1. Ahead of the Digital Learning Curve
- Author
-
Cook, Glenn
- Abstract
Dwight Carter admits he was a novice at social networking when he was introduced to the 140-character world of Twitter in 2010. Now, three years later, the principal of Ohio's Gahanna Lincoln High School and one of three winners of the 2013 National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) Digital Principal Award does not know what he would do without it. Today, Gahanna and Clark Hall--the school's tech-centric addition that opened in 2010--use social media and web tools as a primary means of communication among parents, students, teachers, and administrators. The band, the parent-teacher organization, and the lacrosse team have Twitter accounts; teachers receive in-service training on using and applying best technology practices in the classroom; and parents take free workshops so that they can keep up with the tools their children are using. Winners Ryan Imbriale (the executive director of digital learning for Baltimore County [MD] Public Schools and a former principal of Patapsco High School and Center for the Arts in Baltimore) and Carrie Jackson (the principal of Timberview Middle School in Fort Worth, TX) have taken similar approaches to opening up their schools to students, parents, and the community. In this article, the author describes how Imbriale and Jackson have broadened the use of social networking and placed a defined, pragmatic emphasis on infusing technology throughout their schools, all in the interest of increasing student learning.
- Published
- 2013