Today I, alongside one of my colleagues, had the honour of making a presentation to our local Rotary Club for their generous donation to Gordon Greenwood. Earlier this year, the Club provided us with the funds to purchase our first 10 iPads and get our technology program off the ground for our special needs students.
Before tonight, I'd never been to a Rotary meeting, and to be honest, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. I hadn't anticipated the "community" aspect of our role in this project and presenting in front of so many esteemed community members. Though we were likely the youngest people in the room, we were instantly welcomed as peers and equals. The inviting smiles and warm conversation occurred not only through our complimentary meal, but throughout the rest of the evening.
The most important part of the meeting, though, was our presentation about how technology has impacted our school. Our students are engaged and excited about going to Learning Assistance. Kids who have difficulties with reading, writing, and math are getting the adaptations they need in order to be successful at school. Previously resistant teachers are jumping on board after seeing the positive results of iPad implementation in the Resource Room. A small grant from a local community club was turned priceless in the hands of passionate educators, a team of educators I am proud to say I've been a part of.
Bringing this success story back to the community members that made this possible was also priceless. A comment from Langley City's mayor sat with me at the end of the Club's meeting. I may be paraphrasing, but in a nutshell, he said that any community outreach is fundamentally ineffective without passionate implementation behind it. I agree 100%. It's not enough for schools or outside agencies to buy technology just for the sake of having it in the hands of students - passionate people who believe in authentic and creative learning is equally as important to have as the hardware itself.
Before tonight, I'd never been to a Rotary meeting, and to be honest, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. I hadn't anticipated the "community" aspect of our role in this project and presenting in front of so many esteemed community members. Though we were likely the youngest people in the room, we were instantly welcomed as peers and equals. The inviting smiles and warm conversation occurred not only through our complimentary meal, but throughout the rest of the evening.
The most important part of the meeting, though, was our presentation about how technology has impacted our school. Our students are engaged and excited about going to Learning Assistance. Kids who have difficulties with reading, writing, and math are getting the adaptations they need in order to be successful at school. Previously resistant teachers are jumping on board after seeing the positive results of iPad implementation in the Resource Room. A small grant from a local community club was turned priceless in the hands of passionate educators, a team of educators I am proud to say I've been a part of.
Bringing this success story back to the community members that made this possible was also priceless. A comment from Langley City's mayor sat with me at the end of the Club's meeting. I may be paraphrasing, but in a nutshell, he said that any community outreach is fundamentally ineffective without passionate implementation behind it. I agree 100%. It's not enough for schools or outside agencies to buy technology just for the sake of having it in the hands of students - passionate people who believe in authentic and creative learning is equally as important to have as the hardware itself.
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