Success story

August 6, 2012

To Whom It May Concern,

I have been asked to fill out a ‘success story’ form and have happily done so in this letter.

Two weeks into my summer vacation from my grade 4 class, I was asked to coordinate a
summer program. Raising Leaders is a summer program for students of African Descent that builds upon cultural knowledge and academic skills. I soon found out that I needed to book our times at the pool and at the Windsor Library as the students went last year and enjoyed both locations very much.

I called the library and was connected with the C@P Site representative, Brian MacGillivray. He as well, was new to his job but was very flexible and creative. Immediately Brian grasped my vision and was well on his way planning appropriate, interactive, technology based lessons.

During the four weeks of the Raising Leaders Program we ventured over to the Library twice a week! With our final research project in mind, Brian exposed our students to Bitstrips, Storybird and Go!Animate. Instantaneously, our students were enthralled and they immediately forgot that they were practicing academic skills. Brian’s direct explanations and guidance made it easy for students to successfully follow along.

A number of the day camp students shared with me that they have logged in to the websites at home. Not only have they shared what the learned with their parents and siblings, they have taught them how they did it. On the flip side, some of my students did not have internet at home and used the C@P Site time to build upon their computer skills, something that will only continue to open doors with
their future learning.

Not only did the day camp students and parents benefit from the program but I too was quick to scribble down each website that Brain introduced; I envisioned my grade 4 class using each of the websites in various ways. I fully support the use of online learning as a means to engage students. The need to stay current and innovative is significant and technology offers these benefits. My aspirations
to further captivate my students and guide my teaching are the reasons I use a Smartboard in my classroom and have enrolled in a Masters of Education program with a focus in technology.

I feel the C@P Site program supported my students by offering differentiation. The non-traditional research project practiced skill development and of course, encouraged learning by bringing learning alive. Students were able to choose a topic that was relevant to them, connect and build upon it which makes their learning more memorable!

The C@P Site Program is a fantastic program with many benefits. It has the opportunity to shape the minds of tomorrow’s leaders; we will definitely be back next year!

Sincerely,
Rebecca Madden
Raising Leaders Summer camp 2012 Coordinator