Introducing....Lovejoy Independent School District

Director of Instructional Technology at Lovejoy ISD, Mitci Allen, says that there were several goals for a digital content system when they looked at SAFARI Montage in 2010. One thing they were looking for was a repository for teacher, and student, created media. They also wanted teachers and students to be able to access the content from home in a secure environment. Additionally, they needed to be able to share things with parents, such as to provide access to video ‘trailers’ created for plays that were produced at the various schools.

In addition to uploading locally created content using CreationStation, Lovejoy ISD utilizes several of the preloaded SAFARI Montage content packages, including Core Content Packages and the Algebra’scool Teaching System. Playlists are also used for various purposes. For example, “teachers will have playlists and quizzes in the SAFARI Montage system available for a substitute teacher,” Allen reports. “Teachers create the playlist and it generates a permanent link.  The substitute clicks on the link and it pretty much will run the lesson for the substitute, and the kids are not losing any instruction.”

Allen said the SAFARI Montage system has been instrumental in enabling LISD to “flip the classroom,” allowing students to view longer videos and other digital resources outside of school hours, while focusing on shorter, more targeted segments during class time. The district purchased 20 Mac laptops to allow students to catch up on lessons when time permits. Allen said, “Instruction is not one size fits all anymore. We use the system for differentiated learning, and it’s a powerful tool for the parents as well. The guest account access is just great.”

According to Allen, access to SAFARI Montage is something that students have come to expect. It started as a value add, but has now become an expectation. SAFARI Montage is a primary resource for the district to use for anytime/anywhere learning. “The biggest problem when I started was having easy access to resources and having a place to store digital content. SAFARI Montage has filled both needs beautifully.”

About Lovejoy ISD