"If we teach today as we taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow." John Dewey

This is an exciting time to be an educator.  As teachers, we are teaching students that have been born into a world of technology.  To have career and college ready students, we need to be innovative educators.  The way in which we present our lessons need to be innovative and inspiring.  

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     This year during online distance learning our younger elementary students were put into the online world of education.  In the past years, there have been many debates about allowing our younger students into the digital world.  However, our younger students are capable and strive in this learning environment if they are taught the proper digital tools.  The knowledge of how to use digital tools than translates to success on the STAR assessment administered at the end of the school year on the digital platform Renaissance. 
          Young children are being raised in environments where they are surrounded by technology in many different domains. From the alarm clock that awakens them, to the screen they watch their favorite shows, to their favorite toy they play with; these children are in the constant presence of technology throughout their day for entertainment purposes.  However, since the introduction of technology; parent and teacher communities have been in fear of developmentally appropriate practices for younger children when it comes to education and technology integration.  This fear of the unknown of the internet and the fear of inappropriate content may have been contributing factors in limited technology integration in primary classrooms.  However, with the closing of schools in March 2020 due to the pandemic; technology integration in younger student’s classrooms was essential.  The challenge then transpired for educators was how to teach/support younger elementary students in technology while having students being able to absorb the content and transfer the acquired knowledge to a summative assessment.