A top Florida lawmaker for education issues is convening a group of educators, elected officials and tech industry representatives in Tampa Thursday morning.
One of the goals: Find ways to close the technology gap between schools and other institutions.
Thanks to the proliferation of smart-phones and affordable tablets, students, like adults, are becoming accustomed to having pocket-sized computers at their disposal. That often changes when they get to school.
“What we expect our kids to do is basically power down when they come into the classroom,” said state Sen. John Legg, R-Trinity, adding: “Schools tend to be lagging the rest of our culture in terms of technology.”
It’s not that educators aren’t open to taking advantage of new tools, Legg said. A former teacher and current charter school administrator, he said he understands how hard it can be to bring technology into schools and make sure it’s used in meaningful ways.
He said he hopes the half-day Digital Classroom Initiative Symposium, happening at Tampa’s Museum of Science and Industry, will help educators find ways to use technology more effectively. People from universities and the technology industry, as well as incoming Senate President Andy Gardiner and state Sen. Bill Montford, D-Tallahassee, are expected to participate.
Earlier this year, Legg sponsored of legislation requiring school districts to spell out their digital learning plans and tie them to efforts to raise student achievement. In the coming years, the Digital Classrooms Plans will be used to guide state funding for school technology.
“We’re not trying to revolutionize education here,” he said. “It’s simply trying to make sure our schools are keeping up with the times.”
