Located in north central Georgia, Newton County Schools (NCS) may be more than 200 miles from the Atlantic coastline, but that hasn’t kept Kristin Carter’s first grade class from getting up close with ocean life. During an instructional unit on marine animals, Carter’s students connected directly with a Discovery Channel shark expert by using Zoom on their ActivPanel.
“She talks to them all about sharks, and about how sharks are kind of misrepresented. And she pulls in that girls can be scientists, too,” said Carter. “It’s really neat that they interact with her that way.” NCS has a long history of integrating tech into classrooms like Carter’s to provide unique learning opportunities for its 18,600 students, including exploring the world beyond.
NCS attracts and retains educators with cutting-edge edtech
The district’s forward-thinking approach to edtech has been a significant means to attract staff. Dr. Jennifer Williams, director of instructional technology and media services, originally came to NCS as an elementary school teacher more than 15 years ago. She had been working in a neighboring district in a classroom that was equipped with only a chalkboard.
I came to Newton County because they had Promethean boards
Dr. Jennifer Williams, director of instructional technology and media services
“I saw a flyer that said, ‘We have the latest technology, including interactive boards.’ So, I left and came here.” Over the years, Williams’ role has transitioned from the classroom to the district offices, where she plans the strategy for the very tools that brought her here.
Part of Williams’ responsibilities include creating five-year tech refresh plans to ensure the best and newest tools are available to serve students. When it comes to hardware, the ActivPanel has been a consistent component. For software, the district provides teachers with a wide selection of options to choose from depending on what works best in their classes. “Whatever we purchase in ClassLink, they can use with the board—Discovery education, ActivInspire, IXL, curriculum provided by the curriculum department,” said Williams.
Teachers are always included in the decision-making process. At each school, a teacher is appointed as the innovative leader of tomorrow (ILT). In addition to helping their peers with any questions, ILTs play a key role when the district considers new opportunities. “They’re a vanguard group, and they give us an update on what needs to be refreshed, what’s not working, and what they would like to see,” said Williams. “Whenever we do a pilot, we contact that group, and we send them to conferences to scout what’s out there.”
Digital learning coaches support enhanced, vibrant pedagogy
Like Williams, Natasha Blades started at NCS as a classroom teacher. With a natural affinity for technology, she quickly became her school’s ILT. Originally, ILTs were the only technology support across the district, but as use increased, so did the demand for resources. When the district added six positions dedicated to professional development with technology, Blades transitioned out of the classroom. Now a digital learning coach, she supports four elementary schools, helping teachers learn to use their tools, build their skills, and find new ways to boost learning. “Having a digital learning coach helps teachers see the benefit of technology,” said Blades.
At NCS, the focus on professional development is personal and forward-thinking. Blades differentiates training to meet the unique needs of each of her schools and each teacher, no matter where they are on their edtech journey.
I look at it as technology enhancing pedagogy. With our Promethean boards, we’re looking for ways to shift their practices, whether it’s a new teacher or a veteran teacher.
–Natasha Blades, digital learning coach
Tech savvy teachers may be looking for nuanced tips and tricks, while others may be at the start of the edtech journey learning the basics. In addition to onsite training, the digital learning team has created on-demand resources and video tutorials teachers can access at any time, and it hosts a district-wide technology conference each summer.
Blades is excited to see the innovative ways the ActivPanel is being used. “Teachers love that you can have multiple students at the board,” she said. She explained how teachers split the screen and bring two students up at once to solve problems in competitive, gamified activities. It’s also easy for them to utilize platforms the district has purchased through the panels, from learning robotics and coding, to creating books and practicing reading. “Novel Effect is a great tool to use with read-alouds because it adds sound effects,” said Blades. “I had a book I was reading on the panel. Kids were not only able to see the picture on the ActivPanel, but they heard the sounds that came along with the story. They were so excited!”
Storytelling to global connections, edtech empowers big ideas
Kristin Carter’s first-grade classroom is an inspiring example of all the ways technology can invigorate learning. “A lot of people don’t think little kids can do powerful things with technology, but they can, and we do all the time,” said Carter. She acknowledges that while technology can add a lot, it can be a challenge sometimes. But challenges provide learning moments. “We jump in with both feet. Kids need to learn what you do when something’s not working. That’s part of real life, and they need to see and experience that.”
Beyond lesson delivery, Carter says technology is providing ways for her students to explore and express ideas. For example, she described how writing a story at this age is difficult. “There’s not only muscle development of holding a pencil and forming letters, but they have to think about phonics, and spelling, and sentence structure,” she said. “But speaking is natural. If they can sit down and tell me, it’s much easier.” She often has her students use Book Creator on the panel to record themselves telling stories. “They have big, brilliant ideas, but don’t always have the writing skills to put them onto paper yet. When I use platforms that have video and audio capabilities, it’s amazing,” she said. “They’re able to share these huge, deep ideas that otherwise nobody would hear.”
Carter often uses technology to gain access to different types of content. For students with learning disabilities, that means a more level playing field and boosted participation.
Technology is a great equalizer. When I started using accessibility features like text-to-speech and talk typing, I found ways to open up more avenues for kids to learn and show what they know.
-Kristin Carter, first grade teacher
Edtech also helps Carter see and share how students have improved. Throughout the year, students record themselves doing work and activities, and Carter puts those videos into a digital portfolio for each student. “It’s nice to be able to hear how they’ve grown,” she said. “I have videos of them reading a book in August versus now. To hear the difference is amazing.” At the end of the year, she shares the portfolio with students and their families. “It’s really a point of pride. They can say, ‘Look at what I’ve created and done.’”
One of Carter’s favorite benefits of using the ActivPanel is how it opens the world to her students. She described how one year, her students got to write a poem with award-winning poet, Amanda Gorman. During the online national poetry month event, Gorman read from her book and talked about the writing process and importance of poetry. “She led all of our classes in writing a poem together,” said Carter. And at the end, they got to take a selfie with Gorman. “I can’t take them to the Atlantic Ocean, and I can’t afford to fly Amanda Gorman in, but I can find all kinds of opportunities for them to join activities or share with other schools using the ActivPanel.”
Tech is key to preparing students for the future
Natasha Blades, digital learning coach, believes traditional, no-tech models are no longer sufficient to meet the diverse needs of today’s learners. She feels strongly that technology should be purposefully integrated into the holistic education experience. “We have to have sound pedagogy first, and then technology can enhance it,” she said. She sees tools like the ActivPanel as an essential part of the strategy for helping students become well-rounded and prepared for the future.
If we’re not integrating technology into the classroom, then we can’t say that we did our due diligence. Technology can be used to give our students authentic experiences and get kids to develop critical problem-solving, 21st century skills. And Promethean is a part of that.
-Natasha Blades, digital learning coach
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