ELBERT COUNTY, COLORADO
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Students tour different place, time Third-graders use technology to visit Norseland of distant past BY TABATHA STEWART SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Third-grade students in Amber Rusk’s class at Singing Hills Elementary took a field trip Feb. 11, to the land of Vikings, where they visited a traditional longhouse, saw fishing ships and learned about medieval Scandinavian architecture. Not only did students travel far across the country, they also traveled back in time to around AD 910. Students didn’t actually leave the classroom for the field trip, but donned Elizabeth School District’s newest technology to make the trip — virtual reality goggles. Seated in swivel chairs, students looked into the goggles and were taken on a virtual tour of the Vikings’ land, guided by Rusk. The goggles allowed students a 360-degree view of the places they had been learning about. “It’s fun to take what they’re learning in class and be able to show it to them like this” said Susan McMullen, technology teacher at Singing Hills. “This really sparks their interest.” Unlike traditional history lessons, which historically have included students sitting quietly at their desk while they or their teacher read from a textbook, the virtual reality tour encouraged students to swivel in their chairs, look up to the ceiling and down at the ground as Rusk explained what they were seeing. The experience was a big hit with the students, who often reached out in front of them in an attempt to touch the Norsemen and scenery they were seeing. Students
PONDERING POETRY The poetry scene is gaining popularity in the area with many places to share P12
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February 21, 2019
Grant will help school district boost security Award of $103,392 will be used in a variety of ways STAFF REPORT
Third-grader Allysa Bellino takes a break from a virtual field trip in Amber Rusk’s class, where students were taken back to Viking days through the use of virtual reality technology. PHOTOS BY TABATHA STEWART asked questions about the boats, and what kind of food was consumed at Viking banquets. The district began using the virtual reality technology this month, mostly in the elementary schools so far, according to Melissa Hoelting, communications director for Elizabeth School District. “We have several virtual reality programs we are using, including one that focuses on geology, and takes students on a tour of an earthquake sequence,” said Hoelting. “We’ll be taking it into the middle school and high school. It’s a great way to supplement what they’re already learning.” The virtual reality technology is one of the latest additions in the school district’s attempt to increase the use of technology by students in the district. The district has promised to use future
Paige Fink and Hailey Diggs experience a new kind of learning in Amber Rusk’s class, as students use virtual reality technology to explore a Viking village. money from the recent mill levy override to help fund more technology in the schools, including more virtual reality goggles and chrome books for the classrooms.
A grant of more than $100,000 will help the Elizabeth School District improve security measures, including the installation of cameras on all school buses. “The grant money allows the district to implement security improvements that were previously identified, but lacked funding,” Superintendent Douglas Bissonette said in a news release issued by the district Feb. 14. The district was awarded $103,392 by the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management through the School Security Disbursement grant program. Dozens of school districts across the state will split more than $29 million in grant money through the program. The Elizabeth School District will use $51,717 of its own money as a match to the grant, according to the news release. In addition to installing cameras on buses, according to the release, the district will use the money to: • Provide new options for staff to communicate with each other and first responders in an emergency. • Update cameras on campus. • Add cell phone boosters in school buildings. • Install shatter-resistant window film.
THE BOTTOM LINE PERIODICAL
“If you like to fix issues, get a job in government because you will never have a shortage of issues that need to be resolved.” Grace Erickson, director of the Elizabeth Community Development Department | Page 2 INSIDE
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VOLUME 124 | ISSUE 4