Ontario Class Uses BYOD for Project-Based Learning
An
elementary
school teacher in Tecumseh, ON, has embraced mobile devices in his classroom and recently became one of just 15 Canadian teachers
named a Microsoft
Innovative Educator Expert for his efforts. Andre Quaglia, who heads three
academic
departments at the Tecumseh
Vista Academy, received the honor in large part
because he decided not to be the kind of teacher he had when he was in
school.
"When
I was in
school, the teacher would always say, 'Put that away,'"
Quaglia told the Windsor Star recently. "I
realized early in my teaching practice, if that's a learning tool I
could be
using in my classroom, why not let the students use it."
That's
why
Quaglia is perfectly happy to let his students use their smartphones,
tablets
and laptops in his classes. As an example, in his ninth-grade
Introduction to
Business class, the students are using their devices to virtually design
and
market new products. In recent years, his students have designed
everything
from battery-powered dune buggy cars to board games and water parks.
They
do so by
using Office 365 and by working on projects virtually from home after
school.
"Finding
a way to
extend their learning outside the classroom was the difference for me,"
he
said.
Quaglia
is one of
800 teachers from all over the world this year to be named Microsoft
Innovative
Educator (MIE) Experts. Each year, the company selects teachers who are
making
innovative use of technology in their classrooms and acknowledges them
as
leaders in their academic communities. Microsoft provides them with free
technology tools and professional development opportunities like
webinars and
online learning experiences of their own. In return, the MIE Experts are
expected to share what they learn with other teachers in their schools
and
communities.
A
select group —
which will include Quaglia — will attend the Microsoft in Education 2015
Global
Forum this spring in Redmond, WA.
"This
group of
over 800 teachers represents the best of the best when it comes to using
technology to reinforce critical 21st century skills,"
said a
Microsoft representative in a statement, "and even more important, they're
driving
real impact and outcomes."
About the Author
Michael Hart is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and the former executive editor of THE Journal.