Fourth graders were eagerly working their computers in the Rumford Elementary School library learning about a new topic called immigration.
The program they were using is called netTrekker, which is now used throughout RSU 10 at all grade levels. For their use of that program, RSU 10 has earned a Digital Learning Award for its use of pioneering digital resources to promote engaging and personalized classrooms.
Eileen Broderick, RES and Hartford-Sumner librarian, led an active similation about immigration with the class.
At the start of the class, Broderick and the students shared where their grandparents came from. They listened to netTrekker over the
Smartboard as it explained that some 23 million immigrants came to the United States from the 1890’s to the 1920’s.
Then online, students listened on the computers as the program talked about the journey, what it was like for a boy or a girl at that time, as well as what they possessed at that time.
Broderick noted the importance of using the netTrekker to go right along with the classroom instruction. The program covers content in all subject areas at different reading levels, which is important.
She calls netTrekker a difference maker. “Because otherwise, the kids just go on Google and type in ‘moose,’ they’re going to find 50 million things about moose and some of it won’t be written on the reading level for them.”
“It’s essentially a library of digital resources and they’re all resources that have been embedded or curated, somebody’s checked them out. So just don’t go on Google and look something up. It also rates them by grade level and the type of resource they are. This is definitely a motivator for some kids because there’s games and interactive things. They can use this from their house, too,” said Broderick.

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