U.S. Depart. of Edu. Takes Notice of Citrus Schools

“Citrus County is earning high marks from State officials, students, and teachers for ensuring that technology is actually transforming teaching and learning.”

Last week the United States Department of Education released an article highlighting Citrus County School’s one-to-one Technology initiatives, “Florida County Uses Technology to Engage Students and Innovate in the Classroom” from their web publication, Progress Teachers Leaders and Student Transforming Education (https://www.ed.gov/edblogs/progress/2014/11/florida-county-uses-technology-to-engage-students-and-innovate-in-the-classroom).

The article provides an excellent insight into the technology initiatives happening in Citrus County. In the article Citrus educators; Kathy Androski, Dan Koch, April Barker, Principal Vicki Lofton and Superintendent Himmel were highlighted. These were just some of the many wonderful staff members throughout our district that are making this digital transition successful. I wanted to add a few other names who are making Citrus so successful: Assistant Superintendents Mike Mullen and Ken Blocker; Executive Director of Curriculum Mark Klauder; Director of Curriculum Technology, Dr. Michael Geddes; District Curriculum Technology Specialists, Jim Kelley, Matt Biggs, and Jerry Swiatek; our great Technology Resource Center staff; school based technology specialist, and lastly the many staff, teachers and administrators that have been supportive and supportive of these technology goals.

What I am perhaps most proud and pleased was Ron Nieto’s (Deputy Commissioner of Technology and Innovation for the Florida Department of Education) reflections about Citrus. Nieto said that while Citrus County is using the technology innovatively, its teachers and schools remain focused on curriculum and college- and career-ready standards. Nieto went on to say, “Where we’ve seen districts do it in this fashion, we’ve seen them have success”.

I encourage you to take a few minutes and read the article and learn more about technology integration going on in our classrooms: https://www.ed.gov/edblogs/progress/2014/11/florida-county-uses-technology-to-engage-students-and-innovate-in-the-classroom