Day to Day in ECC

Each classroom in the project is equipped with:

-       videoconferencing equipment

-       smart board

-       wireless microphone for school-to-school sharing

-       class set of net books

-       class set of headphones

-       at least three digital cameras

Students engage in four teacher-facilitated videoconferencing lessons a week based on the teacher’s area of expertise and passion. Students participate daily on a shared moodle site; they engage in online literature circles, weekly forums (current events, math logic, reading power deep thinking questions) and collaborate on a year-long inquiry project.

One of the biggest successes of the project has been the increase of motivation and joy of reading that result from several sets of online literature circles throughout they year. The project has ensured that adequate resources exist to compile a rich variety of texts available at each site for these literature circles ranging from novels, picture book, non-fiction, and Aboriginal content to reach a variety of readers. Struggling readers at sites have the opportunity to have audio books purchased when the text appeals to them but is beyond their reading level.

Students, over the course of the year, learn to navigate digital software and learn to create a variety of multimedia content for the purposes of collaboration, sharing across sites,  and demonstrations of learning.

The physical environment varies from class to class, yet all students sit in partners and groups to encourage collaboration. Student generally spread about the classroom and find spaces where they work best during independent practice time. The classrooms have a variety of pillows, student centers, and spaces to accommodate where they best work.