TECHNOLOGY AND STEM: PREPARING FOR TOMORROW Madison Consolidated Schools has built a comprehensive technology foundation, equipping every student from kindergarten through 12th grade with devices. “With that, we’ve had to make digital citizenship part of our instruction in the classroom,” explains Janet McCreary, Director of Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment. The district’s approach to artificial intelligence shows this forward-thinking mindset. “We’re starting to figure out how we can help teachers embrace it for their use, and then also how they can allow it to be used by their students and still make it a learning tool.” As Dr. Brown emphasizes, “We shouldn’t be afraid of it. We just need to establish parameters for it. It is something that’s definitely a tool that can help educators do better lesson planning and make them operate more efficiently.” The district’s STEM education strategy emphasizes practical integration rather than isolation. “We actually have a STEM coach that works with our kindergarten through fourth grade teachers on student-centered coaching,” McCreary says. “She works with the classroom teacher and collaborates on coaching cycles where she then goes in with the teacher and they co-teach through some STEM opportunities.” This approach has transformed how STEM is taught: “Prior to that, we had a STEM special and it kind of put that STEM model in a box. Now it allows the STEM opportunities and STEM learning to come into the classroom and be part of their everyday structure.” The district’s technological advancement is guided by exceptional leadership.“Last month, our tech director was just awarded a certified education technology leader certification. He’s one of just a handful in the state,” Dr. Brown notes.“What we’ve done in the last couple of years is create a technology department. Before that we had a provider. We found that to be tremendous, to help us really integrate technology, even things like cybersecurity.” 5 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 03 MADISON CONSOLIDATED SCHOOLS
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