Jun 19 2008
Closing Thoughts
As we come to the end of another school year, I want to take the time to thank all of you for all of the work you put in this year. I want to thank all of the Technology Coordinators that hung in there all year long. Without your work at the school site, change in Instructional Technology would not take place.
I especially would like to thank Dr. Linda Santana and wish her the best on her retirement. Dr. Santana has been a key figure at Plasencia Elementary. She has taken the teachers at her school and exposed them to new ideas and helped equip them with the necessary tools to be successful. She has also opened her doors and welcomed anyone to come by and learn from her experience and see how she manages the lab. It will be difficult to find someone that can fill her shoes.
We have learned a lot this year. Many schools have gone through the Digital Storytelling training and I have seen some outstanding student projects. Other schools have been learning to use SmartBoards in their class and have changed their way of delivering instruction. We have looked at various Web 2.0 tools and have introduced MyMail accounts to students, enabling them to have access to Google applications. Many teachers have participated in the CTAP Acadamies offered through the County Office of Education and some are preparing to go up to Ojai, CA for week long technology workshops.
Students are now creators of content and not just consumers. We still have a way to go, but with a great team of educational technology leaders such as yourselves, we can make change happen. I believe the students are ready for change. They are living in a digital world, but are learning in an analog environment. They don’t want to sit in rows and listen to lectures. They want to be engaged. They want to create. Let’s work toward a learning environment that encouraged student to be creative, to think outside the box, to collaborate with their peers, teachers, community, and the world.
