This is a guest post from Jill Schmitt, Tech Integrationist at Holdingford Public Schools. Need a Mini Grant to purchase materials or try an interesting new program at your library? Apply today! 

At Holdingford Elementary School we are continually looking for ways to engage students in higher order thinking skills. Though this can be done in a multitude of ways, we know that students are especially motivated when technology is involved! We are keenly aware of the potential negative effects of too much screen time on brain development and try to make sure we are providing quality, purposeful instruction through the use of devices. After exploring a variety of tools, we decided to give Osmo kits a try and couldn’t be happier with the results!

With the help of a generous mini-grant from CMLE, we purchased several Osmo kits focusing on numbers, letters, and shapes. Initially, we believed the use of these apps would be beneficial for primary students as they navigate the concepts of print, decoding, and problem-solving. However, we quickly discovered that our older students could appreciate the shapes app to develop spatial reasoning skills. More importantly, our students were eager to collaborate with classmates to solve problems and communicate results leading to deeper learning for all.

A huge thank you to the CMLE for making these learning opportunities possible at Holdingford Elementary School!