The Lake County News Chronicle recently ran an article on how teachers are using technology in Two Harbors…

Rosenberg demonstrated a new software being used in his classroom this school year called IXL and seventh and eighth grade social studies teacher Kristi Wasko gave a short presentation on the new social studies textbooks purchased for this year that includes online textbooks students can access from home instead of carrying the heavy, bulky hard cover books home at night.

The IXL program is an interactive math and language arts tool students use to complete assignments and assess their work, though at this time teachers at Two Harbors are only using it for math. As used by Rosenberg in his classroom, students work on and complete math problems assigned as homework and his students can check their work and receive some additional help how they might solve similar problems when they do respond incorrectly. The system aligns its lessons with Minnesota state standards and students can even click a tab to see which standards their current problem or assignment aligns with.

“What this does, it provides students with real time feedback and allows me to check for mastery for each student,” Rosenberg said. “Additionally, it allows me to keep an eye on all my students, to make sure they are spending time doing work, how much time they are spending practicing and identify areas of struggle.”

However there are some hiccups…

One of the biggest problems faced by teachers attempting to integrate technology into their classrooms is a lack of Internet access at home for some students. To accommodate these needs, students are given time in class to work on assignments with school-provided Google Chromebooks and iPads and students are given a minimum of two days to complete an assignment. In addition, there is a study hall period at THHS when students are allowed to work on assignments during the school day and the entire building is wired for wireless Internet access.

The teacher seem to like the technology. And the article notes that the students prefer online to traditional textbooks as well…

“I haven’t thrown away the books, by any stretch,” Rosenberg said. “This isn’t a catch all, but it is certainly, I feel like, a step in the right direction.”

Of course it’s a bigger step in the right direction for students who can access the technology in and outside the classroom.