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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:
- Fifth grade teacher at Washington-Monroe, Mrs. Snow, has
had students recording behavioral data in Sheets to then
analyze the data to set classroom goals.
- Fifth grade teacher at Washington-Monroe, Ms. Ewing, is
teaching a timely unit on “Fake News” so that students can
learn how to process the information overload that students
are constantly bombarded with. This critical analysis is
essential in order for students to choose the best, most
reliable source of information.
- Fourth and fifth grade teachers at Northwest, Mrs.
Dietrich and Ms. Britton, are challenging themselves to use
Makey-Makey and Scratch to introduce students to Maker
Projects and Coding.
- Special Education teacher at LJHS, Mrs. Jordan, has a
Maker Station in her room. Students are not only learning
how to code and create, she has provided opportunities for
them to become the instructor and teach what they know to
younger students.
- Eighth grade Language Arts teacher at LJHS, Mrs.
Workman, has had students write stories on Civil Rights
Leader Encyclopedia for Children to share with students in
younger grades.
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 The use of technology in the classroom has increased at a
pace that surpasses the original plans of the Technology Committee.
This has created some hurdles of how to provide enough access to all
students. The eventual goal is to create a one-to-one environment
that is similar to the other schools in the Lincoln area.
Budgeting concerns and the size of the district continue to impact
how quickly we can provide an environment where all students have
access to technology all day. Past contributions from Eaton and the
LJHS Student Council helped provide labs at LJHS.
The district and teachers continue to pursue any grant opportunities
that allow increased access to technology. Kindergarten teacher at
Central, Mrs. Merritt, who has been helped to develop shared
resources for Kindergarten teachers wrote a grant through
donorschoose.org to get five chromebooks for her classroom. Thanks
to a matching donation from Google and local support, her grant was
fully funded. This has sparked the interest of other teachers to
develop grants.
 Currently second grade teachers and Mrs. Workman are preparing grant
opportunities to try to get technology into the hands of students.
There is no doubt that Lincoln Elementary School District #27
teachers are committed to preparing our students for the future
right now.
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