Connecticut District Expands Digital Curriculum Resources
Connecticut's Groton Public Schools is expanding its use of digital teaching tools. The district is in the process of ramping up digital resources for classroom instruction, including streaming media, virtual science labs, and other technologies.
According to information released last week, Groton is continuing its decade-long move away from strictly textbook-based teaching by rolling out Discovery Education streaming to its high schools (following deployments in all elementary and middle schools in the district). Groton is also adding Discovery Education Science for its elementary and middle schools.
"Our key focus is to connect classroom learning with how students live outside of the school, making each lesson more relevant and engaging," said Monica Franzone, director of K-12 science for Groton Public Schools, in a prepared statement. "We have a strong commitment to using online resources, and using the excellent resources from Discovery Education brings our district one step closer to our goal."
Discovery Education streaming is a digital media service providing more than 125,000 videos, images, interactive objects, articles, and other learning materials. Discovery Education Science is an online service for elementary and middle school science that provides virtual labs and simulations, digital media, texts, and assessments covering physical sciences, earth and space science, and life science. Both services are aligned to state standards.
"Discovery Education streaming is an invaluable tool in making the classroom an exciting and relevant environment for our students," said Monica Franzone, director of K-12 science for Groton Public Schools, in a prepared statement. "The most important aspect of Discovery Education streaming is the breadth and depth of vetted resources available through one searchable tool. Instead of searching the Internet for resources and videos that may or may not be appropriate for classroom use, teachers can use one tool and trust they are finding the best content available."
The district is also providing some of its teachers with professional online resources via the Discovery Education Network.
Groton Public Schools serves more than 5,000 students in seven elementary schools, three middle schools, and one high school.