Google tools help enhance learning at Kiski Area schools
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Social studies teachers in Kiski Area School District no longer rely solely upon textbooks and newspaper articles to talk about current events.
Now they can tell students to pull up CNN on their Chromebooks.
Dave Williamson, chairman of the district’s social studies department, said that’s been one benefit of becoming a Google Reference District.
The classification is used to recognize schools that are innovative in their approach to using Google tools in the classroom. Kiski Area is one of 13 Google Reference Districts in Pennsylvania. The Alle-Kiski Valley’s Deer Lakes also is a Google Reference District, as are Baldwin-Whitehall and Mt. Lebanon in the South Hills and the Indiana Area School District.
“Using Google Education tools allows more efficiency for students and allows more communication for faculty,” said Dan Smith, assistant principal of Kiski Area Upper Elementary School.
It started when Google Drive was introduced to teachers so they could share resources among themselves. The faculty soon decided the tool would be valuable for students. After that, Kiski Area switched its email provider to Gmail, allowing students to communicate with teachers outside of school.
Williamson said Google tools are being used to streamline almost every aspect of the district. Google Forms is used to survey students, Sheets is used to keep track of clubs and do inventory, and Docs and Drive are still used by teachers to collaborate on assignments and monitor students’ work.
“We share stuff, and we’re making each other better,” Williamson said.
During the 2013-14 school year, the district began acquiring Chromebooks to use in the science classrooms. Social studies followed suit. By the 2016-17 school year, all students from grades five through 12 had their own Chromebooks, which they carried between classes.
In 2017, the school district hosted a panel discussion featuring students, faculty and administrators to show what they had learned, Smith said. A representative from Google for Education came to provide the keynote address, and representatives of 27 school districts attended.
John Tredoski, the district’s director of technology services and instruction, said the district has been strategic in its approach, buying a large wireless network, building its infrastructure and collaborating with faculty and staff.
Williamson now uses Google tools daily. He said they have transformed his classroom.
“It makes our job more efficient,” he said. “Even when our students are absent, they’re not away from the classroom. There’s just constant communication.”
Smith said Kiski Area will act as a mentor for other schools looking to replicate what it did, while working to further develop its program. Kiski Area is beginning to introduce Chromebooks into elementary classrooms, training students to use the technology at an even earlier age.