Fourth- and fifth-grade students at Coalmont Elementary in Grundy County, Tenn., have been equipped with internet-ready Chromebooks to train them in using technology in the classroom.
This school year, principal Russell Ladd purchased a full set of the laptops for students' in-class use with Title I funding, according to a news release. It's part of Grundy County's technology initiative, which aims for all students to have Chromebooks and access to Google Classroom.
Ladd said teachers are training students to work through assignments in the digital classroom application.
"As educators, we also realize that state assessments soon will require our students be proficient in technology, and our end of course and possibly TCAPs will be administered online," Ladd said in the news release. "We just want to be prepared."
Ladd said this week, fifth-grade reading language arts teacher Jessica Ruehling has been working with the students to complete a Thanksgiving-themed writing assignment using the laptops and the Google Docs application.
Students are also using the devices for assignments in math and science.
"This group of fifth-grade students will move into the sixth grade here at Coalmont Elementary with a working knowledge of the setup, operation, and function of the Google Classroom Community, ready to hit the ground running next academic year," Ladd said.