Change takes time.  I have to repeat those words to myself every single day.  We have come so far since we began our journey as a 1:1 school and transitioning our curriculum – closing reading deficiencies through differentiation, providing unlimited practice when it’s needed, using data to focus our instruction exactly where it needs to be, and so much more.  But I breathe a sigh of discouragement when I hear some of the comments from parents, teachers and students that indicate that we still haven’t fully shifted our thinking.

It has never really been about the tech.  

The devices are just a means to a munch bigger end.  Yes, we need to give students experience with technology to prepare them for the world they live in and will work in.  Yes, we can use technology to make learning more engaging and efficient. But it’s really about using technology as the tool to make it more personal and authentic.

In recent months, we’ve presented students with a writing prompt for Digital Learning Day, sent a survey to parents, and announced that Riverton will be a BYOD school next year.  In addition to showing some really good steps we’ve taken forward, the responses have also revealed that many still see the devices as nothing more than a substitution for an old way of doing things.  Their vision is far too small.  We clearly need to do a better job of helping students and parents to see that tools like Achieve , ALEKS  and IXL aren’t just moving from a book to a screen, they are moving from a one-size-fits-all education to one that is customized to each students’ exact needs and pace of learning.  Students don’t always like this because it really raises the bar for them.  Advanced students aren’t just coasting through the grade level content that comes easy to them, but are being challenged more than ever.  Students who were happy to slip through the cracks before, are now finding that impossible.  I don’t know of any parent who wouldn’t want this kind of individualized education for their child, but some don’t really understand that is what we’re doing.  Most of our teachers are seeing the benefits of this kind of shift, but some still struggle to see the true possibilities opened up to them because we are a 1:1 school.  Let’s not stop at discussing the author’s purpose, let’s use the technology available to us to ASK him or her!  Let’s give our students a voice and open up the doors to create and share with the entire globe. Let’s give students, teachers, parents and administrators the means to really communicate with one another anytime. Let’s give students the chance to explore their curiosities in unlimited ways, invent, solve real problems. Let’s use the technology less for things that can be done just as well on paper, and more for things that truly transform learning.  If you’re an educator, you know that I’m talking about making the climb over the S.A.M.R. line, which is a topic I think we need to revisit in professional development and set some specific goals towards accomplishing.

Please don’t get me wrong, we have lots of teachers who are leading their students to these places.  This year I’ve seen classes where students are blogging, Skyping, sharing their voice about current events from news clips, and mastering multiple levels of content in a single year.  I’ve watched teachers’ eyes light up as they get excited about new possibilities that will take learning to new heights.  But it’s like this….

It isn’t their fault that this process takes so long and seems crazy at times.  There is a lot standing in a teachers’ way – fear of failure, state mandates, lack of time… We just need to do a better job of sharing that vision so that everyone sees it and believes in it.   And I need to be patient and wait for it.   There isn’t a doubt in my mind that Southwest Parke is a school district on a path to climb above the line.  It just takes time.