Botha School Principal Mike Flieger and students Emma Nixon, left, and Bella Cook presented Clearview trustees with examples of how classes are using Google Chromebooks and Google Apps for Education to complete school work and produce projects. Emma and Bella explained how they produced videos using ‘green screen’ technology, which superimposes a subject over a virtual background to create a video effect. ECA Review/D.Johnston
Students Emma Nixon and Bella Cook of Botha School visited Clearview School trustees to explain how using Google Chromebooks along with Google Apps for Education has improved their classroom experience.
The two attended the Clearview School Board meeting Oct. 8 with Botha School Principal Mike Flieger to showcase their scholastic achievements with the new technology implemented this school year.
As Principal Flieger explained, students have more flexibility to work at their own pace with the Chromebooks as lessons and related sources, like videos or news links, are uploaded for student access. The student completes the lesson and then has the option to work ahead on the next lesson.
Once a student has completed their daily work in core subjects, they can then choose to work on a personal project.
Emma and Bella chose to develop a video using ‘green screen’ technology. The two used an outer space theme for the green screen background and overlayed images to create one video.
Using the Chromebooks has allowed Flieger to source local, relevant and current information for use in lessons, which Flieger favours over textbooks that have more general, broader information.
Numbers up for schools
Enrollment has increased in the school division by 36 students above the 2015/16 projections, according to Associate Superintendent Peter Neale.
The majority of the increase is at the kindergarten level with 26 new students and is primarily from people moving into the area.
Schools seeing the increase include Erskine, Donalda, Gus Wetter and Botha.
Excelling students
Students in the Clearview School Division continue to achieve higher results than the provincial average according to the provincial achievement tests for Grade 6 and 9.
Deputy Superintendent Brenda MacDonald reported that student’s results exceeded the provincial acceptable level and, in some cases, the excellence level in English language arts, math and science.
As well, MacDonald reported that Clearview has one of the highest graduation completion rates at 81.5 per cent, above the provincial average of 76.4 per cent.
