Technology is best when it brings people together
Technology at the American School of Recife is made to simplify the way we do things, and so students, faculty, and staff can benefit from the integration of technology in learning.
Teachers are used to taking great advantage of technology in the classrooms and improving the teaching experience and also helping EAR’s students learn better.
The school uses computers, Chromebooks, laptops to accomplish specific educational tasks at school. Students can use computers to learn various skills ‘like’ typing, grammar, essay writing, and they can also use the Wi-Fi internet to enhance their learning abilities. This internet can be accessed for free across the campus, so this enables the student to learn individually while using their devices. Students use the internet for research and educational purposes, non-educational websites are blocked. This ensures good usage of the internet at school.
We have a 2-1 iPad/student ratio for our PreK-4 – Kindergarten students.
There is a 1-1 Chromebook/student ratio for 2nd-5th graders.
Students in grades 2-5 are taught how to navigate the Google platform and have personal email accounts. Additionally, there is a computer lab with 25 desktop computers that students in Pre-K 4 -Grade 5 visit once a week.
The EAR mainly uses the following platforms for learning:
myON digital book library contains thousands of enhanced and age-appropriate titles for PreK-12, is dynamically matched to each individual learner’s interests, grade and reading level. Available 24/7 year-round. myON provides unlimited access to a broad collection of authentic digital texts that are available for online and offline reading.
IXL Learning is a cloud-based service which can be accessed via Android and iOS, and through its web-based interface. It offers content for math, English language arts, science, Spanish and social studies for K-12 students. Practice questions are often used in conjunction with classroom learning and assignments.
Elefante Letrado is a reading platform designed to instill reading habits, comprehension, and literacy in children from kindergarten to elementary school. With hundreds of digital childrens’ books, arranged at different levels of proficiency, its collection includes renowned authors as Ziraldo, Monteiro Lobato, among others. The tool allows student makes his path of reading, advancing at different levels as he reads and does the practice activities.
Raz-Kids is a teaching product that provides comprehensive leveled reading resources for students. With eBooks offered at 29 different levels of reading difficulty, it allows students to listen to, read at their own pace, and record themselves reading. Kids can access their leveled text through an interactive learning portal designed to keep them motivated and engaged.
Spelling City aims to improve mastery of vocabulary words, present engaging spelling practice, and create fun phonics games for kids to help them develop an effective vocabulary instruction.
Seesaw is a classroom app where students use built-in multimodal tools to capture what they know in Seesaw’s digital portfolio. They explore a variety of powerful and intuitive tools (like draw+record, collage, video, and more!) to show what they know in the way that works best for them.
ABCya is teacher-created and free educational computer games and mobile apps from Pre-K to Grade 5. The grade level categories are broken down by content categories: Letters, Numbers, Skills (shapes, social studies, art), Strategy and Holidays. It is a destination for elementary students that offers engaging learning activities.
EAR uses the following platforms for learning assessment
Fundação Cesgranrio is an educational institution that works in the areas of assessment exams in Brazil, as well as being part of the organizing committee of the National High School Examination (Enem). At EAR, it is responsible for applying the test in Portuguese proficiency.
ERB WrAP test is a direct measure of student writing achievement and serves as a tool to help classroom teachers pinpoint specific strengths and weaknesses of their students’ written expression. |
MAP Growth is the most trusted and innovative assessment for measuring achievement and growth in K-12 math, reading, language usage, and science, which every student gets a unique set of test questions based on responses to previous questions. It precisely measures growth and proficiency—and provide insights to help tailor instruction. |
WIDA is one of the most trusted and valued resources in supporting the education of multilingual learners. They offer a comprehensive, research-based system of language standards & assessments. EAR currently uses WIDA’s assessments to decide whether an incoming student in Grades 1-12 would benefit from language support services as well as for interim progress monitoring. |
EAR uses the following college-focused platforms
Through The Virtual High School‘s unique network of schools, students, educators, and parents gain access to student-centered online education within a high-quality, collaborative learning environment. Students benefit from access to highly-qualified faculty and innovative curriculum within diverse global classrooms. |
Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. American colleges and universities may grant placement and course credit to students who obtain high scores on the examinations. |
Naviance allows students to create a personalized plan that helps them make the right decisions throughout their academic journey. By matching students to colleges based on students’ interests and goals, and comparing admissions rates at students’ top college choices, the Naviance tools allow students and families to make informed decisions. |
Jupiter Ed is a Learning Management System, Gradebook, Learning Analytics, and Student Information System for K-12 and higher ed. This plataform lets parents and students check current grades in every class with one individual log in, which you can check from an internet browser and through your smart phone anytime. Teachers upload grades and assignments to Jupiter Grades on a weekly basis and save time on grade entry, attendance, and classroom management. Students are reminded of missing work, and parents receive grade alerts. It is a powerful and friendly tool that makes teaching and learning easier for everyone at EAR. |
Rubicon Atlas is a curriculum design and management system used by schools around the world. It provides detailed reporting to help schools achieve curriculum goals. Teachers using Atlas develop their own unique curriculum, easily align to standards, and quickly share classroom best-practices with their colleagues. |
How was your life before technology took over?
Daniel Holanda
IT Coordinator
The American School of Recife
daniel.holanda@ear.com.br