Campbell Elementary has held a Family Technology Night for the past two years. The technology and family engagement committees work together with our administrator to design a night filled with events that allow parents to see how students are using technology for learning. In this video, I will use the Knowledge Loom Model to examine the elements of technology integration represented at Family Technology Night.
Fliers advertising this event were sent home one week in advance and reminders were sent the day before the event. We hoped that advertising, prizes, Husker football players, and free pizza would encourage many students to attend.
At the front door, families received a passport with each of the sessions listed. Signs were placed throughout the building to guide families to each session. Our principal tweeted about this fun night, and families were able to see pictures.
While families enjoyed pizza, students acted in digital citizenship skits. These skits highlighted the important ethical and legal issues related to technology use.
A librarian from the Lincoln City Libraries attended and shared resources with our families. Families were taught about the many resources available at the library, including access to the internet. This helped improve technology access for our students.
UNL football players attended and read books to the students to stress the importance of reading and hard work. They also shared how they use technology to learn.
Our computer science teacher showed families some of the programs used to teach students how to code. Students also had fun programming robots.
In this session, families were taught how to use web resources from the Campbell Website. This helped ensure that all families had access to resources. Families also had to opportunity to see Math Career Research and Personal Narratives created using Google Classroom. These projects showed examples of purposeful integration of technology.
In the chromebooks session, students shared how they use their chromebooks to learn, another example of purposeful integration. They showed parents how they log into google classroom and shared their work. In addition, students showed how they use the chromebooks for assessments. These assessments help teachers to evaluate their practices and seek out ways to improve.
At the end of the night, students entered their passport cards into a drawing. Students won lost in fun gift packages, Saltdogs tickets, and prize bags from CVS. The prizes for students and donations from area organizations both helped build community relationships.
Our students and families are the reason that we hold family technology night. As I recall students’ excitement that night, it reminds me why we do the hard work that we do. Our students and families deserve it, and it is a privilege to be a part of this process. I believe that this night was a success, due to careful planning. As a result of planning and collaboration, many of the components of the Knowledge Loom Model were present in this family engagement activity.
As Campbell continues to develop in Educational Technology implementation, some areas that we are working on include vision, planning, support, and professional development. Our technology coach and Computer Science teacher have worked closely with administration to refine our vision, planning, and professional development. Teachers have received ample support from administration. I look forward to continuing to lead this process at Campbell, and can’t wait for our next family technology night.
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