Featured in the Messenger

This week my class and I were featured in our staff newsletter (The Messenger). See below...

Life science project pairs old with new

Little Elementary School third-grade teacher Deanna Duray blends old school observations with new classroom technology.

Little Elementary School students are getting a peek at how butterflies and chicks transform and grow. As part of their life cycles unit, third-grade teacher Deanna Duray is integrating technology to involve the community and form a deeper understanding of life cycles for her students. 

As one of seven one-to-one iPad classrooms in Jeffco, where each student receives an iPad, Duray and her students have taken full advantage of the technology for this project. “We’ve really been able to integrate the entire community with the webcam and the kids’ blogging - which has been great,” said Duray. “Having the iPads has made learning very accessible and sharing their knowledge more convenient.” 

"It really is kind of fun to pair something very old school, like hatching chicks, with something completely new school like the one-to-one iPad, and to use that technology to learn more about science," said Principal Robert Lopez. 

Duray’s students have been very active in the lives of their little visitors, but their favorite part of the experience has been watching the chicks hatch and getting to hold them. “They’re really soft!” says third-grader Grace. 

Visit the Little students' blogging site for more information on the project.