Environmental Scan
Technology can be amazing and
innovative as we all know it has and can make a difference in the classroom. However,
depending on the district, homelife, and environmental demographics, it can
also cause some delays or anxiety among those who may not be as fortunate to
have “access.”
A quick google search can tell you
that La Feria, Tx houses a little under 7,000 in population, but it seems much
smaller than that. Most in Rio Grande Valley speak English or Spanish, or both.
The city I work in is small and has some ranch land along with some ranch
workers. At the start of a new school year, many of you can relate that your
campuses welcome you back with open arms after a much-deserved summer break. We
often celebrate, visit, and catch up. One year, it was a little different. Our
campus loaded us into a school bus one day and had us thinking that we were on
our way to convocation. Instead, they drove us around town, showing us beautiful
homes with average sized families, middle class homes with average sized
families, and then came all the hidden poverty-stricken areas that fall into
our district. In my region we know these as “colonias.” They are areas like broken
down trailer homes, wood frame houses held together by different pieces of debris
and are usually shared by large families. Some with occasional electricity and occasional
running water. I’m sure I knew these places existed, but I had never seen them
up close and personal. It was a humbling experience to say the least, but we
all understood why they took us there. A reminder to remain professional, to be
kind, patient, and optimistic with our learners, and to recognize that
everyone’s home life is different, yet all are so deserving of quality
education. It has been something I have never forgotten.
In our day and age, it is astonishing to look around and
realize just how far we have come living in the 21st century. Upon looking deeply into my district, I can
honestly say that it has been quite accommodating as best as my little district
can. In 2019, just a few months prior to covid hitting, my district had already
been making plans to cross over as a 1:1 technology and district of innovation.
During PLC, we often meet with our librarian, our dean of instruction, and
office personnel to plan/conduct any meetings or training. It was during this
time that my ELA team knew the change would be coming and we wanted to be ready.
When the time came down to adopting a new textbook, we chose one that not only provided
consumable workbooks for all our students, but included novel study
assignments, grammar assignments, spelling assignments, and best of all an
online portal to house and assign everything. We didn’t have laptops yet, but
the workbooks had everything we would need and perhaps a trip to a computer lap
would be sufficient. However, once covid struck, we had already received
training and we were prepared on how to use all of our platforms!
Our district took on the task in
providing every child within our district with their own chromebook and
hotspots to those homes without access. Although we as a team felt we were
ready, we were quickly reminded that it was still a challenge to help navigate
everyone through new uncharted waters. It was easier said than done, but somehow,
we all learned and got through it!
To this day, our campus has
remained a 1:1 district. Our broadband is high speed and there is always a tech
team available to teachers as well as parents/students. Most of our classrooms
are equipped with smart tv’s, and every student still has their own laptops. We
often use them for various assignments in our classrooms. Since we use
technology religiously, my campus has also purchased a platform by the name of
GoGuardian. This has been a game changer! This platform allows me to log in and
once all my students are in and connected to my class, I can see exactly what
is on their screen and I can block and close tabs as necessary if it means that
they are staying on task and not navigating elsewhere.
My district may seem
technologically advanced and for the most part it is, but it is not perfect.
I’m sure every district experiences some roadblocks. In fact, this year we have
felt some changes. One elementary school will be shut down after this year. All
neighborhood schools will service k-5th grade, my junior high campus
currently services 7th and 8th grade, but will ultimately
become a 6th, 7th, and 8th grade campus. We
will also be cut from 4 teachers to a possible 3/2 teacher per subject. This of
course will mean larger classes and no hiring. Unfortunately, we are and have
been losing students to regional magnet schools and charter schools. As far as
homework is concerned, believe it or not, we aren’t really allowed to assign
it. There are still some technological challenges depending on the household
and if it is assigned, it must be allowed to be turned in traditionally by
paper and pencil or at least be given enough class time to assure it gets done
in a timely manner.
During the summer, devices are
collected as inventory, so students do not have access unless they have their
own devices at home. Our district received a grant to which our ACE program is
funded and has held certain Stem and Technology camps throughout the summer for
students to take part in. I also know that our district has a traveling
Literary Bus with wifi that makes its rounds around town and parks at neighborhoods weekly to ensure our students can connect their devices and interact with various
literary activities and literary online forums.
It's always insightful to be
involved in and learning all you can about the district you are employed with.
I look forward to gaining ideas as to how other districts operate as well.
References
La Feria ISD’s strides to promote Literacy Roll-On. (2023, July 7). La Feria News. https://laferianews.net/2023/07/la-feria-isds-strides-to-promote-literacy-roll-on/
District
Profile-La Feria Independent School District (n.d).
https://www.laferiaisd.org/resources/technology
