DCSD uses technology to transform classrooms, methods of learning
By Melissa Rollins, Editor, editor@newsandpress.net
Technology is changing education; educators must also be part of that change. The Darlington County School District Technology Department is working to equip teachers and level the playing field for students.
Diane Sigmon, Director of Technology for DCSD, said that having the entire district take part in the 1 to 1 initiative, each student having his or her own electronic device for schoolwork and homework, has moved along as planned.
“We are actually going to be able to finish the middle schools and elementary schools a little early; we are definitely going to be able to start the (new) school year off one-to-one,” Sigmon said. “That will be really good so we can focus our back-to-school professional development on helping teachers through that process; not that we haven’t been already. We have had a lot of PD going on.”
Sigmon said that moving the district away from older ways of teaching means that new methods have to be created.
“Our biggest challenge is to redesign what’s happening in the classroom,” Sigmon said. “How can teachers take previously very successful lessons and incorporate the digital resources? How can we assist them in doing that without overwhelming them? There are so many things on their plate; how can we help this technology be seen as just a tool and not just one more thing they have to do.”
A pilot group of teachers formed a few years ago to help district staff recognize where the challenges might occur.
“Technology in the hands of every student is one of the largest paradigm shifts in teaching and learning to be experienced by today’s educators,” Sigmon said.
“When we talk about personalized learning, I think the biggest shift has been for teachers in middle school and high school. Their delivery method for teaching has, historically, been so different than what an elementary teacher does. An elementary teacher is very used to the small groups, learning pods, centers; the challenge for them is finding the right tool to continue to meet those needs individually. In high school, it really is a huge shift in how their classrooms look.”
Sigmon said that she is thrilled to see how the teachers are using technology to enhance their students’ educational experiences.
“We have some phenomenal teachers doing some really great things,” Sigmon said. “Brian Gandy with the Darlington County Historical Commission is working with some students to build iBooks about the history of Darlington. To get those things documented and to use the tools that technology gives you is just really exciting and the kids get excited, too.”
When teachers have been using the same methods for year, Sigmon said, they have to be assured that they won’t be penalized for trying new things.
“We teach what we were taught and we are successful because we have those models,” Sigmon said. “To ask us to completely change that model is a huge paradigm shift. Instead of the teachers doing the work during the school day, the students do the work during the school day. We have a large number of veteran teachers so you have to create an environment where teachers can take some risks, they can try new things that they are not comfortable with and they can have the support mechanism to learn from that.”
Creating a line of communication in the district, between teachers and students, has been extremely important also, Sigmon said.
“One of the initial things that students and teachers had to learn was ‘How do I communicate my learning to you’; ‘How do I deliver my work to you,’ Sigmon said. “At the schools, one of the things they have been charged with is standardizing the method of communication so that when students go from one class to another it is not that drastically different.”
Sigmon said that support from the district’s board has been incredible.
“I cannot understate their support,” Sigmon said. “They gave us their permission to take risks. First of all, because of the cost, these projects become very public very quickly. One bad thing can derail a lot of good and we have seen that in neighboring counties.”
One example of the board’s support includes their willingness to begin using technology themselves during monthly board meetings. Information packets are delivered to iPads rather than hard copies being handed out and votes are taken electronically.