Sachem Schools Using Technology To Visit Other States, Countries

Students at Waverly Avenue and Gatelot Elementary Schools have been traveling America and the world the entire school year.

And here’s the best part … they haven’t logged a single mile in the air.

Thanks to modern technology with SMART Boards, Skype and a little intuitiveness on the part of staff members, Sachem children are gaining a plethora of experience with multicultural communication.

Just the other day fourth graders at Waverly were online for an hour with students from North Carolina as they battled in a friendly science competition, launching ping pong balls via catapults. Afterwards they asked each other questions about the weather, when school was ending in June and arbitrary tidbits about school colors and mascots.

“We don’t get to see people from other states very often,” said Waverly fourth grader Jerry Duckett. “I’ve never met someone from North Carolina before.”

“I like to see different people’s cultures and how other people act,” said Anthony Saitta, also in fourth grade at Waverly.

Students have communicated with classes from as far off as Norway, Austria and Madrid to St. Louis, California, Texas, Louisiana and made other across the continental United States. A giant board sits in the main corridor at the elementary schools pinpointing their exact travel destinations. 

“My goal is to have the students be aware of what is going on around the world.  I want them to feel connected and that they can make a difference,” said Kelly DeMato, an ancillary who works at both buildings. “I want the students to think back five, ten, or even fifteen years from now and remember this experience.”

Teachers have also been using Twiducate, a social networking site similar to Twitter but strictly for educational purposes.

“The catapult session was another great example of how free technology can be used in an educational setting to enhance the curriculum and engage our students,” said Waverly Principal Dennis Kelly. “Skype is a great way to extend the classroom to parts of the world that many students will never get to experience.”