print-based resources; and blended and flipped classrooms extend the classroom beyond the limits of the school day, promoting increased student-centered and self-directed learning opportunities that put educational resources directly into the hands of students," TECH 2017 Co-Chair Tim McIlvain said.

Photo via GoogleMaps