Florence 1 Schools embraces one-to-one technology roll-out and interactive mediums in virtually any subject. “Using technology, our students will be able to explore places that they may never physically visit,” O’Malley said. In the 2019-2020 school year, Florence 1 Schools rolled out the Imagine Forward Technology Initiative, a plan to put a device in the hands of every student K-12, making Florence 1 one of the first districts in South Carolina to be completely one-to-one. Florence 1 Superintendent Dr. Richard O’Malley said that the Imagine Forward initiative will begin to put the district’s students on a level playing field with their peers across the state and nation. “Many students across the country have technology available to them at home and outside of the school day,” O’Malley said. “If we want our students to be able to compete in a global society, they have to have resources available to them more than just at school.” Technology in the classroom does not replace teacher instruction, O’Malley said, it enhances the classroom experience. Teachers and students are able to supplement textbooks with videos “Technology is reshaping our world and we need to ensure that we are preparing our students for their world.” The mission of Florence 1 is to continuously improve student learning outcomes. One way to do that is to invest in technology as a tool to improve teaching and learning. Technology will further areas such as: Personalized Learning Enhanced student engagement Opportunities more project-based learning Enhanced opportunities for collaboration “Florence 1 will be unsurpassed when it comes to incorporating technology into teaching and learning as compared to other districts in South Carolina,” O’Malley said. “We are skillfully incorporating it in a way that will offer more instructional choices for our teachers and students and improved outcomes for our students”. And while using the technology in the classroom will enrich their learning experience, it will also help prepare students for careers in STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) fields like biomedical engineering, software development or actuarial science. “There are so many career options in STEM fields,” O’Malley said. “Employers in these fields are unable to find enough candidates for their companies. If we can give our students the skills that they need to work in a field that they enjoy, we are setting them up for a lifetime of success.”
14 Publizr Home