I started cleaning some items out for our annual curbside trash pickup yesterday. As I grabbed a lawn mower grass bag that had been in the garage for at least five years, never touched once during that time, I had to stop myself from the “but you might need this argument.” We are all guilty of hanging on to items that we don’t need, ideas that are outdated, systems that don't work, and practices that have little to no positive
effect. Whether it is rows in the classroom facing a teacher, textbooks sitting idly on a shelf, software that shows little instructional value, or the venerable “we have always done it this way”, the start of the school year brings the perfect opportunity for all of us to choose some items that need to be cleaned out of our instructional arsenals. Why don’t we? Because change almost always produces some resistance in us, resistance to the uneasy feelings we get when things are different. But like the first time we sat on a bicycle when we felt very unsure and a little bit scared, the end result is often an amazing ride, bringing benefits we could never have predicted.
Technology is a growing industry with an impact in virtually every walk of our modern life. Education has certainly been affected and Judson ISD's Technology Services has proven to be a leader in innovation among not just public education, but in general public sector applications as well. Judson ISD's Technology Services Department recently was awarded a Best in Texas technology award by the Center For Digital Government. It was a selection as "Best In-House Developed Application," for the district's Parent Center. The Parent Center is an application that keeps parents informed about important areas such as grades, assignments, attendance, library books, discipline, lunch accounts and more. And it's all in one place that's accessible from multiple devices.
The popularity of this tool has been growing with usage up across the board for administrators, parents and especially students. All this was developed in house by the innovative folks from the JISD Technology Services Department.
This is excerpted from the original blog post by Steve Linscomb at http://www.judsonisd.org/jblog/post.cfm/jisd-techies-earn-best-in-texas-award
One of the most vexing challenges for schools trying to convert to becoming Future Ready by transitioning to digital learning, is the persistently large number of students from families that do not have Internet access.
Internet access alone will not bring about a change in learning, but it can support reshaping classrooms and schools that are embracing flipped classrooms, student-based discovery, and personalization of learning. For schools looking to put devices in the hands of students, the lack of Internet access in many homes is a major stumbling block. Schools and some Internet service providers have tried to address this access gap with varying degrees of success and creativity. Coachella Valley Unified School District parked Wi-Fi equipped buses in neighborhoods of greatest need, while Forsyth County Schools partnered with local business who would offer students free Wi-Fi and a safe place to work on homework. Comcast has offered a basic Internet plan to families in its markets for $9.95 a month. Pasadena ISD near Houston, Texas is going so far as to build their own LTE broadband network, but for most school this type of build out has far too many technical and financial hurdles.
Will the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) come to the rescue? It very well might, as last week the FCC voted to change its Lifeline program, which subsidizes telephones for low income families. The change would subsidize just under $10 a month for broadband Internet for low income families. The FCC already transformed e-Rate this year. Will the Lifeline program change be another shift in policy that can really help schools bridge the access divide? This could be a huge opportunity for schools to encourage families to sign up for low- or no-cost Internet and have the same learning opportunities that other families with Internet access have.
The
activity around student data privacy has reached a new level of fervor, with
state and federal legislators locked and loaded, ready to take aim at
vendors, districts, and teachers alike. There are an amazing number of parties
and organizations weighing in on this very important topic, from parent groups,
the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), to many educational
organizations like the National School Board Association (NSBA) and the
National Education Association (NEA).
There are literally tens of bills pending
at the state and federal levels, with assorted rules for companies, districts,
and school staff members. California was early to the game with its landmark SOPIPA legislation, which passed in September of last year.
Others that joined, like Louisiana, passed laws that place teachers in the crosshairs, with looming large fines and possible jail time
for each student data privacy violation. Yes, teachers do need to take
protecting student data much more seriously, but are fines or jail time really
the answer? We all need to start focusing on the basics, starting with
policies, procedures, and staff and student training.
Regardless of the pending
laws affecting us in each of our states, the need to inform staff and students
of the dangers of data over sharing and the responsibility to protect it have
never been greater. If you are just starting your student data privacy journey,
I suggest downloading the excellent Protecting Privacy in Connected Learning toolkit from the
Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), which can serve as a privacy roadmap
for districts. Also try visiting the Student Data Principles site, Stay Safe Online, and the Privacy Technical Assistance Center, which will give you
the ammo needed to start moving your school forward with becoming a student
data privacy advocate.
Judson ISD and it's fantastic home grown Parent Center app were featured in Technology & Learning's May 2015 cover story, Now Hear This: The Right Connections - how to keep school communities informed - from
Judson ISD along with two of my great counterparts at Tyler
ISD and Calcasieu Parish Public Schools are featured in the eSchoolNews May
2015 cover story, “What keeps CTOs up at night?” which I have attached and can
also be viewed online at http://www.eschoolnews.com/current-issue/
effect. Whether it is rows in the classroom facing a teacher, textbooks sitting idly on a shelf, software that shows little instructional value, or the venerable “we have always done it this way”, the start of the school year brings the perfect opportunity for all of us to choose some items that need to be cleaned out of our instructional arsenals. Why don’t we? Because change almost always produces some resistance in us, resistance to the uneasy feelings we get when things are different. But like the first time we sat on a bicycle when we felt very unsure and a little bit scared, the end result is often an amazing ride, bringing benefits we could never have predicted. 
