What Makes an iKid? Come to Technology Showcase and Find Out

There's still room to take part in Little Silver School District's Techonolgy Showcase on Feb. 28 and see how our kids are becoming iKids and global citizens through the infusion of technology in the curriculum.

The district will sponsor an interactive evening at for students to show off what they use in the classroom and how all the gadgets and gizmos can be used at home. Parents will accompany their children through nine stations, but with just 20 computers per location, the district asks that parents limit attendance to one child per parent.

The two-hour event, billed as "An evening of 21st Century Learning," is district wide and open to parents with students in grades Pre-K through 8.

The showcase begins at 6:30 p.m. but registration is required to attend. Click here to sign up. You will receive an e-mail confirmation within 24 hours of successful registration.

According to the district's Web site, showcase topics include:

1.    Home/School “Reading” Connection

• Reading Eggs - The Reading Eggs online program focuses on a core reading curriculum of phonics and sight words using skills and strategies  essential for sustained reading success.
• Raz Kids – Raz Kids is an online leveled library used to improve students’ reading skills by listening for modeled fluency, reading for practice, recording their reading, and checking comprehension with quizzes.
• Tumblebooks – TumbleBook Library is an online collection of animated, talking, picture books which teach young children the joys of reading in a format they love.

2.    Home/School “Study” Connection

• Study Island – This web-based program includes instruction, practice, assessment and reporting built from New Jersey’s standards. It also includes rigorous academic content that is both fun and engaging.
• Gmail - These email accounts allow 4th-8th grade students to work collaboratively on GoogleDocs. Gmail also enables online communication between students as well as between teachers and students.
• Spelling City - These online learning activities and games for elementary and middle school students develop spelling, vocabulary, grammar, etc.
• Destiny - This online library resource provides students and parents with at home access to our catalog of books for all students.

3. Gizmos

• Gizmos – This is an online repository of math and science simulations for grades 3-8.

4.    Presentation Creation

• Prezi – This cloud-based application has a zoomable canvas to introduce and present ideas.
• Glogster – This online, interactive, poster program can incorporate text, music and videos.
• Movie Maker – Students create original digital stories using various media elements.

5.    Game Shows with Senteos

• Senteo Clickers – This is an interactive response system whereby students anonymously key in answers to questions with their wireless remote. Responses are immediately tallied on the projection screen, whiteboard, or SMART board.

6.    Creative Connection

• Nursery Rhyme Creation – These online creations promote phonemic awareness skills.
• ToonDoo – With this program, students use their imagination to create online cartoons.
• Storybirds – With this online application, students create short, art-inspired stories to share, read, and print. They read them like books, play them like games, and send them like greeting cards.
• Wordle – This is an online program for generating “word clouds” from student typed text.

7.    SMART Boards

• SMART Board Applications – There are numerous interactive lessons to promote student engagement and
  achievement.

8.    Digital Revolution

• Digital Art Work – Middle School students take digital photographs and use a computer program to digitally enhance the pictures in unique and artistic ways. 4th grade digital photography will be showcased.

9. Medibotics 

• Medibotics – Students who are enrolled in this 8th grade class investigate and learn about engineering, robotics, and how this technology is used in the field of medicine. Students utilize the Engineering Design Process to create a robot that will perform a simulated surgery.