This week's issue brought to you by Jim Cronin, Asst. Supt. of Instruction, Intern Our teachers are the best around. They are conscientious, diligent, and thoughtful, and they are constantly striving to find new and innovative ways to help students learn and succeed. Our willingness to embrace change, to adapt to our students’ needs and changing world, to take risks, and our efforts to grow professionally drive all that we do. This summer, I saw a graphic that illustrated some compelling shifts that we are seeing in education, and that we will continue to see this year in the Chaffey District. The graphic (seen below) illustrates seven powerful shifts that continue in education. One in particular, shifting from a physical to digital world, has become more apparent as we began the year by deploying 7,400 Chromebooks to 180 teachers district-wide. This investment further opens up access to the current Chromebooks and labs on each of your campuses. Our teachers and students have Google Apps for Education (GAFE) accounts, fostering a collaborative environment in which students and teachers can interact beyond the walls of the classroom. With ease of connectivity between Google Drive and School Loop, students and teachers can access assignments, lessons, homework, and more. Unlimited access and storage for documents and programs from any device allows students to collaborate, submit work, and get feedback in a digital environment and to develop digital portfolios of their work. Of course, all of this access requires us to continue to teach students the importance of digital citizenship. I am impressed by our Teacher Librarians who have embraced the significance of this and placed it in the forefront of the work they do. They worked together as a team to provide our teachers with resources that will guide us in our efforts to continue to teach students how to access and use the digital realm safely and responsibly. They are each a valuable resource on your campuses, and they are ready to help you and your students implement technology effectively in your classrooms. Likewise, the Instruction Division and our instructional coaches are excited to support you on your journey as you shift your classroom, whether it’s flipping your classroom, creating a website, using online formative assessment tools, or building digital portfolios for you students. As you begin to use technology more often in your classroom, think about these three things: how is my use of technology improving instruction; how is my use of technology improving student achievement and outcomes; and how can technology help me take students places I could not before? Every year brings the excitement and potential for opportunities. I wish you well as you continue to shift your classrooms to an increasingly connected, interactive, and digital environment. Have a great year! Graphic developed by Terry Heick. Article and graphic posted at TeachThought.
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Writing Team:These tips and ideas are a compilation of ideas from the Instructional Coaching Team and from teachers who have contributed Archives
April 2017
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