NHS Tech Talks Live Ep. 1: Trust a Student-Centered Philosophy
Welcome to the after show analysis! The very first NHSTechTalks Live was hosted by David Pearl and Henry Blanchette. Our guests were Ms. Jenn Scheffer and Timmy Sullivan of Burlington High School’s student run genius bar, more commonly known as the BHS Help Desk.
Ms. Scheffer is a Google for Education Certified Trainer, the Massachusetts Google Educator Group Leader, Mobile Learning Coach for Burlington Public Schools, in Burlington, Massachusetts – a 1:1 iPad Google Apps for Education district. In this role, Ms. Scheffer and her students act as educational technology consultants for students, teachers and parents of Burlington High School – we at the NHS Help Desk are inspired to recreate and emulate this environment at Northgate High School.
Timmy Sullivan is an experienced speaker, and has keynoted and presented at various educational technology conferences regarding his work with technology integration, student agency, and personalized learning. Thanks Timmy, for providing an example of what we all hope to strive for as members of the Help Desk!!
To kick off our first Google Hangout on Air (GHO), we asked Ms. Scheffer a simple question: Could you discuss the origins and evolution of the Burlington Help Desk and how it differs from a mainstream classroom?
We learned that the complicated integration of technology into a school is not simple, but that it’s much easier when you have students like the ones in Burlington High School. In essence, the difference between us and them is trust. However, we believe that the students of Northgate High School are every bit as talented and trustworthy as the students in Massachusetts.
Why italicize the word trustworthy? One of the key things Mr. Tobin, Henry and I took away from the GHO was the philosophy of trust ingrained within the BHS district. While it is an innate human characteristic to fear the unknown, we believe there should be a philosophical shift in our district. The experiences we have garnered in our first two months in Help Desk clearly demonstrate that District leaders and NHS administrators are seeking a proven system that will guide them through the integration of technology in schools. ‘Too often, events such as cyberbullying, sexting, plagiarizing and hacking put litigious chaos into the forefront of technology adoption, essentially stunting the development of digital citizenship progress’….and yes, the aforementioned tiered system is discussed within the interview. Go and take a peek here.
By watching our Google Hangout on Air, we believe that all parties in the NHS and the wider MDUSD community will have a better idea of what our School as well as the District must do to push us from the 20th century into the era of 21st century learning that focuses on the redefinition section of the S.A.M.R. model.
Trust was a keyword commonly discussed within the interview. Now trust us and watch the GHO. We know we were inspired and we know that you will be too.
Posted by Mr. Tobin & David Pearl
Thank you to Ms. Jenn Scheffer and Timmy Sullivan
Check out the NHS Help Desk Website here!
Visit us on Twitter!
Ms. Scheffer is a Google for Education Certified Trainer, the Massachusetts Google Educator Group Leader, Mobile Learning Coach for Burlington Public Schools, in Burlington, Massachusetts – a 1:1 iPad Google Apps for Education district. In this role, Ms. Scheffer and her students act as educational technology consultants for students, teachers and parents of Burlington High School – we at the NHS Help Desk are inspired to recreate and emulate this environment at Northgate High School.
Timmy Sullivan is an experienced speaker, and has keynoted and presented at various educational technology conferences regarding his work with technology integration, student agency, and personalized learning. Thanks Timmy, for providing an example of what we all hope to strive for as members of the Help Desk!!
To kick off our first Google Hangout on Air (GHO), we asked Ms. Scheffer a simple question: Could you discuss the origins and evolution of the Burlington Help Desk and how it differs from a mainstream classroom?
We learned that the complicated integration of technology into a school is not simple, but that it’s much easier when you have students like the ones in Burlington High School. In essence, the difference between us and them is trust. However, we believe that the students of Northgate High School are every bit as talented and trustworthy as the students in Massachusetts.
Why italicize the word trustworthy? One of the key things Mr. Tobin, Henry and I took away from the GHO was the philosophy of trust ingrained within the BHS district. While it is an innate human characteristic to fear the unknown, we believe there should be a philosophical shift in our district. The experiences we have garnered in our first two months in Help Desk clearly demonstrate that District leaders and NHS administrators are seeking a proven system that will guide them through the integration of technology in schools. ‘Too often, events such as cyberbullying, sexting, plagiarizing and hacking put litigious chaos into the forefront of technology adoption, essentially stunting the development of digital citizenship progress’….and yes, the aforementioned tiered system is discussed within the interview. Go and take a peek here.
By watching our Google Hangout on Air, we believe that all parties in the NHS and the wider MDUSD community will have a better idea of what our School as well as the District must do to push us from the 20th century into the era of 21st century learning that focuses on the redefinition section of the S.A.M.R. model.
Trust was a keyword commonly discussed within the interview. Now trust us and watch the GHO. We know we were inspired and we know that you will be too.
Posted by Mr. Tobin & David Pearl
Thank you to Ms. Jenn Scheffer and Timmy Sullivan
Check out the NHS Help Desk Website here!
Visit us on Twitter!