Ten years ago, I thought tests were the only way to assess a student’s knowledge, but now I understand that they can demonstrate their mastery in so many different ways. I am a critical and creative thinker. Ten years ago, I prepared my lessons with fixed steps and an end assessment in mind. Now, I design learning with an ultimate learning objective, but I let the students lead me down their path of learning. I am flexible and I can improvise. Ten years ago, I thought technology was just a method to get information to students, but now I know that technology is how students take ownership of their learning, helping them develop skills and get experiences that will enable them to find their passions to change our future. I am a lifelong learner right alongside my students.
What changed my thinking all those years ago? My school, Washtenaw International Middle Academy (WIMA), became a Verizon Innovative Learning School.
The day we were awarded the opportunity to participate in this initiative back in 2015 is a day that is forever ingrained in my memory. Being a part of this incredible program has had such a tremendous impact on our school community and on myself as an educator.
WIMA is the Washtenaw Educational Options Consortium’s (WEOC) middle school program in Ypsilanti, Michigan. WIMA shares a campus with WEOC’s high school program, Washtenaw International High School (WIHI). We are a school of just under 200 middle school students and around 550 high school students who come from all over Washtenaw County. Since we have students from all over the county, our population of students ranges greatly in terms of socioeconomic backgrounds and, at that time, access to technology and connectivity. Some students might have multiple devices and high-speed internet in their homes, while others might not have access to a single device when they leave school.
Before the 2015-16 school year, our school had just two laptop carts with 20 laptops each that were shared among all of our classes. Our teachers had a strong desire to provide access to technology to our students, but it just wasn’t always feasible with our lack of access. Digital Promise and Verizon Innovative Learning Schools changed the learning game for our students and teachers.
The shift in our students and teachers was almost immediate. Students, families, and educators were more connected through Google Classroom and email. Students could pursue their own knowledge and demonstrate their learning in creative ways because the playing field of access had been leveled. Science teachers were engaging students in virtual lab experiences. History teachers could pull up photos of artifacts and landmarks and share them out with students to discuss in seconds. Math teachers could share tutorial videos that students could watch for support when completing homework. Spanish teachers could provide spoken language practice opportunities for students to complete on the bus ride home. Physical education teachers could have students use timers and spreadsheets to track their progress in skills. And the choice and voice that this technology provided was truly inspiring. We had students creating animated videos, green screen movies, podcasts, infographics, augmented reality posters; the possibilities were endless now that all of our students had equal access both at school and at home.
As if this amazing transformation for our middle school students wasn’t enough, the principal of our school recognized these incredible changes at our middle school right away and knew that we wanted to make this opportunity available to all of our students in grades 9-12, as well. The range in socioeconomic background also existed at our high school program, with many students having no cell phone or internet access at home, while others owned multiple devices. We decided to implement a hybrid program where students had the option to bring their own device or check out a school Chromebook. Digital Promise taught us how to be creative with the resources we had to ensure that we could support equity in access for all of our students.
As part of Verizon Innovative Learning Schools’ second cohort, we were one of the first 21 schools in the program. At our first convening, the eight schools from Cohort 1 led us through their victories, their lessons learned, and their continuing needs and concerns for their program. We learned from them, but also grew with them, and we have been fortunate to be able to share our own victories and lessons learned with the next eight cohorts of schools. When we first began, all of the coaches and storytellers could fit in one small meeting room. Now, at almost 600 schools and more than 600,000 students served, we have been able to share our experiences and hopefully make each new Verizon Innovative Learning School even more successful than we were through powerful professional learning and a strong collaborative community.
Being able to learn alongside many other schools and with a supportive team from Digital Promise and Verizon gave us the resources we truly needed to be successful in our technology implementation. Shifting our mindset to match the forward thinking and growth mindset model of Digital Promise and Verizon Innovative Learning Schools created a truly profound impact on our school and learning community.
Our students no longer just ask questions to find out the answers; they are true inquirers. They no longer just make posters to show their learning; they create stories to share their learning. They no longer just think about the ideas in front of them; they innovate on what already exists. Our students no longer let learning happen to them; they take charge of their own learning.
On a personal level as an educator, being a part of this program changed me in immeasurable ways. And none of that would have been possible without the incredible opportunity we were given through Digital Promise and Verizon Innovative Learning Schools.
Learn how to bring Verizon Innovative Learning Schools to your school or district.
