Future Ready for Over 40 Years

I remember when being skilled with educational technology meant you could operate a film strip projector and thread a film into a 16mm movie projector.   I was one of those people.  As a young principal I video-taped my teachers using a monster reel-to-reel video tape deck that had to be rolled into the classroom on a cart.  That was cutting edge stuff - advanced technology in its day. 

My son’s first steps were recorded on 8mm sound movie film that had to be sent off to be developed. When my daughter came along, we splurged for a video cassette recorder.  As big as professional TV station cameras are today, it cost $1200 in 1985. 

In the school, the computers started to arrive in the early 80s (Atari and Commodore and Apple) and I jumped in, taking classes, learning programming, then teaching graduate classes to teachers on how to use computers in the classroom.

In the office I remember our first Desktop Publishing package complete with IBM computer, special software and a real laser printer.  I bought a Palm Pilot to keep my calendar and notes.  My first cell phone came in a bag and plugged into the dashboard of the car. 

Every school district worked hard to stay ahead of the curve but found technology changing so fast that you never really had the most current stuff.

Fast forward to today where Calvert County Public Schools has almost 11,000 computers in operation in schools and offices.  Our high schools are open to BYOD (bring your own device).  This year a couple of elementary schools are launching 1:1 programs – one for 4^th grade and another for 5^th.   Almost every student and every employee has hands on a computer every day to do real world work.  

  

The digital age is upon us.  There is no escape.  We recognize that we will never be all set with the use of technology in the classroom.  We need to keep moving, keep developing new methods and supporting our staff as they stretch their plans to stretch our students and light up a bright future.
 

Our Future Ready team has identified the following vision for Calvert County Public Schools:

•  Teachers will use digital learning tools and resources and serve as facilitators of student learning.
• Students will have access to meaningful, engaging and individualized learning environments and opportunities 24 hours a day/7days a week.
• Students will achieve their fullest potential through access to a robust wireless network, use of a variety of digital learning mediums and devices, rich instructional experiences driven by their skills and interest and support for learning that extends beyond the classroom.

This vision depends not only upon CCPS, it depends upon a community that finds ways to embrace it as well.  We may be able to put a device in the hands of every student, but if they can’t use it to access their work in the evenings and the weekends, it might as well be a spiral notebook.  We’ll need to find ways to help low income families access internet services for their children.  We’ll need local internet providers to extend their cable systems down every rural road and lane.  We’ll need more businesses to provide access to free wifi and perhaps even expanded free public wifi in more densely populated communities.