Jennifer Robbins has been working in Downey for 27 years and is the district’s director of elementary education, as well as an Apple Learning Coach. For example, by the end of first grade, students will be able to record video using the camera on iPad, and by the end of second grade, they will be able to build on that skill to combine video with photos and audio in iMovie. Every week, a new Everyone Can Create project is featured and distributed to educators, and the district technology team has created a digital fluency deck to give its teachers technology goals for students based on grade level. This year, as a result of the Apple Learning Coach program, the district’s coaches are deepening their use of Apple’s Everyone Can Create resources. They’re not just trying to get the assignment done - they’re really enjoying the process.” Every time we visit the schools, the kids can’t wait to tell us about the podcast they’re finishing or show us the cover they designed for one of their projects. “And then the kids are taking off with it - they’re so excited. “We work with teachers to identify new ways their students can demonstrate what they’ve learned beyond the use of a worksheet or simply writing an essay,” says Luevano. Her role as an instructional technology coach at Downey Unified brings her into the district’s elementary schools, where she helps teachers re-imagine how they use Apple technology to supercharge lessons. Marnie Luevano was certified as an Apple Learning Coach last year. Upon completing the program, each Apple Learning Coach comes away with an actionable coaching portfolio they can begin using immediately.
DOWNIE FREE DOWNLOAD HOW TO
Through a mix of self-paced lessons and virtual workshops with Apple Professional Learning Specialists, each Apple Learning Coach gains a deeper understanding of how to support teachers in the classroom as they integrate technology into learning.
To date, Downey has 15 certified Apple Learning Coaches, with an additional five educators currently enrolled in the program. In addition, a cornerstone at Downey is that all educators are provided professional learning opportunities - and since it launched in 2021, this includes Apple Learning Coach. For example, each school has an Innovation Lab with coding, robotics and green screen film projects, and Student Tech Squads provide leadership opportunities where older students mentor younger students and facilitate district-wide creativity and innovation competitions. Fast forward to today, and all elementary schools provide an iPad to every student and, since the pandemic, middle schools are also 1:1 with iPad.ĭowney follows the coherence model, where all schools have the same access to technology, education, tools and services. More than 10 years ago, the district began using iPod touch to aid with reading fluency for English language learners. Additionally, Apple Learning Coach is expanding to 12 more countries, in addition to the United States, by the end of the year.ĭowney Unified is home to 22,000 students from transitional kindergarten through grade 12 across 22 schools, including eight Apple Distinguished Schools.
More than 1,900 educators have already completed the program in the United States, and the next cohort is now accepting applications through 30 May. At the centre of this transformation is a group of educators who have applied their knowledge from the Apple Learning Coach program to rethink how teachers and students approach their studies.Īpple Learning Coach is a free professional learning program that trains instructional coaches, digital learning specialists and other coaching educators to help teachers effectively use Apple technology in the classroom. “It’s exciting - there’s never a boring day here, and that’s because our kids are immersed in learning environments that are truly dynamic.”Īcross the district, students are using Apple technology to create projects as varied as podcasts with GarageBand, animations with Keynote and movies with Clips - and these changes are reshaping classrooms. “There’s a buzz,” says Allison Box, principal at Lewis Elementary School.
Something transformative is happening in the Downey Unified School District in Southern California. The professional learning program expands to 12 additional countries this year A California school district brings creativity to life with Apple Learning Coach
0 kommentar(er)
