Allan Johnson started his career in education in the mid-1990s, in the years before internet and technology eventually became ubiquitous. He has taught in both eras, the old one and the rapidly changing current one, and beginning this academic year Johnson will serve as the WW-P district’s supervisor of technology, training, and media resources.
While it is a new position, the duties include a lot of what Johnson has been doing since joining the district in 2004, namely coaching teachers and helping them incorporate technology into the classroom. He will supervise the district’s transition this year to Genesis, a new student information system, as well as continue to expand the district’s 1:1 Learning Initiative, which has paired Chromebooks with the district’s fifth graders the past two years.
“Technology is any tool that gives access to information and allows students to do a few things: the ability to create, process information, and come up with an effective product,” Johnson says. “It’s a tool for students to increase learning experiences. We want our kids to use technologies to become lifelong learners. Putting information at their fingertips is a really essential component.”
Johnson grew up in Hamilton. His dad was a pharmacist and his mother was a bookkeeper and manager at Aramark Food Services, overseeing the cafeteria at the David Sarnoff research center on Route 1 in West Windsor.
At the University of Delaware, he was interested in figuring out how things worked, studying electrical engineering. He then switched to elementary education. A Boy Scout since age 9, Johnson emulated his older brother and enjoyed teaching skills to younger kids as he grew older, frequently volunteering at summer camps.
After college Johnson taught eighth grade in the Lawrence school district. With an engineering background, he taught science for four years and math for three years.
The science department sought to implement a hands-on curriculum in science, and Johnson credits the Lawrence district’s forward thinking. Around 1999 the district provided laptop computers to teachers.
“That was a huge changing point. I had a computer at my disposal, and I could leverage that and help students,” Johnson says. “Plus there was the advent of the Internet. We used websites to present information.”
As part of the hands-on science curriculum, Johnson recalls using Excel for lab experiments to chart and graph data, now standard practice. Students no longer had to plot graphs by hand, and they could devote more time to analysis. For a lesson on force and acceleration, the lab experiment simulated real world impacts. The collected data was then applied to car safety to give students an idea of how science impacts real life.
In 2004 Johnson was hired as a computer facilitator at High School North. Around the same time he attained a master’s degree in educational technology from Ramapo College.
“I enjoyed technology. I got used to incorporating it into my lesson plans while I was teaching science and math at Lawrence,” Johnson says. “After I finished up the program at Ramapo, I became a teacher coach to help teachers in the classroom.”
In addition to helping teachers incorporate technology into lessons, such as how to use Smart Boards and online grading systems, Johnson taught graphic applications to students.
Having spent more than 10 years coaching teachers, one of the biggest challenges is the rapidly changing technology, which may require retraining.
“Instead of teaching teachers how to use the technology, our main focus is training teachers on how to find their own information, forming professional learning networks,” Johnson says. “Generally teachers have a lot on their plate.”
How to find information, specifically legitimate information, is also a focus when educating students. With the increase in access provided by the Internet, and all the benefits that accompany it, it’s a lot to process.
“I would say the validity and credibility of information out there is one of the largest problems,” Johnson says. “It’s important for kids to look at resources and look at citations, make sure it is well documented. The accuracy of all the information out there is questionable.”
Entering its third year, the 1:1 Learning Initiative provides students with Chromebooks in fifth grade. The idea is that providing universal access to digital technology will lead students to develop the skills necessary to manage learning in a digital world. Students take their Chromebooks with them as they transition to middle school. A third class of fifth graders will be given Chromebooks this fall, while rising sixth and seventh graders will continue to use the ones they received in fifth grade.
The Chromebooks have Google Chrome, as well as Web 2.0 tools, typing programs, and online textbook components. Johnson has also been exploring Google Apps for Education, a free suite of tools for staff and students.
“Google is training our kids on their platform,” Johnson says, “kind of like when schools were using Macintosh and they all brought Macbooks.”
The district has not yet decided how the program will apply when the current middle schoolers transition to high school. Most older students own smartphones, which Johnson says is a huge tool set that allows students to process information quickly.
“Instead of throwing devices out there, we’re looking at what best helps the learning environment. We haven’t hashed out what we’re going to do at that level. We’re working on a ‘bring your own device’ program that allows students to enhance their own learning,” Johnson says. “These kind of technological tools have really helped kids with access to resources and staying connected.”
Despite the increased efficiency of technology, Johnson has a full plate overseeing a teacher resource specialist at each school, as well as district media specialists.
“It’s amazing how much our department has grown,” Johnson says. “The technology director, Rick Cave, was here from the beginning. It has so many people, it speaks volumes to how important technology has become to the educational process.”
