IT Night

Last Thursday we held our first IT Night to introduce parents to the technology that we are using in our classrooms. Many students came along as well, and there were some amazing door prizes, courtesy of the SAC which sponsored the event. Parents were grouped and then visited the TV studio, assistive technology, Smartboard and blogging. In the blog there was a place for parents to comment, and the feedback was great.
Here are a couple of examples: "It has been a great night so far and very informational. It’s nice to see exactly what our children are doing in school. Thank you for organizing this wonderful event." "The kids are farther ahead than most of the parents when it comes to technology. They pick up things quicker."
In reflecting back on this event, the most meaningful aspect of it for me was that theme was not suggested by or organized by the TLLP or me as an IT teacher. To me, this means that there is enough awareness out there in the school and/or the community about the effort we are making to ease our students' path into the 21st century, that the SAC would sponsor this type of event. Choosing technology as the key to increasing parental involvement in the school, and then seeing the enthusiastic response, is very exciting.