Highland County Public Schools

MONTEREY — Highland County Public Schools is implementing Tech-Free Tuesdays this school year.

“Each Tuesday, our students and staff set aside devices to focus on hands-on learning, creativity, and face-to-face connections,” explained a post on the school’s website.

High school principal Tim Good first announced the plan at the Sept. 11 school board meeting.

“That kind of came out of the research behind the cell phone policy,” Good explained, adding that as he looked at information on kids and screen time, he decided to give a tech-free day a try. Days without technology is something the school board had discussed last year as well.

While Good said teachers already limit time on screens in the classroom, the school doesn’t know how much time students spend on technology outside of school. “The teacher has no idea how much they’re on a screen in a day,” Good said. “They only know what happens in their room … Unfortunately, kids are on screens a lot after school.”

While students won’t use computers on tech-free days, teachers may still use some tech to teach, such as the boards to display notes for lessons. “When I presented it at teacher work week, they really embraced it,” Good said.

“We’re trying to get kids to have more face-to-face conversations,” he added. Good said when the school banned cell phones during the school day, he noticed an immediate change during meals.

“It was like an instantaneous change in the cafeteria,” Good said. “Kids are talking to each other.” When cell phones were allowed during lunch, Good said 70 percent would be staring at their phones while eating.

Good said he also plans to work with teachers to teach students traditional note-taking methods rather than relying on technology. “Teachers as a whole are recognizing the value of writing things down,” he said.

Good stressed he is not “anti-tech.”

“It’s so useful in so many things,” he said. “I really think it’s extraordinarily valuable in our society, but kids can’t manage it yet.”

Good said the parameters of Tech-Free Tuesday may change as the school year progresses. “It continues to evolve as we get more and more information,” he said. “We’ll continue to have discussions with students and families.”

Setting policy

The Highland County School Board has been discussing technology for years, debating costs and values as well as dangers.

School board member Sherry Sullenberger has been especially vocal. “We are creating a society completely and totally dependent on devices,” she said at a meeting last October, when she called for two days a week without computers in the classroom.

Sullenberger said teachers need to teach again, rather than putting students on computers so much. “I’ve been here five years, and it’s getting worse, not better,” she said. She said students complained about the way they are educated at Highland County Public Schools.

“You really need to hear your students talk about this. They are bored,” Sullenberger said.

The subject came up again at a January school board meeting when discussing virtual school days due to weather. HCPS provides every student with a Chromebook that teachers send home if they suspect school will need to close for weather or other problems, but school board members said some parents told them their children came home without the computers. Others reported problems using the virtual assignments.

“We need to teach our young people and our society how to live without technology because it doesn’t work all the time,” Sullenberger said.

After technology use came up repeatedly during school board work sessions on the annual budget, The Recorder reached out to all three school board members last April, asking several questions about technology in HCPS.

Board member Jason Wilfong responded to questions rights away. Board member Kenny Hodges and Sullenberger wanted to think about it, but after several requests for comments over the next two months, both decided not to answer any questions related to technology, saying they didn’t want to engage in a controversial topic.

“I do not have any major concerns for the use of technology in the classrooms,” Wilfong said. “However, since the COVID-19 pandemic, we have since learned that there are limitations as to how reliant we can be in our use of technology while maintaining rigorous academic standards and progress. The large-scale reliance of technology, increased distance from the instructor and peers, and lack of in-person instruction set students back several years in educational progress for which we are attempting to overcome now.

“I also see and personally know the need for our students to be well versed and competent in the use of various forms of technology given the widespread and often required use in almost every professional environment that our students may enter into. From construction, general office work, military, health care, and even agriculture, technology has been widely adopted to increase efficiency, reduce redundancies, and increase outputs,” he continued. “I cannot remember the last time that I have seen a job advertisement that did not at least seek proficient use in Microsoft Office products such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. The use of technology is only going to expand and our students will need a curriculum to ensure that they leave Highland County Public Schools meeting at least these minimum competencies for the job market.”

Spending on technology often comes up at meetings when the board is asked to approve expenses. It’s a large portion of the school budget, with some state funding limited to only being spent on technology.

“I cannot specify an exact percentage of our budget that should or should not be directed towards technology specifically,” Wilfong said. “Our teachers are the experts in their given areas as well as their own curriculum and I rely on that expertise to make reasonable recommendations to the superintendent as to what degree of technology is needed to support their curriculum to ensure student success. As a school board member, I then look at teacher observations and student grade performance, as well as listen to students’ general remarks on how they feel the curriculum meets their individual needs to make informed decisions as to what we approve within the budget.

“With that being said, I do think we need to look at the number of programs we currently subscribe to and ensure that there are no redundancies and that we are utilizing the program to the fullest extent to ensure it’s truly worth the funds we allocate towards it,” he continued. “For example, if we have a program that’s only being utilized by one or two teachers for only a small subset of what the program offers, I think we need to take a hard look to see if the given program is worth the funds we allocate.”

The amount of time students spend working and learning on technology varies by grade and class. Some high school students spend more time on the computer simply because they are taking virtual classes the school does not offer in-house. This greatly expands the courses students can take, but requires a lot more time in front of a computer.

All grades spend at least some portion of the day using a computer, including keyboarding and technology classes.

“With the hindsight of the COVID era, I do not think I would be comfortable with anything over 50 percent of the time being allocated towards technology based instruction unless the actual class is technology, IT, etc.,” Wilfong said. “Honestly, my personal opinion would be around the 25 percent mark with the remaining being teacher-led instruction. Anything beyond 50 percent for traditional subjects, I do not think I could justify paying benefits and salary to a person when distance learning programs are cheaper and do not require benefits. So my recommendation for staff would be to not technologically advance yourself out of a job.

“An expectation within the tech world now, which I do not share, is that AI (artificial intelligence) will replace a majority of jobs in the market in a short timeframe, so it is our duty to prove why there is no true replacement for in-person, teacher-led instruction,” Wilfong added. “A computer cannot see the expression on a student’s face when they are confused and maybe afraid to ask a question. A computer cannot see if one student isn’t quite grasping the subject as well as the others. A computer isn’t going to develop the personal relationships with the students in order to tailor the instruction based on real time observation.

“All of this of course varies by grade, subject, and even the individual student,” Wilfong continued. “Honestly, only the recent graduates and students can truly answer if we provide the appropriate mix technology in the classroom. What I may see as excessive or even lacking may be completely inappropriate because my professional requirements are vastly different than what an entry-level job seeker or college applicant actually needs. While it was not that long ago that I attended college, technology changes so rapidly that even a year difference can have extreme differences in the use and requirements. With our unique size, I believe our teachers are the best gauge that we have beyond the students themselves as they form the relationships that often carry beyond K-12 education to know. One would think maybe a survey could gain some useful insight, but given our response level in the CTE survey, this would likely fail to achieve the desired goal.

“Like it or hate it, technology is a large part of our lives for the foreseeable future and it is our duty as a school to ensure our students have the skills needed to succeed upon graduation,” Wilfong concluded. “However, if technology is being used out of laziness or sheer unwillingness to provide an effective and appropriate education, the board and administration will take notice. The use of technology should solely be for the benefit of the student and not to make a teacher’s job easier.”

New superintendent Dr. James “Nick” Nycum weighed in on technology in a letter sent to families at the start of this school year about the Acceptable Use Policy for Electronic Information, Services, and Networks, which the board updated at its August meeting.

“Part of the HCPS’s responsibility in preparing students for the 21st century is to provide them access to the tools they will be using as adults in the community and workplace,” he explained. “Through the HCPS’s computer system, your child will have access to databases, libraries, and computer services from all over the world. HCPS accepts the responsibility of teaching each student about his/her role as a ‘network’ citizen and the code of ethics involved with this new community.

Technology

Technology director Gary Lane said he reevaluates the technology used at the schools each year around the time the school board works on the annual budget.

“If it’s not effective for me, I don’t renew it,” Lane said. “If we’re not getting good out of it, I dump it.”

Lane said often different teachers want different programs or apps and he has to corral them into using similar products so the school doesn’t have to purchase different programs that do the same thing. “It’s been a challenge and I’ve upset a few teachers,” Lane said. “It depends on what it is, how many use it, can I get something cheaper or free with the same results.

“The technology department reviews all software for effective use in the classroom and cost effectiveness annually. Programs are selected that support the visions of the district and technology goals for the future,” Lane said.

During the budget process last spring, former school superintendent Dr. Drew Maerz said technology accounted for 7.4 percent of the school budget. The amended budget includes $252,000 for technology under SOQ expenses and $202,981 for technology under SOQ salaries.

Lane cited the Microsoft suite of products, which he said the staff uses but students are not being trained on. He said the school paid for a custom guide to teach students that is not being used. Lane said he thinks that should be part of CTE classes in middle school for all students, as it is used in real-world careers and colleges.

Technology is used not just to teach but to maintain records and information. Last year, PowerSchool, which HCPS uses to keep student and staff information and records, was hacked. Lane said the breach impacted those who attended or worked at HCPS from 2008 to the present time. He stressed that PowerSchool was hacked, not HCPS.

Even though in that case HCPS was not the entity which was hacked, Lane said students and outsiders try to hack into the school network “several times a day.”

In an effort to keep the school’s tech up-to-date and protected, the school board approved a request from Lane last spring for a core server update, which was completed this summer.

“It’s the brain for our school’s network,” he explained last May.

Lane selected Dell R660 servers with a lot of memory and speed. “They’re new, super-fast servers, the latest and greatest that Dell has out,” he said, noting the system will allow the school’s computers to run faster, store all needed files, be more secure, and keep information backed up. The total cost, including installation, upgrades, and a three-year service contact, is $93,977. Lane told school board members the school has technology grant money of $65,977 and that all the funds count as SOQ expenses.

Lane provided a list of some of the major tech apps and programs used at the school, along with the associated costs, broken down by category. The following are some examples but not a comprehensive list:

• District-wide software includes things such as Google Workspace for $1,000 a year, Heartland for cafeteria services for $2,525 a year, Brisk Teaching to detect student use of AI for $2,632, and PowerSchool for student and staff data at $3,512 a year, A large but needed expense is Scinary, the district’s cybersecurity operations center for 24/7 monitoring at a cost of $36,000 for a three-year contract.

• Educational software includes Canvas, which is paid for by the state, MyAccess for fifth, eight, and 11th-grade writing skills for $2,800 a year, and Quizzizz for lessons and quizzes at $3,005 for three years.

• Software for special education includes IXL Learning which targets Virginia SOL standards in core subjects at $5,450 a year and Accelerated Reader to match students with grade-level books for $5,028 a year.

• Software for elementary and middle school grades include MobyMax, a core remediation program that costs $5,249 a year, EduTyping for $1,834 for three years, and BrainPOP for $4095 a year.

Tech for teachers

Katherine Brooke Springer is the instructional technology resource teacher.

“I get to work with teachers and students on implementing STEM and tech into the classroom,” she explained. “I try to make their lives as easy as possible.”

As would be expected, technology is the focus of her day. “I’m on it constantly,” Springer said.

She works to create and compile lessons, quizzes, and worksheets for teachers to ensure they meet SOL standards and to save time. She is creating a lesson repository and was up to more than 200 lessons last year.

Springer said students think that because they are part of the digital age, they know all about technology. “Unfortunately, they can use it but they can’t actually use it properly,” she said. She said proper typing skills are lacking but doesn’t think typing lessons would fit into most teachers’ tight schedules. “It’s definitely something that needs to be covered more. Keyboarding is something that really needs to come back,” she said at the end of the last school year, and she and Lane have done that so far this year in a limited way.

“We set up room 1 as a computer lab/ STEAM room. I teach 3-5 grade keyboarding on Mondays,” Springer said.

She is also working on a policy for artificial intelligence. “We currently do not let the students use AI,” she said.

She is testing a Brisk AI for potential use. “It would be a way to introduce AI to the kids, but in a safe way,” Springer said. “It would allow the kids to chat with a historical figure. It makes it a little more interactive.

“I think there’s a fine line between using AI as a help and an aid and using it to do the work,” she added. She encourages teachers to use AI tools to speed up their work, leaving more time to interact directly with students. “AI has been a hard thing to get some teachers on board with, because they’re scared of it … It’s a nice tool to help take some of the load off.”

One of Springer’s concerns is the imbalance in use of technology across the grade levels.

“We have some teachers who use it, but then you get kids who haven’t used it at all,” Springer said. “If we don’t help these kids better, they will struggle in college. We need to get a better flow of implementing it.”

She also stressed that tech use should have a valid teaching element. “I don’t think tech should ever be used as a babysitting device,” Springer said.

She and Lane are working to get students to learn programs that will be useful to them in college and careers, such as Microsoft 365, which the school has available free for all students.

“All students, when they enter into the schools, that’s one of the things on my checklist,” Springer said. She would like to see instruction in the old-school method of teaching Word first, then moving on to PowerPoint. Actual instruction in the tools is crucial even for students she calls “digital natives.”

“They’ve grown up with it, but they don’t know how to actually use it as a tool,” Springer said. “The biggest danger, I think, is that we don’t prepare the kids. It scares me that we’re sending them off to college unprepared.”

Springer said trying to keep students off tech and AI is not feasible in today’s world. “You can only shelter them for so long. You have got to teach them the pros and cons,” she said. “They’ve got to be prepared and it has to start here. It’s a scary, scary thing.”

For this school year, Springer’s goal is to work with teachers on adding computer science SOL standards across all grades as she is worried additional SOL testing may be coming in the near future. “I want us to be ahead of the curve,” Springer said. “When we can get everybody on the same page, it’s going to make a big difference for the students.”

Elementary tech

First-grade teacher Mariam Lightner uses technology in a limited way for students to review concepts after she provides instruction. “It’s an extra way for them to practice,” she said, adding that programs such as IXL provide immediate feedback. “If they miss one, it will explain it.”

She tries to keep computer use to just a few minutes a day per subject, and said her students enjoy the chance to use the programs. “I find it really boosts engagement. They are super motivated,” she said.

Using technology also allows Lightner to differentiate levels to individual student’s needs.

“I can jump grades if it’s someone who needs enrichment,” she said, or go down grade levels if the student needs to review concepts. “Everyone is on different levels.”

Lightner said students can also access the programs from their school accounts at home, either for extra practice or on virtual days when weather closes the school.

“I feel like it’s a safe place for them to be on the web,” Lightner said.

In addition to teaching core subjects, using technology in a limited manner introduces students to tech in a safe way. “Using it has boosted their fluency with computers,” Lightner said.

IXL is the program she uses most in first grade. “It goes across all subjects. I use it a lot with math and reading,” Lightner said. She likes IXL because the platform is synced with Virginia’s Standards of Learning and thus reinforces what she is teaching in the classroom.

On those days when school goes virtual, she also uses an app called Seesaw, which is similar to the Canvas app for higher grades. “It’s a way for me to make assignments and they can reply to me,” Lightner said.

However, Lightner does not focus on technology. “I do still feel that at this age, they need pencils and paper first,” she said. “It is never used to replace my instruction. It is just used to supplement.”

For example, when teaching math, Lightner said she spends 30 to 45 minutes giving the entire class the core instruction on the big board. She does a problem or two with the class on dry erase boards. Then, she turns to the textbook, which has a demo problem, and more problems for students to solve on their own. This takes 30 to 40 minutes. For students who finish early, Lightner sends them to IXL for reinforcement and review, about 15 to 20 minutes.

“It becomes the last step and is really targeted to what each needs,” Lightner said. The program also tracks how long the students spend on each problem, which lets her identify concepts they might need to review. After that, she breaks the class into small groups for extra practice, depending on how each did in the lesson.

She also uses physical items called manipulatives during lessons. “It lines up with stuff they’re touching in their hands and seeing in the classroom,” Lightner said. “I just don’t want them on the computer too long.” She aims for about 20 minutes of computer time each day. “Some days, we don’t use them at all. It depends on the topic.”

Lightner also uses MagicSchool.com, an AI platform for teachers. She can copy and paste reading text into it and have the app spit it out at different grade levels to customize to each student. “It will make it about the same story, but change the reading level,” she said. “It’s pretty magical.” This cuts down on the time she would have to spend rewriting selections herself.

Lightner recalled her days as a student in HCPS. “It’s a different environment,” she said. “I felt like when I went to college, that was a real learning curve.” She feels HCPS graduates are better prepared for college and careers now since they have used technology in the classroom.

As far as any concerns for technology in the class, Lightner said, “It’s important to keep it balanced. We need both worlds, I think.”

At the upper end of elementary, Kimberlie Richardson teaches fifth grade and uses a variety of technologies in specific ways. “We don’t use it as our primary anything,” she said. She primarily uses programs for practice and add-ons for students who are ahead, and tries to teach students technologies they will need in the future.

“They use Google Docs a lot for writing,” Richardson said. She starts with teaching how to use Google programs, such as Docs and Slides, and gives students a couple of weeks to master that before putting it into use for lessons. “We use that more than anything else … I try to make sure that they have the basics and use it enough that it’s pretty intuitive.”

Richardson said the Google suite of apps is helpful because students can access their saved work from any device and it saves automatically.

Google Suites is also used in the high school. “I try really hard to get them ready for sixth grade … I think it’s pretty standard. It’s a good life skill,” Richardson said. “The only downside is, it’s on the internet.” She stressed she does not rely on tech, but has alternatives and spends a lot of time teaching with hands-on methods. “If the internet went down, I’m OK. I use it as a supplement.”

Richardson estimated her students spend about 20 percent of the school day using technology, 75 percent of the day working from books, paper, and manipulatives, and 5 percent reading.

On a typical day at the end of the last school year, Richardson’s students used IXL in the morning to review for the SOLs, then moved to Google Docs for narrative writing. Next, Richardson led them in their novel study, which used no technology, and then to solving math problems in a paper workbook.

Another program Richardson uses is for 11th-grade writing skills and Quizzizz.

“I really like that one because you can align that to the SOLs,” she said. That program allows teachers to create quizzes and games to review concepts and share them with other teachers, saving them time. “If I don’t have to recreate it, why do it?”

Richardson said her only real concern with the technology she uses is that it’s sometimes hard for students to log in and access it. “The kids would probably say it’s not as colorful and loud as some games,” she said. She said she has seen students’ ideas on tech change over time.

“I have noticed that in their minds, they think they want to be on the computer all day,” she said. “But then they come in here and enjoy it. I think they think it’s what they want because it’s the world they live in, but it’s not what they want.”

One technology she wished the school had is one teaching typing. She said she uses EduTyping for about 10 minutes each morning to build skills.

While some subjects lend themselves better to technology, Richardson said, “We’ve kind of integrated it into all of them.”

Middle, high school

At the middle and high school level, teachers use tech in the classroom and some students take online classes through Virtual Virginia and Governor’s School.

Michael Warf teaches middle school math and high school science. He said he mostly uses IXL, MobyMax, and Canvas. “They’re all great and wonderful, but they’re not a replacement for teaching,” he said. He finds IXL and MobyMax particularly good at differentiating lessons and practice to each student’s level, something he sees as a big need, especially for his sixth-grade students who come with a variety of skills. “You might have one or two on a fourth-grade level and you might have one or two on seventh or eighth-grade levels,” he said.

Middle school math classes are one-and-a-half hour periods. Warf said he spends most of a class teaching the day’s math concepts, “about 40 to 45 minutes is typically what I devote to the math lesson,” he said. He has students complete a daily warm-up of five questions they can do on Quizzizz or on paper. He maintains a large file cabinet full of his quizzes and lessons crafted over many years. He gives students about 20 minutes a day on the computer to practice and review concepts, or to enrich those who are ahead.

He uses MobyMax with students early in the year to find their levels. “They take a placement test and then it fills in their holes,” he said. “It’s been a game changer.”

Warf asks students to spend about two hours a week total on MobyMax or IXL for review.

He also recommends students look at the homework assignments while they are still in class.

“Look at it so if you have questions, you can ask me before you go home,” Warf instructs them.

“I don’t want the kids to have to go home and spend an hour working,” he said. “That’s not realistic. I ask them to spend 10 or 20 minutes.”

Warf said Canvas has virtual versions of the textbooks students can access from home if they don’t carry the physical books home with them. It also has links to programs and apps he selects to give them more review or a different version of the lesson from the school day. He still keeps recordings of lessons he made during the pandemic.

“The Chromebooks give them access to all this help, but they have to be a good enough student and willing to look at it,” Warf said.

Having quizzes and assignments online means students can repeat them until they learn the material, as Warf gives them two or three attempts. “Realistically, for me, if a kid wants an A, they just have to do the work,” Warf said.

At the high school level, he teaches chemistry, physics, and earth science. He uses Canvas and Quizzes for those classes, again preserving videos he made during COVID.

As an example, chemistry is a one-and-a-half hour class. He starts with an occasional warm-up, and then covers two sections a day with a Quizzizz for each to break up his lectures. He also still goes “old-school” for lectures and practice. “I still have a chalkboard. I think I’m the last one here,” he said. He said students enjoy working problems on the chalkboard. “They love it. They ask to do it all the time.”

Overall, Warf views technology positively. “It’s changed tremendously. I think it changed for the better in most cases, but, and it’s a big but, if a kid wants to abuse it, it makes it easier for them to get distracted,” he said. He has a program that allows him to monitor what each student has up on their own computer, to help prevent students from abusing the system.

Overall, he said students are doing better because of technology. “I do feel like today’s sixth-graders are doing math that you would have been surprised to have sixth-graders doing 15 years ago,” he said.

Still, he has some concerns. “I don’t know how it will affect critical thinking skills,” he said. “Once upon a time, everyone could read a road map … Are we really smarter or are we relying more on the technology? Is it really making us smarter? I don’t know. I guess time will tell.”