HISD’s efforts to digitally transform teaching and learning in national spotlight for #DLDay
At Burbank Middle School, students are creating videos about their future and life goals using Adobe Voice (see video below). At Herrera Elementary, students are using tablets and digital programs such as iMovie, Animoto, Prezi, and Roxio to produce digital book trailers instead of a standard book report. And at Austin High School, teachers are using the HUB, the district’s new online learning platform, to create online discussions and group activities.
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Every day, students and teachers across the district are using digital tools and resources to transform teaching and learning inside their classrooms. On Thursday, March 12, from 4 to 5 p.m., teachers and students from nearly 50 HISD campuses will gather in the lobby of the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center (4400 W. 18th St., 77018) to showcase their efforts at the district’s first ever Digital Learning Expo.
HISD teachers and students are also being encouraged to use the hashtags #HISDdigital and #DLDay on social media during national Digital Learning Day on Friday, March 13, to share pictures and comments describing their use of technology in the classroom. In addition, HISD’s digital transformation efforts will be featured Friday afternoon at Digital Learning Day Live!, an event in Washington D.C. attended by thousands of educators from across the U.S.
HISD — along with Baltimore County Public Schools, Huntsville School District in Arkansas, and Vista Unified School District in California — was selected to present during the national Digital Learning Day event because of its efforts to embrace and advance digital content and curriculum and to use technology to improve student learning. Each district was chosen by the Alliance for Excellent Education, a national policy and advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring all students, especially those who are underserved, graduate college and career ready.
[su_box title=”Watch the live streaming” style=”soft” box_color=”#e4edd0″ title_color=”#000000″ radius=”5″]The event will be live-streamed on the HISD website from noon to 1:15 p.m. on Friday, March 13. Individuals can also register to watch the live streaming by clicking here.[/su_box]
“We are very excited to be featured on National Digital Learning Day and be a part of its vision,” said HISD Elementary Curriculum and Development Officer Lance Menster, who will be representing HISD in D.C. “We’re energized to be a part of the national educational community sharing the best ideas and resources on the most effective uses of technology in the classroom.”
HISD is transforming 21st century teaching and learning through PowerUp, a comprehensive, digital learning initiative that provides laptops to all high school students, phases out textbooks in favor of digital content and curriculum, provides professional development to help teachers learn how to incorporate digital resources in their classroom, and introduces the HUB, a K-12 online teaching and learning platform accessible to students, teachers, and parents. More than 40,000 HISD students at 32 high schools currently have laptops to use at school and home as part of the one-to-one component.