INNOVATION
technology in 2020-2021 Technology at Marburn is not only a critical component for students and teachers for learning in the classroom, but it’s also essential for the administrative team for everything from marketing to fundraising. Director of Technology, Shane Spicer and Technology Support Specialist, Austin Kochs make up Marburn’s technology team and manage more than 1,200 devices, including laptops, iPads, televisions, monitors, projectors and more, as well as all the wires, plugs, and adaptors required to ensure everything works properly and can be charged. It’s no small task for the two of them, and the 2020-2021 school year brought with it a whole new set of technology challenges and learning curves.
Middle Division teacher, Amelia Compton, checks in with students learning remotely during science class.
SHIFTING TO VIRTUAL LEARNING
the Marburn tech team manages more than 1200 digital devices throughout the school
At the end of each school year, student devices are typically returned to the technology team over the last few days of school, but students were learning remotely at the end of 2020 so collecting devices wasn’t as simple as usual. To drop off items that were taken home at the end of the 2020 school year, families were invited to a drive-through option at the school that was cleverly called the Panther Parade. During the spring 2020 Panther Parade, families delivered the devices they had taken home so Shane and Austin could collect them, sanitize them, update operating systems, and prepare them for the next school year. The fall of 2020 presented a new challenge as all students continued virtual learning for the start of the school year. Each device is set up for a specific student with the programs and tools they’ll need, and the tech team was tasked with identifying those de-
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vices and distributing them to teachers to be included with other items families needed to pick up for the start of the school year. Shane and Austin worked directly with teachers to ensure that devices were going home with the correct students. — HYBRID LEARNING —- VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON
After four weeks of virtual learning, students were invited back to Marburn’s campus for in-person learning while following state and local safety protocols. While some families were excited to have students learning in-person, others chose to keep their children home and take advantage of the continued virtual learning option. In preparation for hybrid learning where some students were at home and others on campus, the tech team provided televisions with webcams for every classroom so students at home could participate in lessons and classroom activities. New technology and processes brought with it chal-
