NSBA hosting visit to honor Jefferson County Schools' technology program next week
From NSBA
NSBA’s Education Technology Program was launched in 1985 by NSBA and its federation of state school boards associations to help advance the wise use of technology in public education. NSBA’s Technology Leadership Network (TLN), founded in 1987, is the district networking program that offers a complete package of benefits and is an innovative way to bring the school board, administrators, and the district technology team together to glean the best practices from other districts and to make well-informed technology decisions.
More than 250 school districts, education agencies, and colleges of education benefit from this support system, which connects with trailblazers and resources for using technology in schools. The network fosters a team approach to technology decision making by including every level of the district’s technology team: superintendent, educational technology and curriculum directors, principals, teachers and school board members.
Three districts were chosen as national exemplary districts for site visits in 2011, including the Jefferson County Public Schools in Kentucky. An NSBA delegation and participants from various states will be in Louisville May 11-13.
The Jefferson County school district is committed to creating caring and culturally responsive classroom communities; providing high-quality, personalized instruction that challenges and engages students in authentic work; and ensuring equitable access to a consistent, inquiry-based curriculum. The district offers teachers a variety of opportunities to participate in professional development to help them integrate technology into a standards-based curriculum.
Technology integration specialists work side by side with classroom teachers.
TIP (Technology Integration Project) provides all 5,800 teachers a tablet PC, unlimited access to a learning management system to access instructional resources, and ongoing, job-embedded professional development.
The 21st Century Lesson Study allows teachers to observe and learn the effective use of technology in a classroom setting.
Online professional development allows adult learners to participate in professional learning communities anytime, anywhere.
Technoversity is an all-staff technology training program that offers more than 100 sessions dedicated to technology.
As a result of this extensive training, Jefferson County students have access to many learning opportunities, including:
Unique magnet programs, including an elementary S.T.E.M. program and high schools designed around professional career themes.
The Student Technology Leadership Program empowers all students to use technology to learn and achieve.
The 180 Degree Classroom project uses an iPod Touch and tablet PC to restructure the traditional high school math classroom into a student-centered, inquiry-based learning environment.
The Digitally Enhanced Literacy Initiative integrates technology into all phases of the writing curriculum using one-to-one access to Mini-Note computers.
Classrooms are guided by the principles of Universal Design for Learning.
Students explore complex problems in robotics labs.
JCPS’ eSchool allows students to take high school classes, middle school course-recovery modules, and dual-credit college courses.
All students meet the high school graduation requirement for technology competency.
All fifth- and eighth-grade students take the 21st Century Skills Assessment.
High school students have the opportunity to obtain the industry-recognized IC3 (Internet and Computing Core Certification).