About the Poway Unified School District

PUSD Honored	Consortium for School Networking
Poway Unified School District Honored for Using Education Technology to Further Student Learning The students in this fourth grade classroom have teamed up to become young news writers for SanDiegoKidsNet.Com’s website. The Poway Unified School District is one of three districts being recognized by the National School Boards Association’s (NSBA) Technology Leadership Network for the effective and innovative use of technology to support student achievement. The district was showcased in a video presentation at the Annual Technology + Learning Conference, November 8-10, in Atlanta, Ga. Poway Unified School District Superintendent Donald Phillips, Ed.D., said, “Technology provides a tremendous opportunity to strengthen our ability to lead our schools forward in providing enhanced learning opportunities and more effective and efficient school operations.” “Each of the districts showcased this year has made long-term commitments to using technology in a systemic way to have a positive impact on their teaching and learning environments,” said Ann Flynn, Director of Education Technology for NSBA. “They have used collaborative models in both curricular and administrative practices to improve student achievement.” Poway Unified School District officials regard the use of technology as a valuable tool to improve student learning. They believe that accessing information, building relationships, and using technological resources are imperative for student success in the new century. District officials aim to expand teaching potential to include up-to-date information, collaborative learning worldwide, and real world opportunities.
This student is diligently completing research work on projects they are accessing through the JASON project online. They are studying wolves, the Alaskan environment, Alaskan culture and other related issues.	Several examples of technology use include virtual classes offered by high schools, elementary school students working with a San Diego company to promote tourism, parents and students accessing their grades and class information online, and videoconferencing with scientists and experts in their fields. The Poway technology staff meets with the community technology foundations for school sites to help them understand the educational and technological direction of the District and to seek community input.
The involvement and support of the Board of Education and the extended school community has resulted in Poway Unified School District becoming a leader in implementing technology to assist students in reaching their fullest potential. “The community is our greatest partner,” said Charlie Garten, Poway’s Executive Director of Education Technology and Information Systems. “We could not have accomplished this major change in the learning environment of our students without the assistance of our community and business partners.” Each of the three districts is showcased at the NSBA Conference in a short video at one of the general sessions and is given the opportunity to share its approaches during a special session at the conference. Other recognized districts are Barren County School District in Glasgow, Ky., and Milford Public Schools in Milford, Conn. All districts are presented a commemorative plaque and are invited to send staff and board members to a luncheon in their honor at the conference. ITTE: Education Technology Programs was launched in 1985 by NSBA and its federation of state school boards associations to help advance the best uses of technology in public education. This student is working on an IPAC that is connected by wireless technology to a laptop used by her teacher. As the student takes her spelling test, the teacher sees the answers at once. She beams the right answer after everyone in the class has submitted a word and the students get instant feedback whether their word was spelled correctly or not. At the conclusion of the test, the teacher prints a chart that details how each student did individually as well as how the class did as a whole.