Episode 5 - Digital Parenting 259 - Tech Directions

welcome everyone to Episode five of our

digital parenting series and this one is

talking about our digital direction

moving forward as you guys well know our

society has changed to do that Kovach

pandemic and some other things that have

happened and we're prepping as a

district to go for it a much different

direction of how we deliver content

deliver learning and what that

experience looks like and preparing our

kids to be you know future in oops let

me hit the right button for you rob

there we go

and so when you look at this whole

series you know our goal as a district

is to look at digital equity we're also

going to be looking at our new virtual

school reboot of our virtual school

looking at education at imagined Academy

which that one's named as well as how we

prepare kids to be digital citizens

looking at eSports the only sports

that's happening right now throughout

the the world is eSports and so how we

will provide those opportunities to our

students both at the high school middle

school level looking at online

enrollment and what that looks like for

us as we go down this endeavor of

starting to digitize our paper-based

processes and then also looking at LTE

devices which are we're just passed by

the board yesterday so looking at

education imagine Academy so when you

think about our kids and where our kids

are at with virtual learning we're

looking at how those opportunities can

be expanded to both our virtual school

kids and our comprehensive high school

so today when you look at our virtual

school it offers those opportunities

just to our virtual school students two

things are going to happen

one we're gonna expand the opportunities

we're gonna have a lot of different

opportunities that will highlight later

and those students will have access to

technology and a different level of

technology that what we're going to

start providing for our middle school

and high school students and elementary

students and we're also going to provide

internet on those devices for virtual

school kids don't you enroll in

education imagine Academy just

understand you're gonna have a much

higher computing device and a and an

always-on internet capability with that

device also the model of empowering

students and learning is different

because we're going to incorporate a

student learning advocate in that

position knowing where kids are with

anxieties today they're fed information

by everywhere and everyone and they also

engage socially different than any other

time in society and so whenever you

think about where we're at with those

students we want to make sure that we're

supporting those students through their

lifelong learning model and doing so

with this this additional position will

help those students both progress

naturally and meet the needs of those

social unemotionally such a good part

and then I don't know did you want to

talk about a few of the course that are

different so we're gonna be offering a

lot of different innovative coursework

so thinking about design thinking doctor

talking about product development

looking at cybersecurity game design

obviously eSports will be a big part of

this area forensic science

global commerce in the 21st century

looking at the arts and how you do arts

with digitization computer science and

modern web development those are just a

few of the wealth of opportunities that

these students will have an opportunity

to be a part of and once and this is

obviously the the podcast but there are

handouts that go with that and with

that handout it'll be a link to the this

Academy's information so if you are

interested to kind of get dive into more

details just know that that's on the

website the USD 259 website as one of

the school options as well thanks for

highlighting you're welcome and then a

digital citizenship goal so one of the

goals that Rob has brought with him that

I think is very important that that

we've kind of always talked about since

tech integration has increased in just

the past ten years that I've been

teaching out of the 25 is digital

well-being how do we create a balance

and then also to use devices

educationally so I'm enhancing my

experience I'm transforming my learning

experience because our kids do come

knowing digital devices but a lot of

that social and how do we interact

social and so coming to Wichita to build

a partnership as is common sense media

and one of the rules is good we're gonna

build the digital citizenship goal of

all of our teachers becoming certified

and then buildings to make sure that

we're maintaining that digital well

balanced for not only our students but

our staff as well so that students

become critical thinkers communicators

collaborators and adaptable individuals

that are using that as a resource to

enhance their lives not just using it

and you know like just clicking here and

watching videos but really using the

device to enhance their experience their

learning experience at school and

digital citizenship through common sense

is one of the the things that's also

happening in the district I think

sometimes whenever we think about

digital citizenship we always think

about what not to do but I also there's

a huge opportunity of what positive our

students can do whenever they create a

positive digital footprint that can

prepare them for what's next so thinking

about student portfolios creating you

know this library of learning work that

these students have and being able to

take that on to whatever's next is

important and I think that's some of

those modalities are where we're going

to be working with in the future very

true

so next is the eSports I know you

mentioned it just

but if there's other details yep so

we'll have four middle schools and four

high schools comprehensive that'll be a

part of eSports as well as our virtual

school so that'll be a 5th 5th school

that will be involved in there and some

of the things that are opportunities

that will be available is we're gonna

start measuring strategy there will be

both clubs and varsity sports that will

be highlighted underneath those will

support four different games within the

high school eSports league those

students will be able to to compete in

winter spring and also fall opens and so

looking at those opportunities and

seeing students that weren't engaged

before in any type of extracurricular

activities this is an opportunity to

reach those students also every game is

treated just like in different leagues

so if we support four games there will

be four different leagues and so we'll

have those high technology engaging

activities with those students well and

as a parent of a gamer you really if you

cuz I know some of us are like video

games are becoming a sport how is that

like how is that a sport but there

really is what you're working together

and having to collaborate and having to

accomplish that common goal so instead

of that football at the infield you know

whatever goal that game is there really

is a lot of collaboration and the

strategical thinking that has to go on

on some of these games and just is so

enhanced in these so it's not just

playing games

it really takes on a lot of thought and

process and I know that I didn't see

them that way at the very beginning but

diving into them and looking at what my

son does there's so many strategies

behind that and collaboration behind

that to be successful in those games you

know you highlight a great quality there

so whenever you look at eSports today

you can't think of it as how you might

have played games in the past so I

remember when I was growing up I had the

Nintendo I was a Mario Brothers

those are low-level strategies and it

was a lot about memorization of giving

through those levels in today's games

and much like computing so you know

before wherever you grew up you had a

desktop computer back in that one area

and as we provided more access and and

you have LTE 4G and now 5g you have the

availability of doing things in a much

more immersive way and so students can

compete against one another or compete

with each other in teams and those games

now have the availability to be adaptive

so now whenever I think of problem

solving I'm hitting those higher-level

problem-solving skills and understanding

that the problem is adapting to what how

I'm reacting to it and not every time

that I engage in the game isn't going to

react the same way to me so there's a

lot of strategy that's built into this

no longer what was the code AABB see see

right to get through something that just

doesn't exist anymore in these games

that's really I have to think on the fly

and what can I do and if then and it's

so many strategies that go on and the

type of games that they're talking about

in eSports this this next category is

kind of for you parents versus students

and that's the online enrollment

opportunities that we now have Rob

that's not going to really impact your

kids that's more for us parents but it's

important digital direction that we're

going to we're moving the entire

district to a much more paperless

process so online enrollment as well as

the student special transfer process

latchkey our early college Academy all

of those will be paperless as well as

our magnet theme so if you're applying

for a magnet school

all of those are paperless style

processes now and we're doing those both

for you as a parent to be able to do at

home but also to help us really focus on

the importance of social distancing and

limiting the amount of exposure that's

out there during this pandemic

but also a part of it if there's just

not any way for me to do it at the house

on my own there are still the

opportunities that you can help but

since not everybody has to go

so the numbers of the buildings will be

limited so we don't want to say that

that's the only way that we're doing

latchkey and enrollment and magnet but

you can still go and and have people

help walk through it if you still need

that it's it's it doesn't mean that you

can't do it in person if you need it

correct great great topic yep absolutely

so whenever you are looking at

enrollment if you still have some things

to do that need to be face to face we

absolutely want to support those just

know that we're offering the online

experience as well for those that can

can flow through that process very cool

and the last one is something that just

happened very recently correct so we are

focused on purchasing some devices that

enable LTE in the future and those

devices as we start to identify those

you don't have access to broadband we're

gonna start looking at offering

opportunities to where we might be able

to support those devices with Wi-Fi or

LTE some type of data connection so that

we start to look at if we have to go to

a remote learning our blended learning

type scenario for students that were

leveling the playing field I think

digital equity and access are so

important in today's age and whatever

you think about learning you think about

the power of video and content and you

know I I learned everyday some type of

strategy by watching a YouTube video you

know absolutely just the other day I had

to work on my washer and I instead of

calling a repairman I just looked it up

on YouTube and then walk through the

process and so that availability of of

resources that are out there just should

allow our students to be able to learn

at a higher level thinking property and

as well as how do we support that with

digital devices and digital access very

good point and I think you bring up the

point is what you mentioned about the

equity is kind of takes us to our last

component which is the overall goal for

these digital directions of creating

that digital equity if we had a lot of

you know teachers that certain teachers

had ax

two computers others didn't which meant

that I couldn't do some of the

enhancements and transformation that

tech can bring to it and so a lot of

these bring that digital equities so

that you could move on from there I

think Mike we don't want the system to

create the inequities and so it was one

way to do that to go towards you

mentioned it a little bit with the

virtual schools but even in a regular

classroom the blended learning where

teachers can make those videos to help

students while also working with a

smaller and bringing in that digital

citizenship so I think you said it great

with learning what to do versus just not

to do I can't ever make that list long

enough of what not to do but if we start

bringing in those digital citizenships

to enhance that blended learning that

personalized learning some of these

characteristics that just make great

people and adults come into play because

of the digital equity yeah I think one

of you whenever you look at anything

post-secondary today that there's a

extreme high likelihood probably the

highest percentage that it's ever been

that those students are going to engage

in an online course or online activity

and we've got to prepare those students

in order and by providing a personalized

and blended learning environment helps

those kids understand the intrinsic

motivation that's needed to be a

lifelong learner and so whenever you

create that capacity in students and

they understand what they want to be

then that helps them along their journey

whenever they leave K through 12 and I

think that's so important for us as

educators to be mindful of of how do we

create the capacity for students to want

to intrinsically learn and continue in

an online environment because we know

that that environment is only going to

continue to flourish absolutely and I

know one of the things we're kind of two

slides past that but we mentioned the

LTE devices for the six through 12 does

that mean what does that mean for our k5

it to also have digital equity what so

we're also looking at flowing devices

down from our secondaries to the

elementary and the

identifying where those needs are that

we would then also provide some form of

digital access to those students either

via MiFi or some other type of device

gotcha just wanted to make sure that we

it's not that we were forgetting the k5

it's just the LTE devices were six

twelve but k5 is still part of that

digital equity plan it's just what

they're getting and how they're getting

the devices is a little bit different

absolutely and we're still ironing out

the details of what that plan looks like

and so you know obviously we'll have a

lot more details as the state focuses on

what that plan looks like in the month

of July as well as how we adapt to what

that looks like

absolutely so I know that we mentioned

this was episode episode 5 so if you're

like well I didn't see episode 1 through

4 they are at this WPS digital parenting

bitly and that's where it's digital

handouts kind of guides to help go with

what rob has shared and then the WPS

YouTube page we'll have those and the

social media on Twitter or Facebook or

Instagram all that kind of will show you

when a new sessions coming out and that

is the way but you can always go to WPS

Digital parenting and find them or the

YouTube page for WPS to find any of our

digital parenting episodes as well all

Tana thank you so much for assisting me

in this process and I want to thank

everyone who's tuning in to this we're

going to you know really make these next

couple months transformative for our

students you're welcome