"We have a plan to expand the use of technology in our classrooms. This plan is strong but from planning to implementation requires funding, focus and leadership."
Oct. 1, 2014 Oscar de Ia Torre

"There is no getting away from this. The days of having a teacher as the 'expert' and waiting for her class to fill rows of seats is over. Today, we need to see teachers as those who bring engagement, innovation, and creativity to a classroom. Students are not waiting for curriculum to be delivered; they are going to Google, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest for answers.

We are and have been for the past few years transitioning from the Industrial Era where you learned about plows and wheels to the Technology Era where we now are looking at ways to use technology to run the plows and wheels more efficiently. We have to equip our students with the technology they need to not only do well in school and climb their own academic ladder, but to be able to have life skills to function in the 21st Century.

Teachers hate change, and they will find the common core foundation of this change that is layered with technology, but they can not avoid it now because technology is here to stay and by 2020, it is said that information will change as fast as every 73 days."
Oct. 1, 2014 Patty Finer

"We live in the 21st century. Technology is changing our world at a more rapid pace than most of us can even appreciate. Ubiquitous tools like Google and smartphones only became mainstream in the last decade. The internet is largely a creature of the last quarter century. And technology will continue to progress in revolutionary jumps, creating in the next decade and the next quarter century changes in the fundamental cloth of life that we literally cannot image and certainly not predict. For me the question is not should students have access but rather how do we weave this new world of technology into our daily lessons. We have two challenges in this regard. First, we have to decide where technology has made our standard curriculum obsolete. Second, we need to be wise in what technology we provide where and why? What make sense in the moment may rapidly become laughably obsolete all too soon. As such, we must adopt a culture of experimentation and innovation in our schools and in our curriculum. As an added benefit, our children will learn enormously as they watch us take on the incredible challenge of staying abreast of change."
Oct. 1, 2014 Craig Foster

"In 2012, Santa Monica and Malibu passed Measure ES which provides funds for appropriate state-of-the-art technology, including necessary training of teachers in how to use whatever technology the District purchases to improve learning. One of the reasons I worked hard to place the ES bond measure on the ballot and co-chaired the successful campaign was to enable the District to continue to upgrade the District's classroom technology. The previous bond measure enabled the District to build necessary infrastructure and has provided limited technology enhancements at certain sites, but it is now time to truly begin to provide access to appropriate modern technology at our schools. We must do so in a manner that is smart, that addresses the 'digital divide,' that doesn't waste limited dollars, that ensures student and teacher ability to use new technology to improve learning, that builds in mechanisms to secure, maintain and continue to upgrade new technology that is constantly changing. This is a tall order and it is being taken seriously. The District is in the process of developing a thoughtful 'Technology Plan' that addresses and anticipates as many issues as possible and which utilizes research-based approaches to technology decisions going forward."
Oct. 1, 2014 Laurie Lieberman

"Our students need to acquire the skills necessary to be successful and contributing adults in their futures. Being technologically adept will be important to their being able to obtain successful and long-term employment.

The district is finalizing its district-wide technology plan. Funding is available from the ES Bond program to make this a reality over the next few years.

Implementation of the Technology Plan will complete the infrastructure necessary to allow all students to work on hand-held devices simultaneously.

School libraries will be upgraded initially, providing up-to-date technology at all sites. Classroom infrastructure will follow. The plan includes the purchase of devices as appropriate for different age groups and significant training for teachers.

A renewed focus on the STEM areas of science, technology, engineering and math and Common Core standards in math and language arts will guide our use of technology."
Oct. 1, 2014 Ralph Mechur

"Yes. One thing is clear – Millennials utilize and rely on technology more than any other generation to date. We need to provide our teachers with professional development opportunities aimed at discovering how best to implement technology into our classrooms and improve comprehension and retention of knowledge. Every classroom in the District must be a smart classroom with all the necessary tools to provide a 21st Century quality education.

Also, we must include in our curriculum attention to media and technology literacy so to ensure that our students are critical thinkers who are able to navigate a world that is exponentially expanding its reliance on technology."
Oct. 1, 2014 Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein