PORTSMOUTH — Portsmouth Middle School already knew it had the goods. So why not show them off a little?

The school recently hosted a visit for members of the Rhode Island Association of School Principals so they could see for themselves how Portsmouth teachers are using technology to forward learning in the classrooms.

“There was a call for action: ‘If your school is doing something really awesome, we want to hear about it,’” said Sarah DelSanto, the school’s tech integration specialist. 

“Our vice principal, Lisa Goodwin, said our technology is fantastic compared to other schools we’ve seen. We applied and were chosen to host. We invited administrators in to see three teachers in action.”

Kyle Spaltholz, a seventh-grade English language arts (ELA) teacher, used gamification — the application of typical elements of game-playing — to motivate and engage students in learning activities.

“He basically had students review games where they battled in teams to get the right answers. They were very engaged in the learning,” Ms DelSanto said.

Sixth-grade ELA teacher Amy Gerrior used technology to differentiate instruction and give students the chance to work at their own pace.

“Some kids were working on vocabulary, while others were writing scripts for green screens,” she said.

Finally, sixth-grade science teacher Hannah Lancaster used the U.S. Geological Survey website to pinpoint recent earthquakes, and to look for patterns.

“They were looking for patterns on how plate tectonics worked,” Ms DelSanto said.

The school expects to host another similar program early next year, she said.