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Page 14
2017 EDUCATION MAGAZINE
LINCOLN DAILY NEWS MARCH 1, 2017
C
hange is occurring at a rapid
rate at Lincoln Elementary
School District #27. Last year a
Technology Committee was formed
so that the district could consider
how to best serve their 1,200
students in grades K-eighth.
What started out as a conversation
to meet the needs of PARCC
testing was quickly replaced by
ideas of how we could transform
the learning of students through
the use of technology. It was
determined by the committee that:
• all schools needed to have
Chromebook labs for grades third
through fifth
• LJHS would work on building a
one-to-one environment starting
with sixth grade
• a team of teacher trainers needed
to be established
• all teachers needed a device and
all teachers needed to receive
training that would focus on using
technology to improve instruction,
starting with writing.
Each teacher has gone through
professional development training
to learn how to use the Google
Suites products. Teachers have
used their new understanding of
Google Drive, Classroom, Docs,
Drawing and Slides to create new
learning opportunities for students.
As the year progressed, the training
began to center on writing and
research in a digital environment.
Students are using a variety of rich-
media resources to learn.
As we begin planning for next
year’s professional development,
the focus will begin to transition
from writing and research to
Science, Engineering and Design
opportunities for students that will
allow them opportunities for self-
discovery and inquiry.
The students are very engaged
in the newly developed lessons,
and teachers appreciate the fact
that the lessons align to the strong
curriculum they already had in
place. They also enjoy the new
purpose when using the labs.
As the teachers learn new
skills, they are incorporating
the knowledge into their lesson
planning. The changes to
instruction this year are vast. Here
are just a few of the highlighted
activities:
The future is now!
From Lincoln Elementary School District #27
Technology Coordinator Barb Coffey
Continued
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