It is giving every student an opportunity to learn at higher levels in ways some never imagined.
On this episode of the Supercast, we talk with companies igniting curiosity in the classroom with the use of technology, technology which is bringing better education opportunities for students, enhancing what teachers teach, and impacting education in some incredible ways.
Audio Transcription
Talon Hatch:
Even some of these younger kiddos as young as third grade, they're already building websites with HTML.
Matt Linford:
It creates this environment where tools like Skill Struck, tools like Adobe, can all come into one course of a kid and the kid can engage with these various content and curricular resources in one space.
Casey Nuttall:
Getting them in as early as possible on some of these tools to prepare them for the future.
Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. They are giving every student an opportunity to learn at higher levels in ways many never imagined. On this episode of the Supercast, we talk with companies igniting curiosity in the classroom with the use of technology; technology which is bringing better education opportunities for students, enhancing what teachers teach, and impacting education in some incredible ways.
Anthony Godfrey:
We're talking with Jared Covili, the grand poohbah, the grand marshal of UCET, but also the administrator over Digital Teaching and Learning in Jordan School District. It is always a great way to mark this time of year by coming to talk with you at UCET, Jared.
Jared Covili:
It's the end of winter. We're moving into spring, so what better time to talk Ed Tech?
Anthony Godfrey:
You can smell hope in the air. There's sunshine out there. It's a beautiful day.
Jared Covili:
It could be power cords and things.
Anthony Godfrey:
That's right. We're going to have three guests on that are partners with Jordan School District. Talk with us about those three.
Jared Covili:
Yeah, so today you're going to be listening to three different partners that work with us in the Ed Tech department. You've got Skill Struck, who represents a group that works primarily with our K-6 computer science group. Each of our elementaries has a computer science leader that works with the kids, helping them integrate not only computer science projects, but also computational thinking. So, Talon Hatch will be here from Skill Struck with us. And then we've got Casey Nuttall from Instructure, and our District is kind of an Instructure district. We use a lot of different products from them, but primarily most of you in the audience will know them as Canvas. So that's our learning management system that we use to connect students to their homework and to turn in assignments and do assessments. For us on the back end, it is the way that we do a lot of our grading and a lot of our assessment of students and what they're learning. So that's Instructure. And then our third partner that we're going to hear from today is Matt Linford from Adobe. Probably a lot of you have driven past the Adobe office on I-15 but wondered kind of what's going on up there. Well, they're a great educational partner of ours, and they provided all of their software to all of our students and teachers from K through 12. So that's a big part of what we do. And they're a great partner that we work with, not only at UCET, but throughout the year.
Anthony Godfrey:
Again, thank you for making this opportunity available to so many and for being the mascot mayor, grand poohbah, and grand marshal of UCET. Long may you reign.
Anthony Godfrey:
So, let's start by talking with each of you. Just introduce yourself. Tell us who the company you're working with and generally your connection with education.
Matt Linford:
So, my name is Matt Linford. I'm with Adobe and I am actually the engagement manager that covers the state of Utah including a lot of what we do within the Create Utah program. So my role is just to really support districts and make sure that they have what they need.
Casey Nuttall:
Yep, and then I'm Casey Nuttall. I'm with Instructure. I'm a regional sales director for Instructure. So kind of like Matt, I work with the state of Utah in every LEA in Utah on how they utilize Instructure platform tools to engage student learning, to increase student outcomes, and really to be a tool to use to facilitate the education for Jordan School District.
Talon Hatch:
And I'm Talon Hatch. I'm part of Skill Struck, a Utah-based company. We work with the school district on computer science education. So, we work particularly with a focus on the elementary schools and how they're utilizing computer science to enhance learning and increase computational thinking for all your students. So, we really enjoy that and I'm just a regional partnership. I work with all the different partners throughout the state of Utah and helping districts do what Jordan's doing so well.
Anthony Godfrey:
For it for those parents who are listening, most of you probably did not benefit from the work of these three folks because in the last ten years there's been a lot of progress, a lot of movement forward, and education changes rapidly in the right direction, giving more personalized learning opportunities for students and different levels of support for teachers. I mean it's really exciting the level of creativity that's possible because of the support that your three companies give us. So let's talk about Skill Struck's connection with computer science at the elementary level, which for some people just sounds kind of crazy that we start that early. But that's exactly when we ought to be starting. Talk to us about what that looks like.
Talon Hatch:
Yeah, yeah, it's a great question. So, we love working with the District on that part. The larger part of what it stemmed from is about four and a half, five years ago, the state created the Utah Computer Science Master Plan. Obviously, with the growth of tech in our state and the legislation, the USBE came together and said, "Hey, we need to support our schools in making sure that every kid K through 12 is getting access to high-quality computer science curriculum, resources, and professional development for teachers." And so they actually created a grant program where districts could collaborate with other partners like Skill Struck and throughout the state in creating a plan of “this is what computer science is going to look like in our district,” to make sure that every kid has access. So, we really love working with Jared and Tracy in your district and seeing what does that vertical alignment look like at each school, across each grade level, so you can ensure that even as long as, like you said, as kindergarteners, they're engaging with the standards from the state and really getting that technology foundation that is so critical in the digital world that we live in.
Anthony Godfrey:
It's a very hands-on, very concrete STEM education from a very young age and really it comes down to problem-solving.
Talon Hatch:
Exactly.
Anthony Godfrey:
And I also think there's customer service and empathy built into that because you are programming for an end user, and if you can't put yourself in their place, you aren't going to be an effective programmer.
Talon Hatch:
Exactly, and the beauty of what the District's doing is throughout this curriculum is they're doing computer science with computational thinking, those problem-solving skills, the basics of coding. But beyond that digital literacy, digital citizenship, keeping all within one platform so these students can really be strong stewards of technology regardless of what path that they end up taking. The nice part is they're getting a really strong foundation in the elementary already where we work with a number of the junior highs in the District as well, and the teachers are coming to us and saying, “hey, these kids are knowing way more than they did a few years ago,” and they're having to level up their game. That was the whole plan of the master plan is we would need to level up what we were doing with technology in the classroom.
Anthony Godfrey:
Kids are pretty amazing and teachers are amazing and when you put great tools in front of them, you really can be blown away by the results.
Talon Hatch:
Oh, I mean I was just talking with one of your teachers. A shout out to Colleen Pepper over at Falcon Ridge. She's one of the teachers, the STEM teachers, that takes and teaches Skill Struck weekly across all grade levels of the school. So she's seen every class, every student, are coming to her once a week for about, you know, 45-50 minutes. She was just sharing with me even some of these younger kiddos as young as third grade, they're already building websites with HTML. They're already learning text-based coding with JavaScript. A lot of teachers are always saying, “those third graders can't do it that young,” and they're always shocked when they start excelling and they go fast and go way beyond what we give them credit for. It's exciting.
Anthony Godfrey:
Well, thanks for your support and making that possible. Stay with us. When we come back, we’ll talk with Instructure and Adobe about how they are impacting the student and teacher experience in Jordan School District.
Male voice:
Never miss an episode of the Supercast by liking and subscribing on your favorite podcasting platform. Find transcripts for this episode and others at supercast.jordandistrict.org.
Sandy Riesgraf:
Hello, I'm Sandy Riesgraf, Director of Communications for Jordan School District, and we want to invite you to connect with us. So many exciting things are happening in your child's school, your neighbor's school, in every school here every day. Don't miss out on following the fun or simply staying informed when there's important information we need to share. Join us at jordandistrict.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at Jordan District. We can't wait to connect.
Anthony Godfrey:
Let's talk with you about Instructure, Casey.
Casey Nuttall:
Yeah.
Anthony Godfrey:
Most people would not think, “Oh, Instructure, I know what they do.” Of course not. So let's talk about that.
Casey Nuttall:
Yeah, I mean I'll piggyback off of the conversation with Talon. Instructure was a catalyst with their product Canvas, right, that helped kind of bring technology of various forms and modes into one place and allow that facilitation of the curriculum and instruction be handled in one place via technology. I'm sitting here listening to Talon and I'm just thinking of my own experience of even computer science courses when, and this is gonna date me, but I remember my school was fortunate enough we had computers. Our computer was in the lab and our computer time was spent on typing the “quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.” That was it and then . . .
Anthony Godfrey:
I do remember that fox.
Casey Nuttall:
Yeah, there's that. There is that and Oregon Trail and that was our technology was playing that game and typing that, and then you go back to your classroom. So now I've got kids in the system and I get to see all the exposure that they have and all the experiences they get to have because of the technology and all the skills that they're acquiring because of that. It's just insane. That's why it's so cool to be part of this experience, being a vendor and being with Instructure because of our product Canvas. That's our flagship product that everybody knows us by. It creates this environment where tools like Skill Struck, tools like Adobe, can all come into one course and the kid can engage with these various content and curricular resources in one space instead of being taken all over the place.
Anthony Godfrey:
Right.
Casey Nuttall:
But it fits in a mode that's going to really help increase student engagement but increase student outcomes by the way that they're engaging with this content curriculum, and increase their skills overall to be able to have more advanced skills and more proficiency in ways that, unfortunately, our generation didn't have those abilities to have there. So yeah, it's really cool. So, with our partnership with Jordan, we've been fortunate enough to have a multifaceted kind of pronged approach with Jordan. It is the District that uses quite a few of our tools. They use Canvas as that curriculum resource tool as an extension to the classroom to be able to have access 24/7 to all the content curriculum that's being deployed. They also have a product called MasteryConnect which is a standards-based proficiency-based assessment tool to help gauge where kids are mastering certain skills.
Anthony Godfrey:
We've been part of MasteryConnect for a long time.
Casey Nuttall:
From the get-go.
Anthony Godfrey:
It's like having a Netflix subscription when they have to send physical DVDs. I mean, we've been around for a while.
Casey Nuttall:
That's more true than most people probably think because it used to be a physical test and then you would have to just bubble sheet and scan it. Now it's all online. You've got all sorts of items, so it's crazy to see how technology is advanced. Like I said, being a parent now of kids that get to go in and use all these types of tools and have exposure to it makes me feel like I got ripped off.
Anthony Godfrey:
Well, I think everyone listening to the podcast is familiar with Canvas. It's amazing that the classroom is available 24/7.
Casey Nuttall:
Yeah.
Anthony Godfrey:
Those resources are there and what I like to tell people, it's an added layer of transparency for sure. Parents who are interested in knowing, “hey, I wonder what my child is learning in this particular class,” it's a chance for them to engage with that but also to reinforce it. So I view it as a tool to connect with families, to connect with parents, to reinforce learning. Because of Canvas, a parent can watch the video and say, “Well, okay, now I'm up to speed. I'm gonna help you with this assignment.” Yeah, it's amazing and for us to have access to Canvas before the pandemic, for it all ready to be up and running in Utah throughout the state, I think we were miles ahead. Miles and miles.
Casey Nuttall:
You have no idea.
Anthony Godfrey:
You know, one of the first questions we ask when we're looking at another vendor or another opportunity is, “How well does it connect to Canvas? How does it link to Canvas?”
Casey Nuttall:
We love that because you keep that method.
Anthony Godfrey:
That is our methodology because it we want it to be one-stop shopping where parents can really get access to everything they need to stay connected to their student and to their learning.
Casey Nuttall:
But also promote the best of breed, right? Like that's something I want to convey to you. People know is Intructure, we have tools like the assessment tool MasterConnect, right? That's one tool of a bevy of assessment tools. If it's not the right fit for the District, we want to be able to help facilitate “what is the best tool for your learners?” So, like if Adobe is the best tool for a creative aspect, let's allow Adobe to come in. If Skill Stuck is the best for computer science let's allow those to come in and live. Like it is really truly promoting an openness and a best of breed approach. Unlike others where it's like, “nope, we're gonna lock you into our ecosystem and if you want to try and use something else, we're gonna make it more difficult.” Why? We need to all be in it for the learner. That's what I love about the vendor partnerships we have is we know, we recognize Skill Struck has a unique tool offering. Adobe has a really unique offering in the marketplace. Why would we ever prohibit our students from having access to those if it's gonna be the best fit for them?
Anthony Godfrey:
Exactly, and it gives us access to the widest range of right best tools connecting to that foundational Canvas connection. And speaking of PDFs, let's talk about Adobe.
Matt Linford:
The King of the PDF.
Anthony Godfrey:
That's right, we all know your logo better than anybody else's. I think that's fair to say. I know that you always provide the leadership opportunity, that leadership training for our principals, but so much more support in Jordan District. Talk about what Adobe offers. I think people would be surprised at the range of services that are provided to the District.
Matt Linford:
Yeah, our offering is definitely morphed and changed over the last few years a lot with what Utah has been doing over the last few years with these larger partnerships, with people like Skill Struck and Instructure. It's been an honor for a lot of the Adobe folks, and if anyone's been here in Utah, you know you drive along I-15 you see our building down there in Lehi. I mean, we're kind of a mainstay here even though we're based out of California. We have a lot of folks that are involved in this Utah community. We feel it, we want to be a part of it, and so our partnership has definitely evolved from just “hey, we offer things like Photoshop, illustrator, PDFs,” that type of stuff. What most people know us for is the evolving kind of scope of Adobe Express which more and more people are becoming aware of over time. We put a lot of effort in making sure that parents and the communities are aware of what Adobe Express is and does, and how that connects to the broader scope of K-12. That has been an honor and actually just a privilege to see that grow with the partnership. For example, specifically with Jordan and other districts here in the state, but Jordan specifically, we've done a lot of work making sure that there's professional development made available at, of course, no cost for any of the teachers that want to figure out, “well, listen, I you know Adobe is too hard. I use PDFs occasionally but I don't really see how Photoshop's gonna have anything to do with an elementary kid or elementary student.” Where we come in, we say. “No, there's Adobe Express that actually provides full scope of creativity and digital literacy advancement for those kids. Getting them in earlier, as Skill Stuck was kind of mentioning there, getting them in as early as possible on some of these tools prepare them for the future.
Anthony Godfrey:
Creativity, it's bringing creativity to every subject. When you bring creativity, you bring engagement. So really what you're doing is you're connecting with students, teaching them essential skills that you're also teaching the adults in our District now; but our students are getting an earlier start on that, and I just love that. The professional development support has really been key. Our digital learning team has really appreciated that. Give me a couple of examples of the sorts of things that Adobe Express can do for a classroom.
Matt Linford:
Yeah, it's the range has grown substantially. It used to be you could create maybe a video or do a little graphic here or there. It's broadened out quite a bit. Our video technology is really fantastic that can work on a Chromebook. For example, web-based stuff most of us are known for like Premiere Pro, which is an industry standard that is used in Hollywood all the time in that type of area. But for a Chromebook and being able to be able to do like, for example, animate your voice which has become such a big part for those younger students, where they can pick a character, just record their voice in a very simplistic and easy way, and they can tell their story. Again, that goes back to that idea of creativity in every aspect that you can possibly imagine, allowing that student to tell their story in multiple ways, to engage them more by having a video tool like that. We also go all the way into the PDF space, like we talked about, where we have actual really easy drag-and-drop PDF-kind of editing capabilities with an Express that work in conjunction with something like Acrobat. So, it can go into those spaces and then, of course, we have tons of graphic design tools. We also have our new Adobe Podcast that is being used heavily here in the state now, so tools like we're on right now, a podcast like with this. It's meeting people where they're at in a web-based format so you don't need to have like, for example, here we're using Adobe Audition which is a really great tool. Shout out to the fact that we're using that right now because it's an awesome tool but that's not going to be user-friendly for a teacher trying to create a new kind of audio recording technology within, say for example, middle schools or even late elementary. Adobe Podcast is open the door that it makes it super simplistic to do that now.
Anthony Godfrey:
That's such an important aspect of what you're doing. It's Adobe, it's Adobe Express. It's making it accessible so that once students and teachers get connected to it, then they can explore beyond that. But it's making that point of entry so much easier to get to by lowering the wall and lowering the concerns about, “oh, this is kind of beyond my range.”
Matt Linford:
The Express stuff is all free to everyone in the state of Utah. This is coming from our kind of high-ups within our company to make sure that we just want as many creators out there in the world as possible. So by doing it this way and working within the current systems that are out there, we're really trying to again meet those teachers where they're at.
Anthony Godfrey:
Fantastic! Well, you're all three incredible partners that have helped us really propel education. Well, thanks everyone, and good luck at the conference.
Group:
Thank you, thank you, appreciate it.
Anthony Godfrey:
Thanks for joining us on another episode of the Supercast. Remember, “Education is the most important thing you will do today!” We'll see you out there.
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