How often do you see Technology Directors attending curriculum training for teachers? That's exactly what Bob Fishtrom and his tech team did at Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District. Conversation #57 of 100DistrictConversations has some great insights:

"I have seen a significant shift in my sixth year here: after rebuilding our technology infrastructure, we are now focused on how it directly supports instruction. This involves bridging the gap between the pedagogical expertise of our teachers and our technology specialists. We are deeply invested in the E.L. Achieve framework, a comprehensive approach to language instruction. A key learning this summer was that even our technology trainer and I needed to go through the curriculum training ourselves, highlighting the deliberate language instruction required and the heavy lifting teachers are already doing. Layering technology onto nuanced curriculum design can be incredibly complex.

During distance learning, we realized we were spending around $630,000 on edtech tools. By utilizing platforms like LearnPlatform by Instructure, we identified and cut $140,000 in unused or underutilized products, including one costing $60,000 that only two teachers were using. We are now optimizing our toolset.

We are particularly impressed with Brisk Teaching, an AI tool that can help differentiate learning, like adapting an article to a 6th-grade reading level. We are closely comparing it to Google's LLM and their suite of tools, recognizing AI's potential to enhance the human element in teaching. Our 212 teachers provide quarterly feedback to our department through surveys, which helps us understand their needs and concerns about edtech. I'm still learning our district's edtech culture and am hesitant to remove tools without thorough feedback. With only 20-minute school staff meetings, finding time for teacher-to-teacher training and PD is a constant struggle amidst competing priorities. However, I'm seeing providers upping their game with AI, and some student-built tools are remarkable. The challenge is delivering professional development without overwhelming teachers, who are often rightfully anxious about students misusing these powerful AI tools.

We are working to expand our internal support structure; our current total is four coaches on campus. This includes two "Constructing Meaning" coaches at each school site to reinforce the instructional framework. The rapid evolution of AI tools means we can soon incorporate drag-and-drop activities for our curriculum, further enhancing paper-based resources and streamlining access to critical language instruction materials.

There is a critical awareness gap for students and parents regarding how to protect their private information. While we are not pushing AI adoption universally, our tech coaches will champion its effective use, first supporting teachers with high interest and comfort levels."