Technology Integration: Where we are and where we are going

Where we are now...
Over the past few years, the Nevada Community School District's administration has made the investment in technology access. Currently, the high school is 1:1 with Macbook Pro's and is in their third year of implementation.  The middle school is getting ready to roll out Chromebooks to the 5th-8th grade students - we are patiently awaiting for them to arrive.

The district has also invested in upgrading the informational technology side to keep the infrastructure growing and on the cutting edge. Last year, they hired two amazing guys, Joe Wakeman, technology director and Jon Kruse, technology support specialist, to run the technology department.

This year, the district hired a technology integrationist, Carrie Hillman, to help teachers and students use technology within their curricular areas.  Before this year, teachers were pretty much on their own with using technology with students.  There are many teachers that have strong technology skills, but it is hard to stay on the forefront of the ever-changing technology world and also teach curriculum, so having this new role will keep moving everyone forward with technology integration.

Where are we going...
We are starting a journey of using technology as a transformative tool rather than just a paper substitute for students at the elementary all the way through the high school.  We need students to create, collaborate, communicate and think critically at all levels, and their are many technology tools to help us get there.  We will be using the TPACK framework, developed by Koehler and Mishra, to blend technology, pedagogy and content knowledge.

We will also use the SAMR model, developed by Dr. Ruben Puentedura, to move from using technology as a substitute for paper to using it for learning in ways in which it was impossible to do without technology.

How are we going to get there...

• There will be a repository of technology professional development within this blog and on the web.  
• Monthly technology professional development
• Just in time technology professional development 
• Encouraging teachers to continue to grow with technology
• Encouraging students to have a positive online presence. 

Through our current practices and the changes the district has invested in, we will continue to prepare our students to be leaders in the world.