During Wakelet Community Week 2024 we were thrilled to have the team from Middlesex County School District join us to give administrators and educators in attendance an inside look at how Wakelet is transforming education at district level and how they implemented Wakelet at scale.
The insights shared in this session and blog can be applied to individual schools, classrooms, and various learning communities. The focus is on how Wakelet can make a significant impact on educational environments.
Nicole Huntley, a Technology and Instructional Coach from Middlesex County School District shared her experiences on how Wakelet is being used across her district to engage students and achieve educational goals.
The Middlesex County Journey with Wakelet
Identifying a platform
Nicole and her team began their Wakelet journey at the start of the school year. They were on the lookout for a digital portfolio platform suitable for grades 3-12 that could showcase student work, year over year. After evaluating several platforms, Wakelet stood out for its user-friendly interface and aesthetic appeal.
The administrative and instructional teams at Middlesex County set clear expectations for the use of Wakelet across the division. They focused on integrating local alternative assessments and performance-based assessments in core subjects like Science, History, and Language Arts.
Professional Development and Implementation
Wakelet provided division-wide professional development sessions in early August, catering separately to elementary and middle/high school teachers due to their varied needs. Nicole, as the Instructional Technology Resource Teacher (ITRT), then developed a plan to make Wakelet implementation seamless for teachers, starting with monthly newsletters to highlight new programs and tech tips.
Customizing Wakelet for Middlesex County
Nicole worked closely with Melissa Kryzer, their Customer Success Manager at Wakelet, to customize the platform to meet their district’s needs. They designed core collections for Science, Social Studies, and Language Arts, ensuring a consistent look across the district. Nicole also created templates for student profile banners, allowing students to personalize their portfolios.
Step-by-Step Student Onboarding
Nicole’s onboarding process was detailed and methodical:
- Creating Banners: Students first created personalized banners using Canva. Nicole shared a template and guided them through adding personal touches that represented their interests and activities.
- Setting Up Collections: Students then set up their core collections. Nicole provided step-by-step instructions to ensure uniformity and ease of use.
Examples of Student Work: Nicole showcased examples from each school level:
- Elementary: Projects included Virginia maps and recycling initiatives.
- Middle School: Google Slides presentations on government branches.
- High School: Primarily writing assignments uploaded from Google Drive.
Expanding and Future Plans
The success of this initial rollout has set the stage for further expansion:
- Senior Transition: Helping seniors transfer their Wakelet accounts to personal accounts for future use.
- Art Integration: Collaborating with art teachers to include more art projects.
- High School Engagement: Increasing involvement with high school science and social studies.
- Onboarding New Students: Ensuring new third graders and incoming students are onboarded smoothly.
- Including Rubrics: Adding assessment rubrics alongside student projects.
This comprehensive approach from Middlesex County School District highlights how other districts can implement and utilize the Wakelet platform to enhance their digital portfolio capabilities.
If you’re interested in seeing how your school or District could implement Wakelet then check out the Wakelet School and Districts plan or reach out to the Wakelet Team for a demo.