Photo courtesy of Mark Alter
Since 2014, there has been a big push throughout Grandview Heights City Schools toward becoming more acclimated with newer technology in the classroom.
The goals of this one-to-one initiative in the classroom are simple: get students comfortable with technology and tech-based applications to remove the barriers that they may face finding access to information.
Jamie Lusher, chief academic officer for Grandview schools, has been part of this ongoing project since coming to the district in 2014, and believes in the benefits it has in shaping students’ futures.
“At one point, a pencil was the most appropriate form of technology, and today, it still might be,” Lusher says. “We are always thinking about the intentionality of the technology being used so it does not occupy the same space that (a) dusty textbook may have in the classroom.”
The world of academia has changed exponentially in a short amount of time. Gone are the days of lessons taught on chalkboards and transparencies on overhead projectors. With technology, students and teachers alike can fully embrace a more holistic style of learning that will benefit them in this ever-changing digital age.
There are careful evaluations of how and when these approaches are appropriate for the classroom. Teachers in Grandview are aware of the different learning styles that are beneficial to the individual student and understand that no two students are the same.
Photo courtesy of Mark Alter
“Every student learns to walk and talk at a different time,” Lusher says. “This initiative allows us to be much more descriptive and precise in the learning that happens for our students.”
Students are using everything from Macbook Airs, iPads and Google Chromebooks to more advanced technology such as 3-D printers. The goal of bringing these tools to the classroom is simple: provide an experience for students.
“Teachers are not Google anymore. They are not the only facilitator in the classroom anymore. Students can actively help drive that experience in real time,” Lusher says.
Aside from the impact on learning that technology is bringing to students, Grandview’s technology team is well aware of the importance of teaching students about maintaining a healthy balance of technology. While using laptops and tablets can surely heighten learning in the classroom, studies actually show that this can often lead to severe stress due to the human mind’s inability to multi-task.
“We are seeing what we like to call a conscious simplification, and what is really cool in some cases (is) we see some of our highest achieving students putting that technology away,” Lusher says. “It’s nice to have that tech serve as a knowledge clarity, but we want our kids knowing when to turn it off."
Teachers are not Google anymore. They are not the only facilitator in the classroom anymore. Students can actively help drive that experience in real time
Though it may be hard to imagine where technology in the classroom will be a few years down the line, Grandview schools ensuring all students are exposed to the latest devices and practices.
Chief Technology Officer Chris Deis, who started with the district this school year, credits this program’s success thus far to the transparency between the tech teams, teachers and students.
“In education, it is our job to keep getting better and we truly want that,” Deis says. “We want to be better, more efficient and authentic with our learning experiences for students, and technology use plays a big role.”
Rocco Falleti is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at jwise@cityscenemediagroup.com.