From iPads to Chromebooks

"Technology does not drive change-it enables change" -Anonymous

One of the most important roles of Technology Directors, or Chief of Technology Officers, in my opinion, is to keep up with the trends of technology, and how it affects administrators, teachers, and most importantly, the students. Coming into my first year as Technology Director for Troy City Schools, with the help of my assistant, administrators, faculty members, and even students, an assessment was made for our current environment. The high school was in its fourth year of a one to one initiative. iPads were the devices the students were using. Majority of the students, and staff, had an iPad to use.

After performing a survey, it was brought to my attention that the initiative wasn't going as planned. Just like many other school systems, the initiative hit a rut, and needed a change. The iPad was a great tool, however, it wasn't an effective device for teachers to use in their classrooms. Students weren't engaged in learning; only using the iPad as a tool for gaming and social media. Teachers preferred that students would "check in" the iPads, meaning they would have a cart in front of the room where students were to place the iPad right before they entered class. Now, being the Mac person that I am (I love Apple Products), it was hard for me to see this happen. I always wanted to be apart of a school system that had an initiative of this sort, and I wanted students as well as teachers, enjoy the experience.

Speaking with Central Office members, you learn that the financial responsibility to keep an iPad initiative, with disengaged students and teachers, can become quite costly. In fact, we were extremely close to a point where our school system wouldn't be able to financially keep up with the initiative.

The chromebook, a device made by Google, runs Chrome OS and allows students to use a keyboard and browse. Adopting Google Apps for Education in our school, made considering the change a no brainer. Students already had Google accounts, and teachers were collaborating with their students using the GAfE.  What made even more sense, was the affordability of the chromebook. So for year one of this change, the high school made the decision to transition the incoming 9th graders to the chromebook.

The 9th graders, along with their teachers, had great experiences with the chromebooks. Teachers enjoyed the collaboration with the students. They were able to give assignments using Google Drive and Google Classroom. Students were engaged because they had a tool that allowed them to do their assignments, use a keyboard to type, and to explore apps in Google Drive and the Chrome Store. The chromebook really worked well with the curriculum, and we could see the growth in students' performance.

This was a eye opener for our school system. The chromebook worked in all areas of our one to one initiative. The cost in comparison to our current initiative was a third of the cost. There was great collaboration with the students and teachers. From a management standpoint, our Technology Department could managed the chromebooks in one location, with ease. The Google management console was pretty straightforward. The following summer, our school system purchased chromebooks for grades 9 - 12. We are closely keeping an eye on performance and student engagement throughout the high school.

In my opinion, I am a big believer in the Chromebook. I know that there are many vendors who are selling chromebooks. I believe that schools should find a way to implement this device into their system. We are going into year 2 of this change. The motivation to integrate more technology is rising in our schools. Students are respecting what's given to them more.

For those that need help with implementing and setting up Google Apps and using Chromebooks, please, don't hesitate to contact me via email or on this blog.

Interview with Teacher

This was an interview done back in August of 2016. A teacher was doing research, and wanting to know some of the latest technology trends, and also some of the obstacles we Technology Directors go through. I actually enjoyed the interview, this being my first one.

What are the latest applications being used in schools and why are they important? How is the new technology changing the role of the teacher? This will be especially enlightening if your school has IPads or laptops for all students.

The latest applications that are being used in the schools would mainly be any software, program, or device, that is inexpensive to almost free, and user friendly for students, teachers, and parents/community. For example, being a one to one district, we moved from IPads to Google Chromebooks, for all of these reasons. Switching from our current environment, which included Microsoft and Outlook, to Google Apps for Education, has made the device transition even easier.

The Chromebook, in comparison to the IPad, is more affordable for districts and parents. Because it runs the Chromium software, it makes it easier to run Google Apps and the Google Play Store. The Chromebook offers keyboarding, which is a difficult function for the IPad since you would have to purchase one to make IPad work in standard classrooms.  This change to Chromebook is actually happening globally for most school systems. Software companies and such are getting on board as well with creating apps and extensions that work on the Chromebook.

In what ways are, technological improvements affecting the ways educators deliver knowledge.

These types of technological improvements are affecting educators in both positive and negative ways on delivering knowledge. The positive nature is the fact when the educator understands that most technological improvements are to enhance how they are currently teaching. Great educators understand this concept, and then use it this knowledge to advance themselves as well as their students. Some teachers, look at these improvements on the negative side, and feel like technology can become a distraction to them and students. This creates the thin line between “engaging students” and “students learning”. The teacher must first understand the content that they are teaching/delivering. Then the teacher must understand the “how” and “why” on using technology.

For instance, the biggest key with Google Apps would be its efficiency in collaboration among teachers, parents, and students. Educators who already understand collaboration, and have great means on collaborating, would normally see this technological improvement as a way to enhance what they are already doing. A document that is normally graded from teacher and handed back to student, becomes a document that can either be done in a collective group of students, which allows students to learn how to work together, then the teacher can continuously give feedback which increases student achievement. From this perspective, you can see that the student and teacher are collaborating amongst each other and other students, versus just the normal turn in document and receive grade.  On the flip side, the teacher who lacks management and control and runs more of a “dictatorship” model classroom, finds this method of collaboration as wasted time and unnecessary. Their thought process keeps them in mindset that the student should only gather information from teacher, then answer questions or document and send back to teacher.

How are these changes affecting the work of the instructional leader?

These changes affect the instructional leader on the level of expectations. Leaders who understand how technology can improve student learning, are more adapt to technology changes. These leaders are always looking at the changes, and whether or not they comprehend them, are normally asking questions to a technology director, a technology coach, or someone on how this can impact them for the better.  These instructional leaders understand how technology can only improve what’s already established as a culture, and normally they create high expectations for themselves and teachers on incorporating technology.

Some leaders fear the technological changes because they don’t want to place “too much” on their faculty. Technology becomes an “added thing” so they only request that teachers do the bare minimum when it comes to using it. These leaders, in most cases, don’t have high expectations on moving with technology, and may not even require much use out of it. I call these leaders the old “pen and paper” leader, meaning they are use to working with what was best for them and they will only expect the same from teachers.

What are the concerns this technology coordinator has about the future of education as new hardware and software are developed?

There are several concerns I have in regards towards changing of hardware and software. First and foremost, the environment and culture has to be accepting to change when it comes to technology. Educators, administrators, and any other person who works in education has to understand that you cannot remain stuck in your ways. There is a reason why technology is outdated after 3 years because someone is always coming up with another trend or a way to make a trend better. What you teach may remain the same, but how it is delivered will and must change on a case by case basis. All students think and learn differently. So technology should only be used to identify how the student learns. I am seeing more and more teachers who shy away from technology because of fear, the expectation is not there, and they don’t comprehend how it can help them improve what they are doing; not hinder it.

The other concern with future of technology trends, is the fact that sometimes it seems as if only the technology director, tech admin, or coordinator understands that as much as technology is needed in most situations, it is an afterthought when it comes to planning. Technology planning is vital in every situation in education today. Because of lack of planning, several problems occur. Administrators, teachers, and others purchase or want to purchase technology out of impulse; what they think is needed at that particular time. There is really no assessment done on how this will impact other teachers and even the students. This problem creates the lack of sustainability which in my opinion, cripples a lot of districts. When technology is bought just because it is new or it’s the new trend, hardware and software are bought without having future goals in mind. This causes turnover when the teacher feels they don’t have the adequate tools to teach, or when the administrator cannot deliver an effective plan on student achievement because the resources aren’t available.

 How are district resources being strained by increased dependence on technology within the classroom?

Most districts are being strained financially and mentally, when it comes to the dependence on technology in the classroom. If you promote technology, but teachers feel they don’t have enough of it or the updated technology, mentally they breakdown and stop using technology altogether. Trying to keep up with initiatives and replacing old technology for new, drains districts financially. Because of the issue with lack of planning and sustainability, districts buy technology with the assumption that either the hardware or software will last forever, or the fact that it will be address when that time comes, when technology becomes outdated. This becomes a financial drain because you will never stay on track with maintaining what you have in a district as far as technology is concerned. This turns into a mental drain when you can’t accommodate the changes, and then teachers become unmotivated, and stop caring about using technology.

  

What are the ethical and legal concerns the Technology Coordinator has in terms of using technology throughout the teaching and learning environment?

The only ethical and legal concerns with using technology in the teaching and learning environment is dependent upon expectations from the administrators and teachers. When teachers do not care about how technology is being utilize in their room, and they are “forced” to use it, students can then take advantage of the situation. This can then lead to poor choices made by the student; posting on social media, creating videos, stealing information/data from others.

When educators show a lack of interest in technology, and students has access to it, then they abuse it. Just as the administrator should have expectation for the teachers, teachers should have same for the students. Not having this causes the students to not have any care or concern for what technology they have.

When these types of situations occur, it becomes a legal concern because of the potential of what can happen. Theft, vandalizing of technology, making videos of others without consent, posting bad behavior on social media, and cyber bullying, are some of the mishaps that can become a legal situation which could  bring in law enforcement.

Summer PD at Charles Henderson Middle School

Summer PD at CHMS

STEM Conference 2016

School Superintendents of Alabama and Discovery Education held a STEM Conference back in March of 2016. This was the first year as Technology Director, that I didn't have any projects going on during this time (like most Directors, our project are done either Christmas holiday or Spring Break). So I ended up signing up for this conference. It also helped that I SSA was gracious enough to give the participants free tickets to the Alabama and Auburn baseball game at the Montgomery Biscuits stadium.

Here are some of the takeaways I experienced during this conference. First and foremost, the STEM conference had a great guest speaker, being Hakeem Oluseyi. Mr. Oluseyi spoke of his struggles growing up, along with the obstacles he had with education. He was able to get out of his pitfalls and become the renowned astrophysicist, author, and educator that he is today.

The presenters at the conference had some interesting numbers when it comes to STEM. The first thing that they mentioned is the fact that Alabama alone has well over 110,000 jobs related to STEM. Majority of these jobs will be given to men because women are not pursuing these particular jobs. This is due to the fact that girls lose interest in Engineering and Technology in high school. STEM jobs are portrayed as a career field for men, instead of women. Movies and TV ads cater these positions to men. Therefore, as young girls are watching these shows, they shy away from these subjects in school. During the STEM Conference, it was encouraged that schools should implement an Hour of Coding into their curriculum. Not only should they implement it, but work harder to encourage young girls to take on these subjects, and master them equally, if not better, than their male peers.

The second session, on day two, spoke on changing the environment and spectrum in a school system, in order to encourage and promote STEM or STEAM. Statistics show, that an individual teacher needs 80 hours of Professional Development over 2 years in order to change their mindset and grow them into a particular curriculum (instantly when this was spoken, I began looking at our teacher averages of PD time in STI-PD). It was given, that in order for a district to change the "culture" of teachers, that each one needed a total of 160 hours of Professional Development within 3 years. Very interesting stats on professional development. Being a technology director, and also one who gives professional development to educators, I began to understand why this is so. The consistency in developing teachers is what changes the culture. Schools that have well established STEM programs did not just wake up one morning and decided to start one. They had careful planning, which a good bit of it included how effective the professional development was going to be with the teachers.

In closing, this was a very good conference. My mind was open on how to continue to bring this to our school system, and work toward the building blocks of starting a program. The conference ended, with the presenters reminding us on building an identity for your school system, your school, or even your classroom.

Websites to check out:
stemconnector
change the equation
discovery education stem