INNOVATION PLAN - BURNET MIDDLE SCHOOL
INITIAL DRAFT
Revision 1.0 (May 2020)
Technology has always been a valued tool in the classroom. From pencils and paper to overhead projectors to today’s digital era, classroom instruction has always been guided by the ever-evolving technological landscape. Yet technology in itself is not enough. As the American Council of the Teaching of Foreign Languages notes in their Role of Technology in Language Learning, “The effectiveness of any technological tool depends on the knowledge and expertise of the qualified (sic) teacher who manages and facilitates the learning environment.” At Burnet Middle School, we strive to become facilitators of knowledge through our use of technology. Our goal is to not just put a gadget in a students’ hand, but to guide that hand to applicable, real-world transference.
Our North Austin school is comprised almost entirely of economically disadvantaged ethnic minorities, over 60% of whom are English Language Learners. These students, many dependents of immigrants or immigrants themselves, have had very little access to emergent technologies. Up until last year, very few initiatives in this space were being offered to our student body. Computers on campus were scarce and were being supplied to classrooms at a 1:4 ratio. Laptops and iPads were outdated and hand-me-downs from feeder high schools. Almost no outside involvement or campus initiatives were being offered.
Fast-forward to the 2019-2020 school year. In conjunction with Apple and Lamar University, we have successfully implemented the Apple Coding Initiative on our campus. Every week (Monday and Tuesday) students in Mr. Long’s ROBOTICS classes learn Swift coding using the accompanying LEARN TO CODE modules in Apple’s PLAYGROUNDS, while Fridays are dedicated to coding engaging activities using Sphero robots. We have also partnered with NCWIT and Westwood High School to bring coding to underserved at-risk female students through GIRLS CODING CLUB after school on Mondays with Mrs. Russell. Conversely, Burnet has partnered with CHANGING EXPECTATIONS CORP and the NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION to bring computer science to African-American and Hispanic young men with disabilities through a Saturday coding program on our campus. Couple this with becoming a 1:1 school through Verizon’s Innovative Learning program and you have the signs of a campus on a transformative path.
Looking forward, we plan on continuing our partnerships through both in-class learning and after school programs. The tentative plan is to continue offering a summer coding camp, akin to the one hosted at Burnet in early June. Said camp was a success; over 80 students engaged in meaningful coding activities using Apple’s Playgrounds and Sphero robots. We are also actively engaging local technology companies in hopes of bringing real world expertise into the classroom.
All-in-all, we are grateful for the opportunity afforded us and look forward to continuing this endeavor.
Jason Long, Burnet Middle School, CTE
Amy Russell, Burnet Middle School, CTE
INITIAL DRAFT REFLECTION #1
(OCTOBER 2020)
Our initial Innovation Plan was written pre-COVID 19 pandemic, so much of it is still not feasible in our district's virtual (almost 90% of my students remain so) educational climate. The extracurricular clubs (Girl's Coding Club with NCWIT, after school programs with The Boys and Girls Club of Austin, Summer Coding Camp, etc.) have been cancelled. Apple-specific lessons and software have had to be postponed due to the lack of availability of equipment, and hands-on coding application through our Robotics programs have ceased due to CDC recommendation. Going forward, the Burnet Innovation Plan will be revamped to focus on utilizing CANVAS/BLEND learning management systems (our district's distance learning platform) in innovative and creative ways for the foreseeable future.
INNOVATION PLAN - BURNET MIDDLE SCHOOL
UPDATED DRAFT
Revision 2.0 (NOVEMBER 2020)
Austin Independent School District's Burnet Middle School is a partner with Verizon for the Innovative School District Learning Initiative, as well as Apple Computer's Coding Initiative. During the COVID-19 pandemic learning has shifted to a hybrid model of instruction (90% distance learning, 10% in-person), whereas the two aforementioned programs have given our students an increased opportunity to thrive during these challenging times. Our Innovation Program has shifted at Burnet to from a student-centered intiative to a teacher-support driven model.
The goal is to now support campus teachers with the knowledge and skills they need to bring successful blended-and-distant learning to their students. Through PLC's in our campus's CTE department, my team will begin facilitating a network of support to teachers unfamiliar with the potential technology can have through distance learning. A gateway project will be introduced in the form of ePortfolios, a digital cache of accumulated knowledge that not only spotlights student acheivement, but helps facilitate the use of 21st century skills.
DRAFT REFLECTION #2
(MARCH 2020)
My initial Innovation Plan, which took fruition in the Spring of 2019, came about under very different circumstances. Normalcy reigned, and the educational environment remained a constant. Everything changed in March of 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and disrupted every facet of life as we know it. Nothing in my initial plan was feasible. Instead, a complete rewrite was done and the focus shifted from the students to helping fellow teachers adjust to the new format of blended learning.
That has been a hit and miss prospect.
Not much has changed since the school year began. Our campus is still at approximately a 90/10 split of distance/in-person learning. Our schedules are in disarray due to state and district requirements regarding synchronous and asynchronous minutes; so much so that our department has not had a PLC in four months (which was when the training aspect of the Innovation Plan was to occur).
I HAVE made myself readily available to colleagues for one-on-one help with our LMS (CANVAS/BLEND), and have been lucky enough to assist many fellow teachers with their technology needs (embedding videos and resizing being one of the most requested), but the COVID-19 disruption has been so great that any concrete plans, once put on paper, needed to be changed or adapted by week's end.
This may be the end of our coursework at Lamar University, but it is not the end of my journey. As vaccines roll out things progress back to normal, I intend on revisiting our initial Innovation Plan and creating a new version to assist my campus going forward. This endeavour has inspired me to continue my education by applying for National Board certification, a process which, I am sure, will allow me to incorporate much of what I have learned during these last two years in the DLL program.