TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM
(January 2016) Gabriel Dispenziere is allergic to food (he has eosinophilic esophagitis, a condition in which allergic reactions to food cause inflammation of the esophagus) and can't attend school. He is a fifth grader this year at the Pulaski Street School in Riverhead, NY. His teacher is Torre Falkner. The district has facilitated his attendance by using a VGo, Google Apps, FaceTime and more to allow him to interact with his teacher and classmates and navigate the hallways to his specials.
Gabriel's fourth grade teacher, Robert Shilling, who was named the 2015 News Review's choice for Teacher of the Year, was instrumental in paving the way for Gabriel to attend school by facilitating the use of FaceTime (pre-VGo) to enable Gabriel to attend class virtually by attaching an iPad to a stand with wheels. By upgrading to a robotic VGo, Gabriel has more autonomy and can better interact with his class as a regular student. |
Gabriel 2015 from Sandra Kolbo on Vimeo. |
Classroom Photo Gallery
Ms. Falkner shared some of the photos she has been taking throughout the year which show Gabriel interacting with his classmates and participating in both curriculum and special events. There are photos of a creative teamwork project, reading and writing group time, interactive math, special parties and holiday events, and more. Gabriel even played the drums via FaceTime during the holiday concert.
In the video (above) Ms. Falkner shares some of the other tools and software she uses throughout the day to interact with her class (and Gabriel) technologically through Google Apps, her SmartBoard and other virtual classroom software. |
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