About

Beginning in the 2013-14 school year, Limestone County Schools seized an important opportunity for the students in our community. In 2013, we embarked upon Phase 1 at Blue Springs Elementary School with all third and fourth grade students by deploying a laptop for every student. This type of program with one laptop for each student is referred to as 1:1 computing in an educational environment. The students at Blue Springs in partnership with their teachers, administrators and support personnel kicked off Limestone County's digital conversion process known as DPI. The Digital Passport Initiative name was selected because our approach to this conversion process is about utilizing technology as a student's passport to 21st century learning.

Beginning in the 2014-15 school year, Limestone County moved into Phase 2 of the Digital Passport Initiative by deploying laptops to every student in third and fourth grade, for a total of nine schools and approximately 1500 laptops. Laptops were also provided to all third and fourth grade teachers, special education teachers, instructional coaches and facilitators as well as administrators paving the way for curriculum integration.

Limestone County Schools is focused on providing resources for our grades kindergarten through twelve students and staff to become immersed in a digital conversion. The purpose of the Digital Passport Initiative, or iConnect, is to employ technology in ways that improve teaching and learning through increased student engagement while teaching the Alabama state approved curriculum standards. It is imperative to note that this project is a curriculum and instruction project, not a technology project. Through this paradigm shift in methodology, we are changing the way teachers teach and students learn, while utilizing an advanced set of technological tools.

These technological tools, wireless access to teacher and student learning management system, interactive whiteboards, teacher infusion of web 2.0 technologies, and so much more are the vehicles Limestone will use to transform teaching and learning. Mobile computing devices will significantly enhance the level of student interest, motivation, and engagement in learning. Technology alone is not a panacea, thus the real focus is how we engage our students with this instructional tool to get results and add value to their academic performance. In time, our grades three through twelve students, who will be participants in the 1:1 initiative, will take their laptops home daily to complete assignments, homework, projects, and for research. Teachers and students will use a learning management system to clearly identify key learning experiences and activities, which can be accessed anytime. The laptop, in coordination with cloud-based technologies like Google Apps for Education, will provide students and staff constant access to the most current information available through the Internet as well as multimedia tools, which supplements materials presented in textbooks by teachers. As technology is integrated and infused with our instruction, digital content in the curriculum becomes a vital resource for students and teachers. The use of computers as an instructional tool is becoming increasingly important, just as technology continues to increase in importance in our everyday lives and in the workplace. Some research suggests that many of the jobs that our students are exploring today may not be available in 20 years. This means our students must become lifelong learners.

Limestone County Schools believes, however, that there is no substitute for the learning provided by qualified, trained and digital savvy teachers. A digital conversion does not mean to replace teachers and our conversion to the use of digital learning modes is only as good as the teachers and staff who design learning experiences and deliver quality instruction. Education in Limestone County Schools will seek to rely on digital technologies and platforms to deliver a mix of live, electronic and distance learning. This type of learning is called blended learning.