Palos 118 schools Palos 118 participate in annual tech demo at state capitol

Palos 118 schools were among approximately 95 schools statewide that took part in the Illinois Computing Educators (ICE) annual TECH 2016 event on May 10 at the Illinois State Capitol building in Springfield.

Students demonstrated to the public, elected members of the Illinois State Senate, and the House of Representatives how technology is being used in the classrooms to improve student achievement. Computer workstations were set up in the Capitol Building Rotunda so students could show how technology has helped them improve their schoolwork. “Tech 2016 was a wonderful opportunity for students to demonstrate how they incorporate technology into their classrooms,” said Ms. Deborah Balayti, Palos 118’s Director of Instructional Technology. “They enthusiastically explained their projects, and I was proud our schools took an active role in such a memorable event.”

Representing Palos East was teacher Ms. Kristi House and fifth graders Luke Kalcheim, Lorelei Jager, and Nina Pietila. They presented ”Project Based Learning Using STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), addressing the problem of Chicagoland’s decreased population of endangered species. Using internet research and online presentation formats like Prezi and Google Docs to promote student collaboration and enhance instruction, students developed solutions and ways to share them with the general public.

Fourth graders Nicholas Diliberto, Rebecca Lacina, Miguel Segovia with their teacher Ms. Toni Hotzfield from Palos West presented “Tinkering with Time.” They demonstrated how their class incorporates a Makerspace – a collaborative learning environment where students share materials and learn new skills – in their classroom on a daily basis.

Representing Palos South was Mrs. Deb Buyan, Mrs. Ann Marie Ruprect, and sixth graders Karol Para and Karsyn Williams. Karol demonstrated app smashing; embedding several apps into a Prezi presentation, and Karsyn demonstrated Stop Motion and Moovly online animation software.

TECH 2016’s purpose 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. TECH 2016 is a not-for-profit initiative presented by ICE, and is supported by education and business organizations.