Todd Miller, our technology integration specialist, had the opportunity to visit each school that Northwestern's staff participated in, and kept a running blog to allow everyone to get a glimpse into what he saw, and the exciting things that were taking place in the classrooms at those schools. Below are some highlights of those visits.

November 2, 2012 - Danville Visit

Today we visited Danville High School. Attending were Mrs. A. Miller, Mrs. Johnston, Mrs. Guest, Mrs. Whaley, Mrs. Temme, Mrs. P. Miller, Mrs. Dill, Mrs. K. Smith, Miss Bullman, Mrs. Waters, Mrs. Stites, Mrs. Gaier, Mr. Simmons, Mr. Hunt, and Mr. Miller.

Danville has 1:1 iPads throughout their high school. They have 5 ipads per classroom for K-8.

We were able to talk with an elementary teacher, a middle school teacher, and a high school teacher. They shared their experiences and how they use iPads in their classrooms.

We also got to visit Danville's Student tech room. What a cool place! Students are the first line of action for any problems other students are having with their iPads. They have a great setup that we are hoping to model.

"I like the fact that students could hear the teacher and watch a short video of the teachers re-working a problem like the homework problems."

Rachele Temme - Northwestern Middle School Teacher

December 7, 2012: Garrett Visit

Today we visited Garrett Schools. Attending were Mrs. Cunningham, Mrs. Moore, Mr. Owings, Mrs. Wallace, Mrs. Ralston, Mrs. Capps, Mrs. Calloway, Mrs. Schaaf, Mrs. Dulmes, Mr. Snoddy, Mr. Simmons, Mrs. Meehan, Mr. Hunt, and Mr. Miller.

Garrett has iPads in K-6 and Macbook laptops in grades 7-12. We visited classrooms in the elementary, middle school, and high school.

We visited Garret-Keyser Middle School. We were able to see the iPads used in a 7th grade Math class. The students were working in centers; all using the iPads. Some were completing an assignment on My Big Campus, some were completing a test using pencil and paper to show work, but inputting grades on the iPads. Others were working on Math apps.

We also visited a 7th grade Social Studies class. They were listening to a “lesson” on their headphones individually. They were then to complete a worksheet on the iPad.

One of the most beneficial parts of the trip was the question and answer time with a few teachers during their prep period. Overall they were very happy with the iPads. It should be an exciting venture for Northwestern…as usual.

It was the first time I felt "I can do this...I WANT to try this", instead of "how in the world is this ever going to work?"

Terry Moore - Northwestern Elementary Teacher

December 11, 2012: Eastern Visit for Administrators

Today we visited Eastern Schools. Attending were Mr. Remaly, Mrs. Bilkey, Mr. Davis, Mr. Owings, Mr. Gish, Mrs. garrison, Mr. Simmons, and Mr. Snoddy.

December 14, 2012: Bluffton Visit

Today we visited Bluffton Schools. Attending were Mrs. Longgood, Mr. Robinson, Mr. Remaly, Mr. Leazenby-Bruce, Mr. Goodrich, Mr. Koetter, Mrs. King, Mrs. Gabriel, Mrs. Priday, Mrs. Taylor, Mrs. Dye, Mr. Betzner, Mr. Simmons, Mr. Spence, Mr. Hunt, and Mr. Miller.

On our Bluffton 1:1 visitation the principal showed us numerous classrooms where students were using their iPads. Centers were being utilized in one primary room. Kindergarten students were working on an app with phonemic sounds such as "at" and adding the beginning letter to make the word their teacher was saying. A first grade class was working through apps that had been individualized to address weaknesses found through testing. Some students showed us their video projects, and others were working on researching various reference tools on their iPads. All of the teachers were enthused about the use of this tool in their classes.

We visited Bluffton Middle School to observe their implementation of iPads in the classroom. We were amazed by the success the school was having with the devices. As we talked with the students, they showed us all of the assignments they were doing with their iPads. Some of the assignments included creating an iMovie for a Social Studies project, turning in homework online for Science, and using an iBook created by their Language Arts teacher. We are excited for our students to have these opportunities when Northwestern goes 1:1!

"After using a classroom set of iPads and seeing what the 1:1 will provide for student access to content, I am excited and ready to launch my curriculum into the digital world!"

Jeremy Leazenby-Bruce - Northwestern Middle School Teacher

January 8-9, 2013: Apple Visit

These two days we visited Apple Headquarters in Chicago. Attending were Mr. Remaly, Mr. Troyer, Mr. Davis, Mrs. Sinnamon, Mr. Owings, Mrs. Smith, Mrs. Garrison, Mr. Burkhalter, Mr. Simmons, Mr. Snoddy, Mr. Hunt, and Mr. Miller.

January 25, 2013: Eastern Visit

Today we visited Eastern Schools in Greentown. Attending were Mrs. Cannon, Mrs. O'Neal, Mrs. Cannon, Mrs. A. Miller, Mr. Inskeep, Miss Shrock, Mrs. Hullinger, Mrs. Bowen, Mr. McDonald, Mrs. D. Smith, Mrs. McCool, Mrs. Thomas, Mrs. Maynard, Mr. Burkhalter, Mrs. Graves, Mrs. Davis, Mrs. Eller, Mr. Simmons, Mr. Spence, Mrs. Meehan, and Mr. Miller.

We visited middle school and high school teachers at Eastern Jr./ Sr. High School. They gave us helpful tips for managing iPads in the classroom, and they suggested apps such as Screen Chomp and Educreations. We observed students using iPads, and the ones who spoke to us made it clear they are aware of the school’s rules and policies for proper usage.

"I enjoyed the enthusiasm of the students. Some students could barely contain themselves they were so excited to share information and apps with us!"

Darvenia Smith - Northwestern Elementary Teacher