Rural Ohio District Adds Digital Library to 1 to 1 Initiative
The Ross
Local School District in Hamilton, OH, has added more
resources to the 1-to-1 personalized learning initiative that it started
in the
fall.
In addition to giving every student in grades 5-12
a
Chromebook laptop, the district in rural Ohio with 2,845 students has
signed
an agreement with icurio
to deliver standards-aligned open educational
resources to teachers and students.
The district's 1-to-1 initiative has been funded by a
nearly
$1-million Straight
A Fund Grant from the Ohio Department of Education. As a
result of the grant funding, along with each student in the fifth grade
or
higher receiving a laptop for use both in school and at home, the
district
implemented a learning management system, Schoology,
to act as a framework for
the personalized learning initiative, and icurio, an online learning
resource
library, with content that is appropriate for the district's goals.
"Our goal is to personalize learning for every
student and
ensure they are college- and career-ready," said Ross Local School
District
Curriculum and Instruction Director Kathy DiBlasi.
Officials at Knovation, creator of icurio, said the
company
has a focus on formative assessments, which will help teachers and
administrators determine the appropriate content for all students,
regardless
of whether they require remediation or enrichment.
"This ensures educators don't have to access multiple Web sites
and resources to provide digital content that aligns to district goals,"
said
Knovation CEO Randy Wilhelm.
About the Author
Michael Hart is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and the former executive editor of THE Journal.