Diocesan Educators Go Digital
The Diocese of Evansville Catholic Schools Office and Marian Educational Outreach welcomed influential members of the education field to provide diocesan educators a day of inspiration and discussion.
On June 8, teachers and administrators from the 26 diocesan Catholic schools gathered at Mater Dei High School to learn about leading students on journeys of self-discovery through digital learning. The day began with a talk from keynote speaker Travis Allen, senior at Kennesaw (Ga.) State University and founder of iSchool Initiative, an organization dedicated to inventive and energizing use of technology in the classroom. Allen has been featured on CNN, the Huffington Post and Forbes. He was also the winner of the 2011 Google Young Minds Competition, and he participated in the Education Datapalooza at the White House in 2012.
Michelle Priar, assistant superintendent of Catholic schools for the diocese, said that she and other diocesan administrators first encountered Allen at last year’s Indiana Non-Public Administrators Conference. Inspired to bring Allen to the area, the Catholic Schools Office partnered with Marian Educational Outreach to raise funds.
In his talk at Mater Dei, Allen noted that his love for technology took off in high school, when he started a business within an online role-playing game—a place where he was defined not by his age, but by his creativity and capability. Disheartened by the lack of technological engagement he experienced in the classroom, Allen created a YouTube video about digital learning that caught the eyes of a host of innovators and leaders—including late Apple founder Steve Jobs—and the White House.
“What started as a YouTube video led us to the White House,” Allen told educators. “This is technology available to each of your students. Are they using it in ways that lead to opportunity?”
The primary subject of Allen’s talk was the gap he perceives in how technology is used in the classroom. Allen asserts that handing a student a gadget does not equate to digital learning; rather, teachers and students must be aware of and enthused by the opportunities that technology affords to learn in new ways and promote individual exploration and discovery.
Allen pointed out that a flourishing culture of digital learning depends upon changes at all levels of education – from schools and districts to educators to students themselves. He believes that motivating teachers to use technology in ways that promote problem-solving and student independence invigorates students, stimulating curiosity and creativity. He hopes that teachers ask the question, “What can we do with technology today that was impossible yesterday?”
After his talk, Allen and Cathy Giles led breakout sessions. Giles is an early childhood educator and administrator from Massachusetts. She also teaches university courses and writes about education. Allen and Giles led discussions about social media and apps, communication, lifelong learning and empowering students of various educational needs.
When asked what he hopes educators take away from the day, Allen said that he aims to “inspire teachers to create student leaders within their own communities,” and to “understand that the key to education is empowering students.”
Daryl Hagan, superintendent of diocesan Catholic schools, reinforced this message. “We have to inspire our teachers to inspire our students,” he said. “Inspiration is at the core of what we’re doing today.”
