Technology

At Lerner, we teach children a healthy respect for and knowledge of the power of technology. Technological study at Lerner begins well before the students ever interact with a computer at school.

Our Yanshufim (pre-kindergarten) students and kindergartners participate in the Hour of Code, along with all of the elementary students in the school, but the younger students code without computers. They learn the logic of computing before they attempt to utilize the technology directly. That approach encapsulates how we view technology at Lerner. As a Google School for Education whose third through fifth graders are each assigned a Chromebook, we recognize the importance of preparing students to utilize the wonderful technological tools at their disposal wisely.

Beginning in first grade and continuing through fifth, teachers use Google Classroom to control which sites the students use and to monitor their research. Over time, the students complete more of their assignments on Google Classroom, where the teachers can give direct feedback online and see student responses in real time while building a digital portfolio of student work.

Starting in second grade, the students practice keyboarding using the program Keyboarding without Tears, which includes step-by-step lesson plans that can be reinforced at home, as well as a full curriculum about proper use of technology for young people in the digital age.

Students are also introduced to software that can help them practice concepts and skills that they learn in class, like the IXL math (kindergarten through fifth) and grammar (second through fifth) programs that make doing facts drills fun. Lerner students also have the option of taking computer programming and engineering electives, in which they use CodeStudio and/or Scratch to solve problems or build sites.

Finally, technological tools are woven into daily classroom lessons through interactive SMARTBoards and apps that the teachers employ to meet specific learning goals. Technology is thus an integral part of the Lerner educational experience.