The addition of hundreds of Chromebooks at Park Avenue Memorial Elementary School is opening up new doors for digital learning. Every fourth- through sixth-grade classroom is equipped with a Chromebook cart with enough devices for every student.

Sixth-grade teacher Steve Gafarian uses the Chromebooks extensively to give students access to assignments on Google Classroom. He provides reading passages, and students can answer questions digitally, providing him with instant feedback on their understanding of the material. Recently, he had students compare two artists, Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko, by giving them articles and examples of their work.   

For students who are hesitant to answer a question out loud, Mr. Gafarian said that the Chromebooks provide them with an outlet to respond. When they aren’t in school, they can still use Google Classroom to access their assignments from a home computer or personal device. 

Teacher Howard Reiner likes to use the Chromebooks to review and reinforce material. Nearpod and Prodigy are an interactive tools that have become popular in his classroom. Nearpod includes review questions in any subject area along with tutorials that help students better understand a concept. Prodigy features math games which engages students because of the competition format. 

“Students love working on the Chromebooks,” Mr. Reiner said, “and it’s great for me to be able to assess them individually. These programs are a great tool to further my instruction.”