Tag Archives: Technology

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Bob Evans Fundraiser: A step in the right direction

Beaver Local School District is hosting a community fundraiser at Bob Evans on Monday, February 20th from 6 am to 9 pm. 15% of your bill will be donated to BL.

 

Beaver Local School District is hosting a community fundraiser on Monday, February 20 from 6 am to 9 pm. Bob Evans will donate 15% of each bill to Beaver Local if you have the flyer in hand. It is very important to note that 15% will not be donated from every check just because you ate there. You must let your server know you are there for Beaver Local and show them your flyer. You can bring a paper copy of the flyer or show your server the picture of the flyer at the top of this story for a donation to be made if you do not have a paper flyer.

Beaver Local Schools Superintendent Mr. Eric Lowe came to realize that as of late, our school rivals have been doing fundraisers promoting businesses in our local area. He thought that by doing a fundraiser at Bob Evans, he could not only benefit the business but benefit the school too. All the funds from the fundraiser will be going directly to benefit the students of Beaver Local, with application ranging from buying google applications for student iPads or even as far as 3-D printers.

Mr. Lowe was an elementary teacher, then a principal, and now superintendent at BL.

 

Mr. Lowe has been at Beaver Local for years. He was first an elementary teacher then he became principal in 2014. This year was his first year being superintendent and he has many future goals for the school district. One goal Mr. Lowe has for the district is to better utilize technology in the district. Beaver Local students are already exposed to some of the best educational technology out there, but he believes there is always more we can be doing and learning. Mr. Lowe also is passionate about creating a school where kids want to run into the building to learn in a meaningful and fun way. Mr. Lowe wrote a book called Your School Rocks with coauthor Ryan McLane which it discusses ways in which social media can positively affect schools. The book also explains how social media use by school districts can show outsiders the hard work and dedication happening inside a school.

Mr. Lowe’s book “Your School Rocks” can be purchased on Amazon and highlights social media use in schools.

 

Mr. Lowe’s passion for education can be seen all throughout Beaver Local and is even being spread to other educators across the country through his conference presentations and book. Only time will tell what impact Mr. Lowe’s optimism and passion will really bring to the district, but this fundraiser is a great way for the Beaver Local community to support the students of the students of Beaver Local.

We hope to see you at Bob Evans on Monday with your flyer in hand to have 15% of your bill donated to Beaver Local School District.

Keep up to date with Mr. Lowe on social media!
Instagram- @EricLowe21
Snap Chat- mrlowe21
Twitter- @EricLowe21
Facebook- Beaver Local Schools

Mr. Lowe recently represented Beaver Local by presenting at the Ohio Educational Technology Conference.

 

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Technology-Based Schooling

It’s been a year and a half since Beaver Local started teaching out of it’s new facility, and with that time, Beaver Local School District has made a successful transition into a more technology driven paperless school.  Each student, whether it is kept at the school or taken home, has their own iPad that is issued by the administration. Not only does the administration provide students with iPads, but they also supply the teachers with them, along with Macbooks to help assist with daily lessons. Classrooms are also equipped with 80 inch televisions and Apple TVs.

Every day, students use their iPads to access notes and assignments their teachers send out. Students can access these resources through two main programs: Blackboard and Google Classroom. With these “internet classrooms” or classroom management systems existing, students can easily contact their teachers and work on assignments when they are absent so they do not fall behind in their studies. These programs also help mimic the management systems used in colleges and universities around the world to help prepare Beaver Local students for their futures. The iPads are not just used for boring, old assignments, but also for fun activities to help students understand content that they are going over in class. Some activities that the iPads are used for are webquests, where the teacher assigns some sort of stimulation for students to work through and making fun videos that go over content that is being learned to share with their class. Students can complete all the traditional paper and pencil based tasks on their iPads but now have the potential for so much more at their fingertips.

Even though students have mixed feelings about the iPads, they will admit to some of the things that they like about them. Alexis Sell, a freshman, likes that the iPads hold more storage than her phone, giving her more room to work on her school assignments and allowing her to take it on the go. Sophomore Hannah Virden commented, “I like that we have full access to all of our assignments in one handy spot. I feel like it keeps me organized and more on task.” Agreeing with her, Bella Sweigard, another freshman, added that she likes that she can keep up with her grades daily.

While the iPads may be useful in many ways, there are some problems that can occur. One problem would be if a student does not have a form of internet connection at home. Those students would then have no way of accessing their assignments, therefore, they would not have a way to submit them. Another problem is students not using their iPads for educational purposes. At any moment during the school day, students can be seen switching off of their assignments and onto things like video games and social media. This means, teachers have to stay diligent while managing their classes to make sure students are really on task. So, yes, while the iPads may be helpful in many different ways, there are still a few things that need to be straightened around.