Summary

Inventory:

In the Middle School, all students and teachers have one-to-one technology through the access of Chromebooks and/or laptops. This is a recent development since even through 2020, we didn't have all our students having access to a Chromebook to use int he classroom. In the fifth grade, English teachers have the RAZ program, and math teachers have access to the ALEKS program. ALEKS is used from 5-8th grade in every math classroom--however, English teachers lose access to RAZ after fifth grade and are not given any alternative.

Students in fifth and sixth grade also have technology once a week and have access to the desktops during class time. Seventh grade has technology class every day for an entire semester.

Prior to students entering the Middle School, the students do not have access to Chromebooks at home--only at school. English and Math teachers have access to eSpark K-4th grade. Many students do not have ready access at home when using technology.

Needs:

One of the needs that my peers would need when implementing new programs would certainly be the time involved. Many of my peers feel like they learn the overview of a program, but don't have enough time in class to implement it properly. In addition, some of my peers only prefer to use paper products and avoid using technology in their classroom altogether because "it's too complicated".

Another need that was brough up was the concept of having a program where teachers can monitor what students are doing on their computer. Many of our students play games in different tabs, and since we can't be everywhere at once, we need a system where teachers can monitor student behavior from one singular source. I personally have looked into this and know that GoGuardian is an option, but since it is pricey for a district, it is unlikely we would have this purchased.

Lastly, teachers would love to have lesson plan ideas discussed with them. Some of the programs I have reviewed aren't as clear what you can do to integrate what you are teaching content wise to the activities in the program. I think it would be beneficial to construct sample lessons integrating a variety of subject areas, so teachers have a reference point.

Goals and Objectives:

One of the main goals I have for this website is to educate others on interesting programs that are available for teacher use. I hope to encourage my fellow co-workers to expand beyond a simple paper-pencil curriculum and have them try something new in their classroom. By doing the preliminary research and finding a variety of online programs, I have already completed the legwork of being able to explain the usefulness and implementation on a variety of resources.

I also hope to continue to grow this website adding new resources that I can use, or that I would want the district to consider purchasing in the future. I consider this website a way to present information, as well as compile my knowledge.

Action:

This 21st century website is meant to distribute ideas on different resources my fellow teachers can use. This website also is a great resource for me to use when I want to compile different programs that I could use in technology class. I hope to present my findings to my principal and curriculum director as well!