Teachers from more than a dozen Catholic schools throughout the Diocese of Grand Rapids gathered on August 10, 2017, for the third annual iCamp -- an event that connects 6th through 12th grade educators with each other to spread innovative ideas.
Through iCamp, teachers provide professional development for each other by presenting new lessons they've designed, material they've learned from recent workshops, or conference presentations they've given. iCamp is designed by the participants; the event begins with attendees offering their ideas for the day's sessions and each participant deciding which sessions to attend.
Presentations included the use of an HTC Vive virtual reality system to take students on a simulated journey through the bloodstream, made possible by a mini-grant from the Lena L. Allgeier Technology Fund of the Grand Rapids Foundation for Catholic Secondary education (read more about it here). Additionally, another teacher presented about having students write grants to build their own drones. Another teacher presented about her trip to Israel to further her own knowledge of the Holocaust. Accountable talk and design thinking were more topics covered at iCamp.
Educators at the 30 Catholic schools in the Diocese of Grand Rapids provide outstanding personalized learning experience known to boost academics. Research shows that students who attend Catholic schools have higher test scores and are more likely to graduate high school, earn scholarships, and attend college than their peers in other school types. Higher achievement opens new earning potential and opportunities over a lifetime. Learn more about our Catholic schools here.