Profile
Richard Archibald-Woodward
Making a Difference
Richard "Dick" Archibald-Woodward is the Technology Coordinator for Ontario-Montclair School District, the second largest K-8 district in California. His primary responsibilities include the integration of technology into classroom curriculum and technology-related staff development for certificated, classified and administrative staff members.
Dick's involvement with staff development began more than 17 years ago when he was a classroom teacher at Serrano Middle School in Montclair. Ten years ago he moved into the district level position. In addition to organizing, managing, and teaching in the technology staff development program, Dick has had several opportunities to return to school sites as an interim administrator. He finds this a valuable experience as he says it, "Got me back into classrooms to see the 'reality' of technology use. I've had a chance to observe teachers using, and not using, technology as part of their instructional repertoire."
In his position as a teacher leader and as technology coordinator, Dick has had opportunities to gain experience across the areas identified in the TICAL matrix. Since 1982 he has been deeply involved in technology planning at both the site and district levels. Currently getting ready to rewrite the district Master Plan for Technology and Information Services, Dick realizes that planning for technology must be embedded in the strategic planning efforts for all the district's general operating plan, addressing the broad needs of both the district and its clientele. Dick reflects, "It seems strange to me as I think about this that I seem to have spent so much time focusing on hardware, infrastructure and 'stuff' rather than implementation within the classroom. Not that I haven't done that. It just seems that we get away from implementation issues when we're worried about the equipment instead of teaching strategies and methodologies using technology tools to enhance the kids' learning."
In relationship to data-driven decision-making, Dick has been studying the work of Lee Jenkins and Susan Leddick on improving student learning through the application of W. Edwards Deming's quality principles to education. In addition, the district is part of a pilot CSIS (California Student Information System) project in which the district office will eventually be able to pull together all of the student data to give teachers and administrators new data-based tool sets to improve both teaching and student learning.
Computer maintenance used to be in Dick's realm, to the point of actually doing much of it himself. His role is now to work with the district's PC Techs and school support personnel to better prepare the users to fully implement the communications, information and analytical technology tools at their disposal. Burn out is an issue for technicians both at the schools and district office. The current ratio of computers to available technicians is something like 1500:1.
The two greatest issues Dick faces in his job are curriculum integration and staff development. The need to integrate technology usage into standards-based curriculum and to leverage technology use to enhance student performance is not easy, but it must be accomplished. The days of a separate computer curriculum are past and it is the responsibility of Dick and his cadre of trainers to help teachers learn to use today's powerful technology tools. This leads to the second issue, staff development.
"We will never be able to accomplish what we want with students if we don't train the teachers. We do a good job of training clerical and office staff how to use tech to accomplish their jobs and now we need to do the same for teachers and administrators." Dick sees communication as the key to finding ways to keep current, to seek on-going training, and provide growth opportunities for educators.