Technology specialists from districts across the region recently spent a day together at Kent ISD for workshops and picking each other’s brain to find out how technology is benefiting instruction in their district.
The event, which is the first of its kind in the region, is hopefully the first of many in years to come, said Kent ISD EdTech coordinator Andrew Steinman.
“At this rally everything is interactive. This is an opportunity to immediately apply what we learn in a hands-on environment, and then take it back to our schools,” said Steinman.
This event was put together out of need, explained Brad Wilson from Jackson County ISD. Wilson collaborated with Steinman to make the event happen.
“The more people we can bring together like this, the more we can improve (technology use) at a local level,” said Wilson.
Empowering Tech Specialists, Benefitting Schools
Kelly McGee, librarian and tech integration specialist at Godfrey-Lee Public Schools said the event was beneficial to the education technology field. “Usually (as tech specialists) we work on our own however, here we can interact with other educators doing the same thing,” said McGee, adding “This sharing of knowledge helps us be more effective when teaching teachers.”
Sarah Wood, also a tech integration specialist from Godfrey-Lee, said keeping connected with other tech specialists across the state has been one of the best things for staying up-to-date with the rapidly changing tech environment. Wood said tools such as Twitter have provided a great way to keep connected.
“We all have a similar role with the same problems,” said Wood. “The fact is, technology is changing so rapidly it is difficult to become an expert in one area.”
Wood explained that through inter-school communication, tech specialists across the state can collaborate on a similar goal: getting this information to teachers in a creative way.
“We aren’t interested in re-creating the wheel, we just want to do what is best for students and teachers,” Wood concluded.
CONNECT
