Fitzpatrick Elementary School Technology
4055 Fitzpatrick Blvd., Montgomery, AL  36116
(334) 284-8044

Welcome to the Fitzpatrick Elementary School Technology page. This page is intended to provide you with a brief overview of the technology equipment that is used regularly at Fitzpatrick as well as information about the Alabama Technology Courses of Study.

Computers:
Each classroom at Fitzpatrick is equipped with multiple desktop computer workstations for the children’s use.  Each teacher selects age-appropriate and subject-specific activities for the students to complete while on the computers.  Edgenuity is one program that is available to children in 2nd thru 5th grades and provides them with extra Math, Reading, Language, and Science help utilizing a prescriptive approach based on benchmark assessments.  Children in grades 2 - 5 are assessed in the areas of Reading and Math at the beginning of the year, middle of the year, and then again at the end of the year.  Students in grade 4th are also assessed in the area of Science. The Edgenuity program creates a personalized "Learning Path" for each child based on their areas of strength and weakness on assessment data.

Interactive Digital Touch Panels:
All classrooms at Fitzpatrick Elementary are now equipped with an Interactive Digital ViewSonic Touch Panel which replaced the aging Smart Boards and digital projectors.  Teachers frequently utilize the Digital Touch Panels for hands-on, interactive activities.  In addition, the Digital Panels allow teachers to display digital resources to the students during the course of instruction.  Many textbook publishers provide digital content that can be used to enhance instruction as well.  Our teachers also frequently seek out additional resources that can be displayed digitally.  Online journals and publications, videos, and websites are just a mouse click away and can easily be displayed for the entire class on the Digital Touch Panel.  

Mobile Technology:
The Covid 19 pandemic brought about the need for virtual instruction over the past school year.  The use of Chromebooks for instructional purposes has become an absolute necessity.  Teachers seek out new and innovative ways to reach students through the use of technology.  Fitzpatrick Elementary has an inventory of Chromebooks one-to-one with devices for students.  Each classroom has its own cart of Chromebooks to utilize throughout the day for instructional activities. Fitzpatrick Kindergarten classrooms have an IPad available as well.  Students often use IPads during “Center Time” to access learning applications just as if they were on a computer.  The IPads are also frequently used during Small Group instruction to provide access to digital instructional resources needed for a specific group of students.    

Technology For Assessments:
Fitzpatrick Elementary will be completing the required yearly State Assessments on the computers. This is a shift from the traditional paper and pencil testing forms from years past.  There are Chromebook carts in each classroom that allow us to test students in multiple locations at once rather than just the Computer Lab.  The Traditional Computer Lab is comprised of 32 desktop workstations.  There are two mobile Chromebook carts that allow us to set up a second and third testing location, in addition to the Computer Lab, which will allow us to complete the testing in a timely manner. Contingent upon the availability of funding, Fitzpatrick Elementary will offer After-School tutoring to children in 1st – 5th grades.  Participants in the After-School tutoring program work in the Compass Learning computer program focusing on Math, Reading, or both.  Placement in the program is based on the beginning of the year baseline testing scores.

Technology For Communication:
Technology plays an important role during the instructional day at Fitzpatrick.  In addition to the ways previously mentioned, teachers routinely use email or text to communicate with parents.  Each teacher also utilizes Class Dojo, texts, email, and or Remind 101 as a means of communicating with parents. Our principal is able to send out group calls to all the parents to provide the necessary information in a timely manner.  The school’s web page is also a valuable resource for important information about the school as well as upcoming events.  The webpage also provides MANY pictures capturing the wonderful things that take place here at Fitzpatrick. Webpage updates are made frequently, often multiple times per week.  As the Technology Coordinator, I am responsible for keeping the page maintained and up to date. 

Technology Instruction:
At Fitzpatrick, we strive to fully address the standards of the Alabama Technology Course of Study.  This Course of Study is broken down into two grade bands – K through 2 and 3 through 5, meaning the same course of study standards apply to all students in Kindergarten, First, and Second grades.  Likewise, the standards for third, fourth, and fifth-grade students are the same. Computer lab activities cover many of the standards. However, some are more easily covered in the general classroom during the course of regular instruction or with special projects assigned by the core subject teacher.  When visiting the computer lab at Fitzpatrick Elementary, students utilize the "Easy Tech" platform from Learning.com to address the standards of the Technology Courses of Study.  Students are presented with topics in an entertaining and interactive digital format.  All students in Kindergarten through 5th Grade work on typing. com lessons while in the Computer Lab.  Digital citizenship and proper usage and care of computer equipment are a focus at all levels.  Word processing, presentation creation, keyboarding, and coding skills are the main areas of focus during computer lab time for students in 1st - 5th grades using age-appropriate activities. 

The following links for grades K-5 are provided from the Alabama Technology Courses of Study for Kindergarten through Fifth grades.

K - 5 Technology Courses of Study (2018)   

Dr. Betty Ann Palmer         
Technology Coordinator    
K-5: Technology Education Teacher