Allison Krasnow, BUSD Instructional Technology Coordinator
National Board Certified and Math For America Teacher
Three Core Strategies for Instructional Technology Integration in 2016-17:
- Expanded Professional Development For Teachers and Staff
Allison Krasnow, a long-time Berkeley math teacher was named this year to be BUSD’s Instructional Technology Coordinator, leads a hands-on workshop for teachers.
- Of 100 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade teachers and other educators, 68 became Google Certified Educators and another 32 received extensive professional development aimed at increasing teacher use of GAFE (Google Apps for Education) tools in the classroom.
- To ensure integration of new practices, a new Instructional Technology Coordinator position was created to work with “tech teacher leaders” in each school to promote the use of the best technology for teaching, hold hands-on workshops for teachers to develop their practice with the tech tools available in every classroom, and coach teaching peers one on one.
- Digital Citizenship: Every Student, Every School
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Our school library websites provide key tools needed for online research and skill development for our students. Curated resources are geared to students’ interests and assignments. These digital resources are accessible via a simple click from the school library website and, along with classroom teacher and library staff guidance, provide scaffolding as students gain experience in the research process.
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Digital Citizenship plays an increasingly important role in our curriculum, both in our classrooms and in our libraries. This year all 3rd-5th grade teachers will teach three lessons about safety, responsibility and ethics online, as outlined in the our Digital Citizenship Scope and Sequence, adapted from Common Sense Media. This is part of the 1:1 Chromebook initiative in our 4th/5th grades. As of November, 2016, over 25 digital citizenship lessons were taught across our 11 elementary schools, with more lessons completed weekly.
- Chromebooks and Tech Tools in Students’ Hands
“All three parts of the program fit together: expanded professional development
for teachers, Digital Citizenship being a part of the school culture,
and having a Chromebook in students hands.”
-Allison Krasnow, Instructional Technology Coordinator