It is not unusual for Ms. Atchley to be greeted as soon as she walks in the door with a request from a teacher asking if she has "just a minute to come help her." I can't begin to tell you how many times in the course of a typical school day she gets this request (often from me as well). The reason for that is exciting. We have successfully added a considerable amount of technology resources for our teachers and students to use as tools in their instruction and learning. As the ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) person at CA, she has quite a range of responsibilities on a daily basis. What I appreciate about Ms. Atchley is that no matter how busy she is, she seems to always find that extra minute to help out a teacher or student.
Ms. Atchley began with us in 2000 when we received a Beasley Foundation grant to establish our computer lab. At that time she was managing 10 student computers in the lab, an office computer, and a few desk top computers in classrooms. She very quickly realized that our students are digital natives and that we must be ready to teach them the skills they will need in the 21st Century. With that goal in mind, she has taken the lead in researching and identifying the electronic devices, software, and online resources that will enable us to do this.
Today Ms. Atchley is managing quite a range of equipment and online resources. We now have iPads for fifth grade, 49 chrome books for third, fourth, and fifth; the computer lab; Epson interactive overhead projectors; Promethean board; laptops for teachers; and student laptops or desktops in many classroom. That is a lot for one person to manage.
Managing doesn't mean just keeping the equipment up and running. Ms. Atchley knows that the equipment is only beneficial if we do meaningful things with it. She begins by learning as much about the potential uses before she ever proposes acquisition of the new technology. She has found a number of wonderful online programs to which we now subscribe such a Spelling City, Storia, Trueflix, Bookflix, just to name a few. Teachers count on her assistance to continue researching and implementing additional options,
Ms. Atchley also instructs students both in the lab and in classrooms. She coordinates lab instruction with classroom teachers to ensure that she is supporting curricular objectives. She also works with Ms. Shiembob and third grade students every Thursday to use their chrome books to complete a number of projects. She makes herself available to work with students in other classrooms as requested by teachers. An essential part of her work is to guide our students to become good digital citizens so that they may use the internet and electronic devices safely and responsibly.
And if all that weren't enough, Ms. Atchley manages school administration financial and communication technologies. She took the lead in working with Fancy Media last year to develop our new website and is doing the bulk of back end management of the website, email, Parentreach, and our attendance program. She truly keeps us going in so many respects.
While her job is clearly demanding, nothing energizes Ms. Atchley like seeing a teacher incorporating our technologies in their instruction or seeing students independently and responsibly using these tools. Her excitement is infectious...that's what I call fostering a love of learning!
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