Showbie in the Classroom: The Simple Way 5th Grade Teacher Kelly Turcotte Organizes and Engages Her 1:1 Classroom

When Kelly’s school went 1:1 with iPads, she was excited to find a shortcut that would enrich her students’ classroom experience even more. Good technology has given me a whole new area with which to share learning with my students, she explains. [It has] allowed me to take them far beyond the four walls of my classroom.

To optimize her classroom’s newfound technology, Kelly looked for apps that were simple to grasp and applicable for a variety of lessons. To get a bigger bang for her buck, she also wanted technology that worked with every subject she taught to keep all of her classwork organized in one place throughout the school year.

When she was introduced to Showbie, her and her co-teacher Cameron were impressed by the number of apps and assignments that were compatible with its paperless workflow, and even more so by how their students responded to it.

In addition to keeping her classroom organized, Kelly is continually surprised by the results of removing paper. “We have been 95% paperless this year, and we haven’t had a single missing assignment for two years — from fifth graders!” She explains. “I also don’t have kids with messy backpacks or lockers. There are no lost assignments or no extra copies. Even the least organized student can’t help but be organized.”

The stress of worrying about lost assignments or homework is something of the past for Kelly’s students. They now receive electronic notifications when they get assignments or when their assignments are graded, all without worrying about handouts or losing graded papers on the way home. Parents also appreciate the fact that they can simply log into their child’s Showbie account to view their progress. Kelly also notes the time she saves:

Kelly is proud to say that integrating technology in her 1:1 classroom with Showbie has yielded positive results. Rather than worry about things she can’t control, she’s able to devote more time to developing her students’ learning while interacting with them in an environment free from the threat of dogs eating homework, water-stained assignments and other colourful excuses for lost paper.