Department of Curriculum, Instruction and Technology

Nassau BOCES helps Massapequa Public Schools reboot its technology

Following a substantial technology project that included workstations, laptops, interactive whiteboards, videoconferencing equipment and other instructional solutions, the Massapequa School District embarked on an initiative to complete the project circle. Through conversation and planning with the Nassau BOCES Department of Curriculum, Instruction and Technology, the superintendent and key administration contracted with Nassau BOCES on an innovative professional development program.  

Dubbed the "Administrator Academy," the initiative covers three main goals:

1) Bring awareness to administrators of current tools and technologies.
2) Provide training on the use of the technologies and their use in instruction.
3) Teach administrators how to effectively evaluate the use of technology in the classroom.

Massapequa placed their 58 administrators in to cohorts of approximately 15 each. Before the first session, a link to a Google form was sent to each administrator asking them to self-evaluate their technology skills and to outline their expectations for the six half-day sessions. Clifford Steinberg and Trish Iannacone used the data gathered to define each session’s activities. One quote taken from the survey, “to be a resource for the teachers in my building”, was used as a focal point for the rest of the sessions.

During Session 1, the participants crafted a “personal learning network,” or “PLN” based on their needs and the needs of their staff. They learned how to set-up Google Reader as their aggregator and subscribed to RSS feeds which they will check periodically for news and resources. Every session is purposely geared to provide immediate value and each administrator left the first session with a tool they could begin to use right away.

The participants completed an exit survey (created using Google Forms) and one participant exclaimed, “I had some basic knowledge of technology and its use in educational settings, but I felt like a whole world opened up. Any information that I need is right at my fingertips. It is incredible!” Another administrator said, “I am quickly learning what technology can do to improve student learning!” One participant provided some valuable feedback about their experience, “"Trish was able to provide real Rigor and Relevance to the ISTE material and Cliff is an amazing presenter! I used the tools he showed us in the first session for a professional development workshop with my teachers. They enjoyed it! Keep inspiring me!"

Future sessions will include how to integrate interactive whiteboard technology in the classroom, how to evaluate its effective use in the classroom, videoconferencing and Web 2.0 tools.

For more information on customized professional development for your district team, contact Clifford Steinberg at 516-608-6685 or Trish Iannacone at 516-608-6662