NORTH OLMSTED, Ohio -- Technology moves fast, including in schools, where educators continually aspire to not only keep up but also push the envelope.
For the North Olmsted City Schools, that responsibility falls to Coordinator of Instructional Technology Leah Blaze, who last year created the district’s STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) Committee.
“The STEAM Committee is comprised with staff from all of our buildings,” said Blaze, who helps teachers use technology in new and innovative ways.
“In that group, we talked about how we can develop a STEAM mindset in all of our students. Really thinking about how could we be critical thinkers? How we can collaborate? How we can communicate and use technology creatively?”
The modern effort is coming to fruition this school year in many ways.
Not only are government students using the platform Plickers to discuss content, but in other classes digital flashcards are created on Chromebooks while memes created on Google Slides are used to review curriculum.
The effort was supported this past summer when, using $35,000 in Title IV federal grant funds, the district purchased STEAM/STEM-related kits, supplies and materials.
North Olmsted City School District students use LEGO Spike kits to create and program cars. (Photo Courtesy of North Olmsted City Schools)
Blaze noted that eight different resources and kits were purchased for teachers to use with the whole class or with small groups of students. This included LEGO Spike kits to create and program a toy car.
“We’ve been able to provide some exciting experiences for students that are still meeting all of our standards,” Blaze said. “We’re bringing in some other fun ways to integrate technology into the classroom and really get students to think critically and creatively.”
Because the new items are available to all teachers in the North Olmsted City Schools, Blaze created a STEAM-lending library, where educators can borrow different kits.
“What we’re working on right now is sharing those with teachers and finding ways to integrate them into the classroom,” Blaze said.
“I’m pretty excited about that part of our work.”
Chestnut Elementary School art teacher Josh Chrosniak, a member of the STEAM Committee, said there are numerous benefits to using technology in class.
“From the teacher lens, it’s being able to utilize these media choices to create a relevant learning experience in our classrooms,” Chrosniak said.
“The second is being able to give children the modern education they deserve in our 21st century landscape. This helps them experiment, build and create, all while navigating real-world problems/solutions.”
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