This year, I resolve to ….
Support high-quality learning
Frankie Jackson, chief technology officer, Cypress Fairbanks (TX) Independent School District
“For 2019, our IT emphasis will be on cybersecurity and on high-availability, high-resiliency, high-speed wireless access to support 24 x 7 x 365 learning. Our primary goal is to build a world-class-quality K-12 technology service system, including achieving Level 2 in the ‘process and results’ categories of the National Institute for Standards and Technology’s Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for Education.”
Celebrate progress
Kristina Stratton, principal, Westside Elementary School, Florida
“In the new year, when we receive our mid-year i-Ready results, I want to celebrate our students’ growth, paying particular attention to those who were below grade level on their fall assessment and have worked hard to make meaningful progress since then.”
Teach STEAM skills
Oletha Walker, challenge resource/project-based learning teacher, John F. Kennedy School, Connecticut
“I want to provide my students with opportunities to learn how to code using the Evo robots, which use a color coding language. When my students have advanced past color programming, they can program the same robots using Blockly/Java script. I also plan to use the 3Doodler EDU Create+, which lets students create 3D projects without having to wait hours for their design to finish printing on a 3D printer.”
Give students more time in our makerspace
Esra Murray, library media specialist, Cider Mill Elementary School, Connecticut
“Our goal for 2019 is to launch #Munch+Crunch @LLC, a lunchtime purposeful play opportunity for students to explore, design, and create using a variety of tools, including Raspberry Pi, Makey Makey, and Dash & Dot. Students have been asking to spend more time in our learning commons and more time tinkering in the makerspace, so our ultimate goal is to extend the space, especially during the dark and cold New England winters, to all learners who want to extend their own learning.”
Help teachers learn to code
Tina Coffey, instructional technology resource teacher, Roanoke County (VA) Schools
“Now that Virginia has passed Computer Science Standards that K-8 teachers will be required to implement starting next school year, my overarching goal is to spend the rest of this school year developing lessons and ideas that help teachers implement coding throughout their content areas. I plan on using several different resources to help with this endeavor. I’d also like to become more proficient with using code in Minecraft Edu to write lesson plans that incorporate it into core content areas.”
Expand professional development (PD) and keep learning
Kendra Murphy, digital learning specialist & learning designer, Charleston County (SC) School District
“My top 3 education intentions are to continue to build PD that empowers teachers and to model for them what they want to try in their own classes, to listen to different ideas and points of view, and to work to learn more and try new things.”
Help more students learn to use tech
Jenna Rosienski, 7th-grade teacher, Franklin Middle School, Wisconsin
“My hope is that we can get technology in the hands of students of all ages and abilities across the globe. Implementing programs like Discovery Education’s Ignite My Future in School can take a student’s education to the next level. As teachers, we need to be preparing our students for the complex problems of today and the future; many solutions will be made by empowering our students to use technology.”
Reduce paper and increase students’ self-reflection
Dene Gainey, 3rd-grade teacher, Seminole Science Charter School, Florida
“I will have students write a self-reflection weekly to reinforce learning of concepts and ideas.
“I will use less paper by having students document learning electronically and posting to their FreshGrade eportfolios.
“I will have my students respond to their reading by writing summaries and reflections in their digital portfolios.”
Expand my tech knowledge and usage
Susan Keene, 3rd-grade teacher, West Newton Elementary, Indiana
“My goal this year is to continue to look for innovative ways to incorporate new technology in order to support my students. Whether that be from fellow tech leaders on social media or reading more articles, I want to better prepare my students for future technology integration.”
Learn from my students and share their work globally
Gaila Sanders, teacher, Hillsboro High School, Texas
“Learn about an app from my students that they think is cool!
“Be brave and find a safe way to share my students’ work with the world!”
Provide authentic reading experiences for my students
Scott Hayhurst, teacher, Okanagan Mission Secondary School, Canada
“I would like to find more online spaces where students can read student-generated stories and share their own written creations. Expanding the audience for both my avid and reluctant writers helps make the entire process more relevant and powerful. Moreover, having stories that my readers can peruse will increase the chance that they find a writer or genre that hooks them and keeps them ‘turning the (digital) page.’”
- Why we love our PD tools - May 13, 2019
- How one middle school is closing the technology achievement gap - May 10, 2019
- How STEM learning invigorates classrooms - May 1, 2019