Digital classrooms, 1:1, student-centered learning, a rich array of apps, extensions, and tools, and of course, NCLab … it’s time to reflect on Year One of Nevada Ready 21. This Nevada Department of Education program put CTL Chromebooks in the hands of 20,000 students and their teachers, along with great software and training opportunities. In the 1:1 classroom, every student in a classroom is connected, not just during computer lab time, but any time. Their work is saved to the cloud, and there are many opportunities to collaborate.
At the April 2017 Digital Summits in Elko, Carson City, and Henderson, NR21 educators converged to share their experiences and learn something new. The air hummed with “aha” moments and the sense of being part of a breakthrough in education. The winner for teachers? Real-time formative assessment.
Formative assessment is assessing progress while students are learning. With the 1:1 classroom, teachers can see how their students are doing in real time, which is possible when everyone is working on their own Internet-connected device. Teachers can then help those who need it, when they need it. Students become active learners, self-correcting and revising as they go. This is exactly how NCLab works too!
Plus, the digital classroom is fun.
Many thanks to CTL and the Nevada DOE for the Nevada Ready 21 Digital Summit events. Thanks also to our hosts at Spring Creek, Carson, and Bob Miller Middle Schools. Last but not least, the program is a success due to all the educators involved – teachers, coaches, professional development instructors, administrators, and edtech vendors.
On to Year Two!
Sheila Bunch and Josh Billings strike a pose at the Nevada Ready 21 NW Digital Summit. Josh includes NCLab courses in his STEM curriculum at Carson Middle School. STEM is all about problem solving. Right now, Josh’s class is using technology to examine the impact of this winter’s record snowfall and pending snow melt.
From left to right: Amy Al-Khalisi (CTL), Sheila Bunch (NCLab), Clifton Roozeboom (Pocketlab), and Wayne Lawson (Bob Miller Middle School) at the Southern Nevada Ready 21 Digital Summit. Discussions ranged from using virtual reality as a learning experience, to working with data from wireless sensors. This is 21st century education!
Teachers from Elko, Battle Mountain, and Ely took a different approach to their NE Nevada Ready 21 Digital Summit. With Blanca Duarte’s guidance, they created an “unconference” to share expertise and solve problems. Even the smallest, most isolated schools are rocketing forward with the power of the Internet and 1:1.
