Making the Classrooms & Library Connection with Mobile Technologies by Rosalie Buenrostro, Sawyer Elementary

Thanks to the REVITAL Grant, our students here at Sawyer are able to use our databases, SOAR, library books and communication skills in a collaborative setting.  

Our 6th - 8th graders are writing a fictional story on a specific genre and a specific subject but must utilize relevant information obtained through researching books found through SOAR and databases.  

The student’s are very excited to use the iPads as they log into our CPS databases and research

the Civil War, Astronomy, Westward Expansion, Ancient Egypt, Ancient China, Ancient Greece and Mesopotamia.  

The iPads make our lessons organized and more complete as the student’s research their subject and are able to get a better understanding of each topic through imagery and information.  

The iPads have also helped our ESL students by making information available in their native language so they could still be a part of the project at hand without being separated or waiting for help with information.  

I am looking forward to incorporating technology in all of my lesson plans and feel a great relief in knowing the iPads will be accessible to my students.  This is amazing to me, as I was nervous about the set-up process and had my doubts while going through the process, but after a lot of time and encouragement from other Library Media Specialists, I am happy and excited about moving forward with the REVITAL Grant Program.