From STAFF REPORTS

ELLAVILLE — Computer science opens more doors for students than any other discipline in today’s world.  To help meet the needs of local school districts in the area of technology, the Chattahoochee-Flint RESA (Regional Educational Service Agency) provides technology training for teachers throughout the region’s school districts.  Through the work of the Educational Technology Center (ETC) at RESA, teachers receive formal technology trainings as well as in-classroom visits for support to encourage the effective integration of technology in their classrooms.
To help emphasize the importance of technology in today’s world, local students participated in the Hour of Code in December. Hour of Code is a week set aside to recognize and promote the importance of teaching computer science in our schools. Many local teachers have participated in a Code.Org training offered by Chattahoochee-Flint RESA to learn how to integrate computer science into their curriculum. Jennifer Smith, Instructional Technology Specialist at RESA, is one of a few Code.Org facilitators in the state of Georgia able to offer this free training.
Recently, fourth-grade Crisp County students used Google Classroom to complete their social studies lesson on reconstruction. First, they watched two videos to review information they have learned about reconstruction. Next, they completed a graphic organizer in Google Drawing to summarize the facts. Then they completed a Post Test in Google Forms. The posttest was graded and organized onto a spreadsheet automatically when the students submit their quiz. Google Classroom was designed hand-in-hand with teachers to help them save time, keep classes organized, and improve communication with students.
Third-grade students also recently used technology to summarize their knowledge on rocks and minerals.
They used a Read Write Think flipbook interactive and Google Slide presentation tool to accomplish this.
The mission of Georgia’s RESAs (Regional Educational Service Agencies) is to support the work, improvement and effectiveness of local schools and school systems.  Each of the 16 RESAs serving the 180 school systems across the State of Georgia serves as a partner in building and sustaining high-performance learning in each school district. From face-to-face instruction to on-line courses and workshops, Georgia’s RESAs offer educators a variety of opportunities for job-embedded professional learning and coaching.  The Chattahoochee-Flint RESA serves school systems in the following counties: Chattahoochee, Clay, Crisp, Dooly, Macon, Marion, Muscogee, Quitman, Randolph, Schley, Stewart, Sumter, Talbot, Taylor and Webster. Visit www.cfresa.org for more information.