#EuclidCitySchools Like You Have Never Seen Them Before!

Keeping up with technology has become quite a challenge in today’s world with new devices, new forms of social media, and new apps that can do things like close your garage door. Information is literally at your fingertips and now Euclid City Schools is too! With the touch of a button on your smartphone, you can download the Euclid City Schools Mobile App, which brings you up to the minute news, pictures, videos, social media feeds, and events. The app is free and available in the Google Play and Apple App Stores. Simply search, “Euclid City Schools” in the search tab.

While you are checking your Facebook, check out all eight of the Euclid City Schools’ Facebook Pages. Each building has their very own page, so that we can show you all the growing, learning, and exciting events that happen in our buildings everyday. Whether it is the 5th grade Chocolate Emporium, the 3rd grade Living Wax Museum, or the Dancing Classrooms Grand Performance, you can keep up and share pictures and videos with family and friends. Arbor, Bluestone, Chardon Hills, Shoreview, Central, Forest Park, EHS, and the Early Learning Center are all waiting for your “like!” Simply type in the school name “Arbor Elementary School” and look for the big yellow block letter “E” with the blue background.

If you happen to be tweeting about the weather or the terrible traffic you just ran into on the highway, take a minute to check out Euclid City Schools’ twitter feed @euclidschools. Follow us for honors, schedule changes, and lots of other information in 140 characters or less.  Sometimes you can even find a tiny URL that will link you to our YouTube page! Head on over to www.youtube.com/euclidEDtv to watch board meetings and special projects like our “We Believe” video made for our awesome Sophomores as they faced Ohio Graduation Testing.

            Come August, a visit to www.euclidschools.org will look distinctly different from what visitors are used to seeing. After eight months of renovation, a brand new, user-friendly website will be unveiled. The goal of the upgrade was to make the site easily navigable, make resources accessible for students and parents, and advance our technological capabilities inside and outside of the classroom.

            With all of the different ways we have expanded our virtual presence, we are also expanding technology in the classroom. Giving our students a competitive edge with 21st century skills is our priority, as well as preparing them for state testing that will be done online starting in 2015. Textbooks are now available online for math, social studies, and science, which means that we need to have the proper tools for students to access the most up-to-date curriculum. Hardbound textbooks cost the district a significant amount of money, while online textbooks provide the most current curriculum while utilizing district resources in the most cost efficient way.

            “Flipping the classroom,” is a term you may hear in the halls of Euclid High School. Moreover, it means that teachers will be providing educational videos, learning forums, scholarly journals, and assessments online to encourage more student interaction. The goal is for students to work independently and creatively to help prepare them for next-generation assessments, college and the workforce. After much research on how to accomplish this goal in the most cost-effective and productive way, the single best option quickly revealed itself.

            ChromeBooks are incredibly powerful machines, capable of high-end computing at a very reasonable cost. Our teachers can manage these machines in their classrooms to ensure they are used as tools, not toys. A teacher can see each student’s screen, manage that screen, and with one click of a button can close a webpage on the students machine remotely. One of the critical advantages with integrating ChromeBooks is that they are completely web-based tools. Students can go from the classroom to home using whatever hardware they have at home. They can even use a smartphone to submit coursework, collaborate with peers, complete assignments, or ask for clarification from a teacher. The only thing that they need is an Internet connection! We place an enormous emphasis on “anywhere/anytime learning,” students creating content, solving real-world problems and collaborating with each other to do so.  

            Euclid City Schools is thrilled to call itself a 21st century district, providing access to learning and connecting in a state-of-the-art way. The District mobile app, eight Facebook Pages, Twitter feed, and a YouTube Channel all help us connect with YOU! So next time you are updating your status, tweeting hashtags, watching videos or downloading new apps for your smartphone, type in Euclid City Schools and see what happens. We can’t wait to connect with you!