School administrators proud to represent PV at EdSurge

Several Pascack Valley administrators are present today at the EdSurge Conference on technology in schools.

If there is one thing they all share in common, it is their pride for their school district and the advancements it has made in the technology department.

“Representing PV is always a positive thing,” said PV Principal Mr. Tom Demaio. He noted how it is beneficial to see his colleagues and peers from other districts, as they all try to learn and grow from each other’s triumphs and mistakes.

Other schools have been following in PV’s technological footsteps for some time, as many schools are now implementing the 1:1 laptop initiative, among other advances.

“A lot of the school districts here came to learn about what we’re doing to get their programs started,” Demaio said.

However, he acknowledges that Pascack Valley is not perfect, and there is a lot to be learned from both this conference and from other schools. “It is interesting to see what we aren’t doing, or maybe things that we can do better,” he said.

Something specific that Demaio took away from the conference was the several technology companies promoting products related to computer science.

“Our computer science program is really beginning to grow,” Demaio said. He noted the increasing amount of students interested in taking computer science and AP computer science courses. Some of the new technology introduced at the conference could be beneficial to these courses.

Mr. Paul Zeller, Director of Instructional Technology, explains that his biggest takeaway from the conference was getting the chance to speak with peers; he was excited to have the opportunity to talk with other districts and see what they’re doing.

“I’ve had a great conversation with my table on assessment and grading,” Zeller said. “I’ve also seen three vendors so far about gathering data, as well as tracking student performance and growth. It makes me think, how could we do this better?”

Zeller attends approximately three conferences similar to EdSurge per year: one local, one state, and one national.

“NJ districts tend to do a lot of things together. Nationally, we gain different perspectives,” Zeller said.

New Jersey Department of Education administrators were also present. Mr. Evo Popoff, the Chief Innovation and Intervention Officer for the NJ Department of Education was in attendance at the conference.

“Schools and districts can tell the private companies what they need,” Popoff explained. “Instead of receiving technology, they are in the driver’s position, with technology tailored for education.”