Tech Geeks’ Meeting

Educational Technology Council

Tina Hackey, the Media Technology Specialist at Citrus Springs Elementary School shared about the Ozobot, a robot for teaching students to program.

On Thursday, I attended our quarterly school district’s Educational Technology Council meeting, which brings together school base technology specialist and technicians. This is always an important opportunity for these team members to come together.  These technology experts are on the front lines of our curriculum, digital assessments, technology initiatives and state mandates.

In today’s classrooms nearly every aspect of teaching and learning uses technology. From the overhead projectors, cameras, to the teacher’s computer, to the student’s iPads, to the many many different software and apps. Our technology specialist and technicians play a critical and essential role in making everything work and helping developers curriculum solutions for the classroom.

These are such dedicated individuals that are having to manage a massive growing and challenging necessary infrastructure. They are often having to use creative means to stay ahead of issues. While they cannot continue to do so, these individuals have had to manage massive increases in hardware and have done these implementations with their existing resources saving the district thousands of dollars and making learning more engaging and relevant.

Director of Instructional Technology, Dr. Mike Geddes shared about our district’s growing network bandwidth requirements.

Director of Instructional Technology, Dr. Mike Geddes shared about our district’s growing network bandwidth requirements. Network bandwidth needs of our schools and district have increased from 100MB in 2011 to 2000MB in 2017 and we are headed to 5000MB within just a short time. What is driving this? Textbook adoption is required to be digital, along with our supplemental, enrichment and intervention curriculums is increasing bandwidth usage. The current cost of this bandwidth is approximately $40,000 a month, but thankfully 80% of that cost is paid for not out of our school’s general fund but through rebates through E-Rate. E-Rate is the Schools and Libraries Program of the Universal Service Fund, which is administered by the Universal Service Administrative Company under the direction of the Federal Communications Commission.

At the meeting ‘techs’ have the opportunity to share their knowledge, tricks and tools with one another. District Technology Specialist, Matt Biggs shared about a learning and programming tool/toy called “Sphero SPRK+” which students can program the “Sphero” ball to move as the students’ learn coding to program the ball’s paths. Tina Hackey, the Media Technology Specialist at Citrus Springs Elementary School shared about another exciting robot for students to program, the Ozobot. We are seeing these tools in our schools in MakerSpace areas. Rachel Drummond, the Technology Specialist from Inverness Middle School shared about Google Translate to communicate with now English speaking students. Google Translate app allows you to have your mobile device camera in real-time look at text on a sign or paper and translate it as they are looking at it. This tool is assisting students to learn while they are learning their new language, and it is helping teachers and students to better communicate and build relationships.

This is always an informative meeting and I walk away grateful that my own children are in a school district that have these dedicated and technology committed individuals. They are bettering students to have the knowledge and experience to be more successful in their individual future college and careers.

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Chronicle Editorial Board Give Thumbs Up to Educational Pathways Bill

Chronicle say Rep. Ralph Massullo’s “House Bill 407 is a common sense initiative”

I wanted to thank you the Citrus Chronicle for their support of Rep. Massullo’s educational bills and for their editorial in Thursday’s paper, ‘Massullo bill seeks necessary balance’.

The Editorial Board stated, “The bill’s multiple pathways importantly recognize a student’s performance and potential should not be simply defined by a single standardized test score, but by his or her individual educational aspirations, abilities and mastery.”  The Editorial Board went on to say, “Rep. Massullo’s interest in listening to the concerns of local educators about the state’s reliance on standardized tests for the awarding of a high school diploma and his willingness to challenge conventional thinking with the filing of HB 407 are applauded.”

I wanted to update that Rep. Massullo got Senator Debbie Mayfield to file identical companion bills for HB 6015 (SB 782) ‘High School Graduation Requirements’ and HB 591 (SB 808) ‘Maximum Class Size’.  In addition, Rep. Jason Fischer agreed to co-sponsor HB591.  Rep. Massullo is working with Sen. Montford and other Senators on his major educational pathways bill, HB 407 ‘Alternative High School Graduation Requirements’ and I have confidence he will be successful with that bill as well.

Follow this link to read the entire Chronicle Editorial: http://www.chronicleonline.com/content/massullo-bill-seeks-necessary-balance

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Common sense high school education bills filed in Legislature

Originally published in the Citrus County Chronicle on 02/05/2017

[updated with Senate bills on 3/22/2017]

For years educators and parents have been searching and praying for a legislator that would listen to the needs of students, parents and educators, and then be brave enough to file legislation that would make positive lasting improvements for our students.  Citrus seems to have found this legislative unicorn with Representative Ralph Massullo, MD who is Citrus County’s Florida House of Representative, District 43.

Even before Rep. Massullo was elected, he reached out to those in public education.  It seemed clear from my first meeting with Rep. Massullo that his motivation was simple; he wanted to do what is best for students.  To that end Rep. Massullo worked with local educators to craft three important education bills for his first legislative session.  Rep. Massullo, a well-respected medical doctor, could have focused his work solely on health and medical issues but thankfully for us, has made a commitment to education.

Rep. Ralph Massullo filed HB407, “Alternative High School Graduation Requirements”, one of the most positive high school graduation bills I have seen in years. This necessary and commonsense educational bill would give students multiple options and pathways to earn a standard high school diploma. Currently, students must pass a state assessment test or receive a concordance score on the national ACT or SAT to graduate high school.  Because of Rep. Massullo’s bill, students could also meet the graduation requirements by attaining an industry vocational certification combined with an industry vocational competency test, or demonstrating mastery in academic standards in a personal educational portfolio, or by receiving a high enough concordance score on various national and standardized assessments.

These multiple pathways mean that students will not be forced into a one- size- fits- all graduation track.  Students can receive a high school diploma and career industry certifications which could lead to employment after high school.  Other students who excel in studies but struggle passing exams would be able to demonstrate their mastery of standards through providing evidence of learned skills and standards on multiple exams rather than a single state assessment test.  All of these options would result in doing what is best for students.

A similar bill was sponsored in the Senate following Rep. Massullo’s bill.  SB 584, sponsored by Florida Sen. Bill Montford, is very similar in that it too offers pathways to a diploma but only if students failed the 10th-grade English Language Arts Florida Standards Assessment or the Algebra I end-of-course exam. It would not allow students to automatically substitute state exams with a portfolio, industrial certification or alternate test. I have great respect for Sen. Montford, and I believe Rep. Massullo’s and Sen. Montford’s versions could be merged into an excellent bill that does what is best for students. I am encouraged that with the right support that is just what might happen.

Rep. Massullo also filed HB 6015, “High School Graduation Requirements” (Senate companion bill-SB 782 by Sen. Mayfield) which will provide more equitable options for interscholastic/varsity sport students by providing students who participate in varsity sports a physical education waiver so they would not have to take a P.E. course in addition to their other high school courses. This option is currently available to students that are in courses such as marching band, dance, and JORTC. If passed this wavier could enable students to participate in additional elective course options.

The third educational bill Rep. Massullo filed is HB 591, “Maximum Class Size” (Senate companion bill-SB 808 by Sen. Mayfield). This bill gives public schools the same allowances as charter schools in meeting the state’s classroom size amendment. If approved, this change would permit public schools and districts to meet the classroom sizes based on a school average.  This has been permitted all along for charter schools.  This would empower schools and teachers to better assign students based on their needs rather than to just maximum classrooms.  It would also bring common sense cost management by not requiring school and districts to fund an entire new classroom for increasing enrollment by a single student.

We are grateful that Rep. Massullo is passionate about education and is becoming informed on the issues that have impacted education in Citrus County and Florida.  Rep. Massullo is listening to stakeholders and taking action.  We all have a responsibility now to assist our Rep. Massullo to support and help him get these bills passed.  I encourage all our parents, teachers and students to communicate with their state legislators. Ask them to support these bills in their committees and pass these bills into law.

Thomas Kennedy is a School Board Member for Citrus County School District. Read his blog at http://www.thomastalks.org.

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