Technology at ISP

“By having computers in the classroom, the students can be in charge of their own learning and their own success.”
– First grade Japanese Teacher Akiko Grimm.

At International School of Portland technology is an integral part of student learning. Our students gain the skills needed to effectively use technology and to adapt to new applications and devices. These skills are crucial in today’s world where technology is an important part of professional and personal interactions.

“Children need technology skills to be functional and competitive in this world. Technology is like another language that is all around them. It’s important for them to develop a level of fluency so they can take part in work and social communities.”
– Meg Guerreiro, ISP Educational Technology Specialist 

With the help of ISP’ teachers and our Educational Technology Specialist, students get hands-on experience with relevant resources. Students from Pre-K to fifth grade have many opportunities to interact with computers, iPads, educational applications, Smart Boards, Document Cameras, and the Library Media Center. All activities support the IB units of inquiry and provide students with new tools for exploring and organizing their questions and ideas. For example:

  • In PreK, teachers are using their large-screen iMac computers to share video clips, photos and other resources that support language learning and the units of inquiry. 
  • First graders are using applications like Glogster to demonstrate their learning with multimedia posters, using text, graphics and voice recordings. 
  • Third graders are using Macbooks to research weather systems and create multimedia weather news reports. 
  • Fifth graders use computers extensively to research, analyze data and prepare for their IB Exhibition projects. 
  • Teachers in many classes use iPads and applications such as ShowMe to create short video lessons that allow students to practice independently or at home with their parents. 

“Teaching technology provides a foundation, gets children comfortable, and lets them develop the intuition to go to any application and figure it out. So it’s not just about knowing how to use Glogster or VoiceThread. Every application they use gives them more intuition and makes it easier to figure out applications they may need in the future.”
– Meg Guerreiro, ISP Educational Technology Specialist

For all grade levels, our Librarian has put together virtual collections of resources that have been pre-screened and support each unit of inquiry. The library Smart Board allows students and teachers to create, explore, manipulate and share lessons and projects instantly. The list of opportunities to use technology goes on and continues to grow as the school further advances its technological infrastructure.

“On the Sesame Street sites I can find things that are linked to our IB units of inquiry. Using the SmartBoard is fun, and it gives the kids another way to acquire vocabulary. They like to participate, and they are learning to respect the technology and to use it very carefully.”
– ISP Early Childhood Spanish teacher Celina Gutierrez

“I can get my ideas out easier when I use a mind map on the iPad. I can write the topic sentence of each part that I need to tell, which really helps me organize my thoughts.”
– Fifth grade student Gigi of using iPads in English class

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