School Days
Leveraging
Tech in Learning
I
n the Digital Age, educational
technology is a top priority. As
Coordinator of Educational Technology
for GUSD, Kay Guenther has created
a roadmap for the school district’s
implementation of educational technology,
teacher training in use of the technology,
and curriculum planning that ensures its
effective application in classroom learning.
As one example, teachers have received
training in the use of Google Apps for
Education and integrated these tools into
their curriculum. According to Guenther,
teachers are making increasing use of
online curriculum for English, Math,
Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Study Skills,
and more. Each student has a Google
Apps for Education account so they can
l og in at school and at home to access all
of their work.
Guenther noted that grants from the
Gilroy Foundation and from the Tech
Museum of Innovation have provided
valuable support for educational
technology adoption. Through a partner-
ship with the Tech Museum, Brownell and
El Roble have received grants for teacher
training and support programs. The school
district also partners with Common Sense
Media to provide students with lessons in
“digital citizenship,” which covers topics
from cyberbullying, internet safety and
information literacy, to copyright, privacy,
digital footprint, and other skills needed
to learn and thrive in an increasingly
digital world.
Another significant school district effort
is the adoption and use of Chromebooks,
with the ultimate goal of having a
Chromebook for every student. Meanwhile,
the district’s IT Director, Marybelle Gusar,
is overseeing the build-out of WiFi infra-
structure for every campus. There are only
66
two elementary schools to go and then
the entire district will have WiFi. The
goal is for every school to have sufficient
Chromebooks, stored on Chromecarts,
powered by built-in WiFi.
Guenther said the district is also
extending Project Lead the Way with a
new Computer Science educational path-
way at Christopher High School in Fall
2018. The program includes professional
development for teaching Math and
Computer Science as part of an integrated
curriculum. Guenther was involved with a
similar implementation of the Biomedical
Science pathway at Gilroy High School
five years ago. That pathway has seen
significant growth in enrollment with
students well-prepared for acceptance into
related degree programs at leading colleges
and universities.
Last December, several district schools
kicked off Computer Science Week by
participating in the Hour of Code, a
coding challenge designed to provide
K-12 students with their first taste of com-
puter science. According to Scott Otteson,
Principal of El Roble Elementary, the con-
cept of Hour of Code has been expanded at
El Roble, where students (First Grade and
up) participate in a year-long enrichment
class, two days a week. Using Scratch, a
free programming language and online
community, students create their own inter-
active stories, animations, and games.
“The more hands-on activities the
students are involved in, the more skilled
and confident they become with coding,”
Otteson said.
Vicky Groppe teaches Science at
Brownell Middle School where her
students are doing hands-on work with
computers and integrating computer
science and beginning software
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018
development into their studies. Brownell
is taking a STEAM (Science, Technology,
Engineering, Arts, and Math) approach
to learning.
“There’s a big art component in
the classroom and in the real world.
Recently a docent from the San Jose Art
Museum showed our students the work
of great artists in history who designed
simple machines in their art. Things like
mobiles, fulcrums, and pulley systems. In
engineering we use simple machines like
these. We teach Newton’s laws of forces in
motion and look at 3D pieces of art. Take
the Bay Bridge. It’s engineered art based
on science, right down to its synchronized
lights. Some students who aren’t comfort-
able with abstract science concepts find it
easier to express them through art. Science
is embedded in art, and art is everywhere.”
Brownell is in its second year as a Tech
Academy school. Students are learning
how to explore ideas, create designs, and
solve problems using technology.
“It might take multiple attempts
but along the way they discover how
things work in a real-world scenario. We
encourage them to approach problems
from a cross-curricular perspective. At the
end of the day they own the solution and
understand how to apply it what they’ve
learned in other subjects and classes.”
Brownell students are participating in
the Tech Academy’s annual Tech Challenge.
The theme is “Drop and Dash.” Students
must overcome time constraints and other
obstacles and find a way to deliver medical
supplies to someone with a life-threatening
medical condition.
“Tech Challenge and hands-on class-
room labs let students apply learning and
then present and defend their results. It’s
very empowering for them.”
gmhtoday.com
Written By Robin Shepherd