Civil Municipal - June 2024

teachers. Fortunately, Yorktown schools were ready, having been one of the first districts in the state to set up e-learning protocols for anticipated snow days when schools would be closed. “So, when we had to pivot in March of 2020, we had the entire district under a plan within four days,” says Sturgeon. “Our teachers were positioned and had already been trained. Other districts that might not have been in the same position were greatly impacted by not being able to keep up consistently. We were very prepared.” Luckily, Yorktown is also a 1:1 district, which means that each enrolled student has an electronic device to access the internet, digital course materials, and digital textbooks. “We’ve been a 1:1 district since the 2018-19 academic year,” explains Technology Integration Specialist, Jo Cox. “We’re the only district in our area that is an Apple District, as well, with all Apple devices – Ipads in K-5 and in 6 and above, we have MacBooks. We bought professional development through Apple; we brought them here in person to provide in-classroom training on the devices.” Hinshaw agrees: “We have invested a lot of professional development and time and energy in making sure that our teachers are well-trained and equipped. So, it’s second nature to them to turn to the technology. We’re better at it now than we were in COVID. But in comparison to other districts in this region, we were much better prepared to seamlessly move to e-learning.” Regarding the use of electronic devices, Cox maintains that it’s not only a tool for remote learning. “We put a lot of emphasis around problem-based learning and within that, students are allowed to be creators,” she shares. “I don’t believe in just consuming time on devices; that is problematic. Our efforts have been around students using technology for creative purposes, critical thinking, and the type of problem-solving that their teachers are promoting in classrooms. So, the expectations are high that 223 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 06 YORKTOWN COMMUNI TY SCHOOLS