Journal features Wrights Mill Road Elementary

Internet safety project deemed model for other teachers

Teachers at Wrights Mill Road Elementary School are safely opening the door to the world of learning through the World Wide Web. Understanding that unfettered use of the Internet – particularly by elementary school students -- is risky, teachers at Wrights Mill developed a curriculum unit for their students to ensure safe and appropriate use of this tool. Because of this innovation, the school is featured in the latest issue of the Working Toward Excellence journal.

Working Toward Excellence, the journal of the Alabama Best Practices Center, is published in print and online formats to help professional educators adopt the best ways to teach. The latest edition, "Alabama's 21st Century Schools Are Blazing Trails Through Cyberspace," focuses on Alabama teachers who are changing the way they teach to better prepare their students to succeed in life and the digital economy.

Find the online version of "Alabama's 21st Century Schools Are Blazing Trails Through Cyberspace" at www.abpc21.org.

Wrights Mill Road is one of 40 schools that participated in the Alabama Best Practices Center’s 21st Century Learning Project, underwritten by Microsoft Corp. This project does two things: helps teachers understand what students will need to know to be successful in our ever-changing world, and provides them with the skills and tools to effectively engage their students.

Wrights Mill Road, an Auburn City school, won notice for an online project to teach elementary school students how to use the Internet safely.  Children complete a Safely Surfing Cyberspace webquest, which is similar to an online scavenger hunt, to earn an Internet driver's license. Safely Surfing Cyberspace (http://snipr.com/WMElem_safetyquest) was a collaboration of teachers Shannon Brandt, Jennifer Dempsey, Sylvia Scaife and principal Lynda Tremaine.

"Wrights Mill Road is a pacesetter in this work. Team members have worked hard to expand their use of effective teaching strategies that not only help students learn more, but have fun while they are learning!  This project is about making sure students gain the know-how to use the Internet safely and effectively," said Gassenheimer. "In this Digital Age, in addition to the basics, children will need a broad range of skills, such as critical thinking, problem-solving and how to effectively collaborate with others."

Dean Road and Ogletree elementaries also participated in the 21st Century Learning Project.

The A+ Education Foundation in Montgomery is home of the Alabama Best Practices Center, which receives major support from Microsoft Corp. and the Wachovia Foundation. Since 1991, A+ has advanced policies, programs and initiatives that result in high achievement by every child in Alabama's K-12 education system. A+ believes Alabama's economic future depends on strong public schools.

KEY LINKS

Safely Surfing Cyberspace http://snipr.com/WMElem_safetyquest

Digital version, Working Toward Excellence journal: www.abpc21.org

FIND IT FAST
These articles feature Wrights Mill Road
"Web Safety and Access: It's Spooky Out There" http://www.abpc21.org/spooky.html

"Classroom 2.0 Projects: A Sampler" http://www.abpc21.org/classroom20.html

PDF (449 Kb) of the Working Toward Excellence journal's 16-page print edition, www.bestpracticescenter.org

###

News Release Archive