Doodle Toy

One free Android app that primary teachers love at Bon Air Technology Academy is the Doodle Toy app. This app scored high ratings in the Google Play Store and has users ranging from toddler to adult! Doodle Toy provides students with a drawing canvas to illustrate their ideas using neon colors. The app is extremely easy to navigate and includes simple writing tools that even our youngest users can easily understand. Some ideas to use this app in the classroom would include:

• Practicing writing letters and numbers
• Writing spelling words to prepare for an upcoming test
• Drawing shapes
• Exploring the concept of symmetry with the symmetry tool
• Drawing for fun during free time or recess
• Identifying colors and using them in drawings
• Class Participation (ask a question, draw on the app and hold up for teacher to see)

Check out some kindergarteners practicing writing the letter C!

Bon Air to Expand 1:1 Technology Program

 

In its effort to continue enhancing the current educational options for Kokomo-Center students, the Board of School Trustees approved a recommendation from Superintendent Jeff Hauswald that included re-opening Bon Air Middle School as a 1-to-1 technology middle school for the 2013-2014 school year. 

Dr. Hauswald explained to the Board that the new 1-to-1 technology school at Bon Air Middle School will allow students, currently attending 1-to-1 technology elementary schools at Bon Air and Pettit Park, a seamless transition in the quality of curriculum and instruction with the use of technology that they are experiencing now.

 

“Future teachers of Bon Air Middle School immediately will begin receiving 1-to-1 technology professional development,” Dr. Hauswald noted. “This training will include collaboration with other 1-to-1 middle schools across the United States with whom Kokomo-Center Schools is currently partners.”

 

While Bon Air Middle School will serve students from Bon Air and Pettit Park elementary schools, Dr. Hauswald reminded parents that under Kokomo-Center’s new choice program, Bon Air Middle School would be open to all students.  Dr. Hauswald added that transportation would be provided for any students residing anywhere in the Kokomo-Center district.

 “The new Bon Air Middle School will be completely renovated and updated with new facilities, modern classrooms, and lots of interactive technology,” Dr. Hauswald said. “These changes will provide students with a tech-rich environment in a small-school setting where their individual interests and needs can best be met.”

 

Assistant Superintendent Pennye Siefert noted that this goal to expand the availability of technology for students is aligned with research related to engaging students, while providing a 21^st Century learning environment for students who will be seeking employment in a changing world full of technology.

 

“This is a new way of thinking, learning, and problem solving both for the teachers and the students,” Mrs. Siefert said. “Professional development will be provided for the teachers moving to Bon Air Middle School so they understand how to integrate technology into the curriculum.”

 Michael Sargent, who served as Bon Air Middle School Principal before becoming the current Central Middle School Principal, believes this is a win-win proposal for the community.

 “One of the greatest strengths at Bon Air Middle School was the community and parental support. The parents and school community took great pride in the neighborhood school at Bon Air,” Mr. Sargent explained. “Opening a Bon Air Middle School Technology Academy provides these students with a neighborhood school that focuses specifically on meeting student needs.”

With this change for the 2013-2014 school year, students from Pettit Park and Bon Air elementary 1-to-1 technology schools will attend Bon Air Middle School.  Students from Elwood Haynes and Boulevard elementary traditional schools will attend Maple Crest Middle School, while students from the Lafayette Park and Sycamore elementary international schools will attend the Central Middle International Magnet School.  In addition, students from the Wallace Elementary School for Integrated Arts will attend Central beginning in the 2014-2015 school year.

 

Parents are reminded that ANY student may apply to attend any program, and transportation is provided for Kokomo-Center residents.  School registration begins in February 2013 for the 2013-2014 school year for all interested Kokomo area families.

Blooming the Bon Air Way

Driving onto Bon Air Elementary's school grounds you might notice rows of Popsicle sticks as you approach the front door or as you turn the corner to exit you might see a large cluster of sticks poking out of the ground in the shape of a paw print. These markers are more than just Popsicle sticks. These markers each have a student name written on it where each student at Bon Air has carefully planted a tulip bulb. All of the students also created their own personal goals for this school year. The goals can be seen posted around the building. Each tulip bulb signifies the way they will continue to grow and improve to try and reach their goal for the year. If you live in the area stop by in the spring to see our flowers growing!

 

 

 

 

 

Veteran's Day Word Clouds

The fourth graders in Mrs. Sale and Mrs. Jensen's class created word clouds for Veteran's Day. As a group we brainstormed adjectives that would describe a Veteran. Students entered those adjectives into Tagxedo.com to create a word cloud. Tagxedo.com offers students the opportunity to change color schemes, fonts, and shapes of their word cloud. This is a good alternative to Wordle.net. In Tagxedo, students saved their word cloud as a JPEG file and uploaded those files to their teacher's Blackboard site. Check out some of the winning designs!

FIRST PLACE!

Caleb Henn

 

SECOND PLACE!

 

Justin Culbertson

 

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Brailyn McClure

 Jesse Lucas

Kayeleb Bolton

 

 Savannah Goodman

 Tiffany Dailey

 Check out www.tagxedo.com

 

 



Casting Our Ballots

For Election Day 2013 students in grades K-5 were given the opportunity to vote in a mock election. Students lined up at the polls ready to cast their ballots. The polling station was set up in our gymnasium just down the hall from the REAL polling booth for our community members. It was great for students to see adults or as students called them "real voters"  before going to make their own voting decisions. :-)

Students were voting for two seperate issues. First students were taking their turn to vote for their candidate for President of the United States. Many students were very educated on their reasons for chosing the candidate that they selected. Our PTO also raised enough money to buy a new set of playground equipment for the upper grade wing of our building. Students in all the grades were able to give their opinion which playground setup they would like purchased for Bon Air. Check out some of our smallest voters to date, Mrs. Houston's kindergarteners!

LINO IT

Lino-it is an online webtool that allows users to post interactive sticky notes and photographs to a collaborative canvas. Students in our classrooms have been using Lino boards to ask their teacher questions, share their opinions, or make predictions about lessons for the day. Lino It allows students to post from their individual device to a group canvas for all other students to be able to view and respond. This is a great site to build collaboration and inquiry in your classroom. Below you will see some of our Lino boards and will also see some third grade students posting information during an assignment. Check out http://en.linoit.com/ to start posting!

 

To get familiar with using Lino, students asked Mrs. Hollingsworth questions. The students questions were in yellow and the answers were in green.

 

Later, Mrs. York used a Lino to post pictures of various graphs. Students looked at the graphs and answered her questions, which were on blue post it notes.

 

 

In fourth grade, Mrs. Sale's class created story problems using yellow post it notes. Then Mrs. Jensen's class accessed the same Lino board from their room and figured out the answers to the problems. They posted their answers in blue.

 

 

 

Third grade students using Lino in their classroom.

New Student Orientation Classes

When new students enroll into the Technology Academy at Bon Air they attend a new student orientation class to get acquainted with their new computing device. Students meet with Mrs. Hollingsworth, the technology coach, and together they learn log in procedures, how to access various printers, opening certain applications and programs, and they discuss basic care and handling procedures along with cyberbullying concerns. After attending this orientation the new students earn their Digital Driver's License. Check out these kids during their orientation class!