WWW.TECHLEARNING.COM | FEBRUARY 2018 | 35
indicated in their learning profiles.
Students also shared that the geek factor
that brought them together often led to bullying
in their middle-school settings. However,
this common interest has helped to build a
community of like-minded individuals at
Phoenix Coding Academy who support and
collaborate with one another. As a result,
bullying is not a big problem at this school.
Students explained the value of attending a
school that helps them get an early start on the
career they’ll pursue after high school or college.
They said the school places them far ahead of
the game because they don’t have to waste time
taking classes that don’t align to their future
goals.
PANEL: CURRICULUM & TECH:
CAN THIS MARRIAGE BE
SAVED?
Day two kicked off with a panel discussion
moderated by Sheryl Abshire, chief technology
officer of Calcasieu Parish (LA) Public Schools.
The panel included administrators from several
districts sharing stories about how technology
and curriculum leaders are working together
to ensure that technology purchases and uses
support their instructional goals and educational
vision.
Panel members discussed the positive role
high-stakes assessment has had in driving
schools to adopt technology. In part because
of the focus on testing, however, many schools
still lag behind when it comes to integrating
technology into the curriculum. Successful
adoption of technology into the curriculum
requires a happy marriage between curriculum
and technology. There are four key components
that can lead to a successful marriage: active
engagement, group participation, frequent
interaction and feedback, and connection to
real-world experts.
The key to staying out of divorce court is
remembering that it’s not about technology. It’s
about learning. These are not tech programs.
They are learning programs. We don’t want tech
committees. We want learning committees.
This learning requires teachers to receive
training and support so they know the right
tech tools to use and how to use them. It’s
important to think about what teacher support
looks like and also to have a teacher evaluation
plan that accounts for effective integration of
technology into the classroom. Superintendent
Hank Thiele and technology and information
services director Rod Russeau of Community
High School District 99 (IL) shared that they’ve
changed their teacher evaluation plan to be more
like a checkup. They go in once a year to see how
they are. This gives time for teachers and leaders
to grow.
Dwight Goodwin, director of instructional
technology, and Mike Mattingly, assistant
superintendent of curriculum, from Denton
(TX) Independent School District reminded
leaders of the importance of starting with
thinking about the “why.” All stakeholders
should understand clearly the reasons the
school or district is integrating technology. It’s
also important to survey stakeholders to see
what they want. Like other districts across the
country, Denton adopted Chromebooks for its
1:1 because of the feedback district leadership
received. Students shared the importance of
having a touchscreen, keyboard, instant on,
and long battery life. Making this collaboration
transparent is key for adoption.
Asbury Park (NJ) School District
superintendent Lamont Repollet and assistant
superintendent Sancha Gray shared that their
marriage of curriculum and tech didn’t start
out well. When they joined the district in 2014
they inherited baggage in the form of a bad
reputation in the media and therefore in the
community. Repollet focused on the importance
of telling a new story—a story about building a
brighter future and embracing creativity andinnovation. They encouraged everyone to get on
Twitter and Facebook and use those platforms
to change the story and show people that the
district is working. As Repollet explained, “Being
a digital leader is about building a positive brand
for our schools and extending our audience.
Social media has allowed us to reach beyond the
parents of our students and engage the greater
community. Now when we celebrate student
success, the community celebrates student
success.”
The approach has been a success. There has
been a 24 percent increase in graduation rates
since 2014, and 68 percent of students exceeded
one-year growth targets through their hip-hop
literacy intervention program. You can follow
the magic on Twitter by visiting twitter.com/
Asbury_ParkSD.DIGGING DEEPER: KEYS TO
MAKING THE MARRIAGE WORK
Following the panel, attendees worked in
small groups to share challenges and solutions
concerning the marriage of curriculum and
technology. Key takeaways included the
importance of beginning with the “why.” The
why should be aligned to student learning and
instructional goals. The district should have a
unifying vision explaining the why. To do this,
the technology partner in the marriage cannot be
separate. Districts must create a culture in which