Last Week of School

It is so hard to believe that it is the last week of school! Where has the time gone this year? It seems like just yesterday, I was training new teachers to start the school year! This has been a very busy yet exciting year. We began the year expanding the Connected Learning Program to include all 8th through 12th grade students. Students were introduced to web apps such as Edmodo, Symbaloo, LiveBinders, Fotobabble, Infogr.am, Kidblog, Toonlet, Phrase It, Popplet, Thinglink, Smore, and the list goes on and on.

As we move into the next phase of infusing technology, the focus must now move from using technology as an add-on to curriculum to using technology seamlessly with curriculum. This will be a change of teaching strategy for many teachers. Moving from the comfort of how we have taught in the past to a new classroom environment that incorporates 21st century skills can be scary and uncomfortable for many teachers. Providing our teachers with the support that they need beyond training sessions is crucial for changing classroom environments.

To provide the extra support, we will have an additional Technology Coach next year. Stephanie Martinez has been hired as the Technology Coach for the high school. She will work with the teachers to continue to enhance the one-to-one program already in place. To replace Mrs. Amon at the elementary campuses upon her retirement will be Jessica Batchko. She will work with elementary teachers as they begin to focus on including lessons from their curriculum during their scheduled lab time. I will be the Technology Coach at the middle school. As we continue to expand the one-to-one program, which will include 7th graders next year, this move will allow me to focus on assisting teachers at the middle school as they infuse technology. Our 6th grade classes will also each be equipped with a classroom set of netbooks for the 2014-15 school year making our middle school  a one-to-one campus. Castleberry ISD continues to expand the availability of technology and is dedicated to also providing the support that teachers need to fully utilize these tools to enhance the learning environment for students.