Introduction

Meet the hosts of the Bits and Bytes Podcast and learn what the podcast is all about.

For more Digital Learning Services information text DLS news  to 22828 or find us on Twitter @sbcss_edtech

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Transcript

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 SUMMARY KEYWORDS

students, computer science, jessica, computer science education, technology, sonal, computer, learning, felt, education, classroom, teachers, helping, sunglasses, coffee, work, wanted, kids, people, digital

SPEAKERS

Sharisa, Jessica, Sonal

Sonal  00:03

Hello, everyone, welcome to digital learning and computer science Bits and Bytes Podcast. We're extremely excited to have you listen to our podcast and look forward to updating you with the latest and greatest from our team and from our wonderful community of educational technology and computer science practitioners and experts. Let's start with some introductions. As we introduce ourselves, we'll be sharing some additional information to help you get to know us a little. So I'll get started. I'm Sonal Patel, and you write my name with Ronald, take the d off the end, and you get Sonal easiest way to remember it. So a little bit about me, I'm Indian and British, and I go by she her pronouns. And they've been in the USA for the past 14 years. That's right, you probably sensed a little accent there. I'm also married and I have two children, Maya and Arrove of my passion for education actually stems from my own humble upbringing as an English language learner who grew up with many educational barriers related to my own cultural background. But with inspirational mentorship for the from those who believed in me, I was able to rise above those challenges and do the work that I do today with an incredible team of people. Some of those people are my co workers who are here with me today, so I'm going to turn this over to Jessica.

Jessica  01:22

Thank you Sonal. My name is Jessica Boucher. My pronouns are she her. I'm a wife, mother to a wonderful human named Everly. And I'm also a student lifelong learner. I've been an educator for about 15 years, I've worked in the private public and charter sectors of education, even teaching remotely before it was popular. I grew up in a diverse family and felt very aware of societal pressures and stereotypes that we didn't quite fit in. Because of this, my passion for inclusion and accessibility for students within the schooling system and how to make it possible for them with the use of Ed Tech and Ed Tech resources has become part of the work that I strive to do. Over to you Dr. Sharisa, Chan.

Sharisa  02:17

Thank you so much, Jessica. My name is Sharisa Chan. Here's a little bit about me. So I'm married to wonderful husband and I have a toddler two year old named Makiko, who is the light of my life. I have spent the past 20 years working in education. And I've had the great privilege of developing and integrating steam curriculum for multiple grade levels throughout my experience. Additionally, I've been able to personally watch students thrive on learning computer science, I've been able to watch and help my students learn and thrive while taking on computer science activities. And this has actually helped me with the position that I'm in now, where I'm able to advocate for different parts of computer science and STEAM education, which is really the passion for me, because I've always been told, growing up that I wouldn't ever be able to serve in roles like that, or do those types of things. So my passion for that really comes from being told you can't do it and me wanting to prove other people wrong and say yes, I can. And I will bring others with me. So now that I've shared a little bit about myself, I actually have a fun question for the both of you, Jessica and Sonal. I was wondering if you needed something or you could have one thing in this world that you absolutely could not live without, but it can't be a person. What would it be and why?

Sonal  03:41

Well, for me, it's definitely coffee. It's very early morning right now, and I'm thinking about it right now. When I first got in got to the United States, honestly, it was all about the tea. You know, I loved that cup of tea. But lately for the last I want to say eight or nine years that coffee has been instrumental to the focus that I have. Sharisa is smiling, my the focus that I have when I come into work every single day. 

Sharisa  04:06

I definitely agree. Sonal, Sonal loves her coffee. And I will let you know it's it's so much fun to watch her after she's had her first cup or a second maybe third.

Sonal  04:19

not usually this energetic until I've had that cup. So I've had one. And as you might happens with a second.

Sharisa  04:24

Yes your levels of energy are just it, they're through the roof. But it's great because you tailor it to exactly where it needs to go. You know where to use your energy best. And it helps balance our team. So thank you coffee for being here. And thank you Sonal for drinking. Yeah.

Sonal  04:41

You're welcome. What about you, Jessica?

Jessica  04:43

Well, mine is not as cool as coffee. Now I'm actually wanting to change mine to coffee but I constantly have to wear sunglasses, I, the sun is super bright. I basically cannot go outside without my sunglasses. So Everything seems really bright to me. So, sunglasses for me.

Sonal  05:05

So long story short, we should not steal your sunglasses.

Jessica  05:07

Please don't steal my sunglasses. I'll also have like four or five pairs just around everywhere because I just need to grab one.

Sharisa  05:16

That's good to know.

Jessica  05:17

What about you? Sharisa. 

Sharisa  05:19

So for me that the one thing that I would really need, wow, this is hard. It would probably be music. I absolutely love music, it speaks to my soul. If I'm having a rough day, or if I'm having a great day, or if I'm having a whatever day, I just need music and whatever music I choose helps get me along throughout my day. So if I could just have access to music, I am good to go.

Sonal  05:46

I love that one. Can I change mine?

Jessica  05:49

I want to know what one song then you can only pick one

Sharisa  05:53

What one song? Yeah. Right now? Well, I have a lot of songs. So that's really difficult. Right now, it probably be, Like a Girl by Lizzo. Because it's all about all the things that I can do, even though I'm a woman that people would stereotype and say you can't do. So it's like I can do this just like a girl because guess what, I do it perfectly as a girl. So that's like, that's my jam right now. 

Jessica  06:20

So powerful.

Sonal  06:21

All right. So, um, thanks, Sharisa for that one. I love that. I want to get now go into how we got into the work we do today with digital learning and computer science. This time, Jessica? Why don't you start?

Jessica  06:34

Okay, um, well, getting into digital learning was important for me. Because growing up, I remember, computers and cell phones were starting to be accessible to the average person. But people who actually had them were, you know, basically people that I thought were rich. So my family didn't have those kinds of luxuries. And that was out of reach for us. So when it came time to apply to college, doing my FAFSA applications, all those kinds of things, access to technology, and computers was something that made it more difficult for me to be able to go to that next level and really put me at a disadvantage. So once I started community college, I actually bought my first computer on eBay. And I had the dial up internet, and I just thought I was so cool. So that helped me get through college. But I definitely was at a disadvantage from not having those skills from the beginning. And then when I started teaching, my first public school job was in a low SES rural area, I taught third grade, we had one computer lab in the school for 500 kids. And then we would use that computer lab for the kids who are waiting for their bus after school and our after school program. So these computers, I mean, they just constantly needed repair, they were breaking down, we had maybe four or five computers in the classroom. And usually two of them worked. And when my kids would get on it, they needed so much help. And they didn't really know how to navigate the computer or how to type without doing the little like chicken pecking. So that was difficult. And then seeing them struggle, when it came time to do the SBAC test, we had to go into the computer lab to do those tests. And the sound wasn't working, or they didn't have the typing skills that they needed or the familiarity with, with the computer and the device. And so they were already at a disadvantage for taking the state test. So when it came time to choose a master's program, I chose an ed tech master's program at Cal State Fullerton and that completely opened my mind to how important the access is, and the ability to introduce our kids to 21st century skills. So this was a while ago, I know we're well into the 21st century now. But it really resonated with me. And there were so many aha moments of being able to bring technology skills to students that otherwise don't have access. And so that really goes with that digital divide, having equal access, bringing equality and accessibility to our students, no matter what their socioeconomic level is. And then just continuing the work. Now with the second level digital divide with how teachers are actually implementing the devices and having equity in how our students are getting instruction with technology and having it meaning meaningfully being implemented. So that's a little bit of how I got into digital learning. Just from my own experiences and feeling at a disadvantage with those skills, and then wanting to bring those skills to our students so that way, they're not at a disadvantage when they get into the workforce.

Sharisa  10:11

I love that, Jessica, I think it's interesting how your drive started with your own experience. And that definitely, I think drives a lot of the things that we all do as humans, when we want to make changes with whomever we're working with. So a little bit about my story would be that I worked in a district a while back now, who was really kind of advanced or moved along quickly with technology. So they were like, Let's put it Promethean boards in every classroom, but the teachers aren't trained yet, let's bring in Chromebooks to every student. But we didn't know what issues we'd have with it. But we're just handing them out to kids. And so I had that experience with my students. And I always wanted once I got those devices in to make these tools more than just a device to have there, or just, okay, it's computer time, let's go play. It was more than that. I really wanted to get the most out of it, in terms of instructional time, making this a real tool for students to use while they work. So what I was thinking, as I was working through it was, how can I really step up my game with technology in the classroom. And that's when I learned to seek out other people who've been doing things. And so I started going to trainings on my own. And then along the way, I was introduced to NGSS standards and STEAM education, which opened up a whole nother window for me to actually incorporate technology into the classroom. So students using their devices. And then the other thing would be that my students were, well, there's this thing. So one of the big things for me is computer science. Now it's big for me, before there was something called Hour of Code and it still exist. Everybody would say, oh, sign up for Hour of Code. And I was working with first graders at the time. And I was thinking, Oh, I'm like, we can't do that. But then I was always at teachers, I was like, Don't ever tell anybody that your students can't do that. Because if you give it to them, they'll rise to the occasion. So I had to break my own barrier down and say, You know what, I'm out here saying this, I better live up to what I'm saying. So I put my kids on Hour of Code. And I did it with them, they were like, at the time I was Miss Lyman, Miss Lyman, please do this with us. And I can't do this, I it was my fear, not theirs. So when I overcame that barrier, I just ran with it. And I was lucky enough to have those same students again, in third grade. And they begged for more. And I just did it every year after that. And there's more time where I just integrated it into my instruction. And now I'm actually an advocate for it and teaching other teachers to do the same type of thing. And I know it works. And I know they could do it. And I speak from personal experience. So I think that really has gotten me into, you know, this kind of role. I never thought I'd be in a role where I'm talking about digital learning, we're talking about, you know, how to integrate computer science, because it just wasn't what the world was when I started in education. So I definitely would say I've kind of moved along with the times haven't really thought it too much. And I'm finding great results from it. So

Jessica  13:38

I love how you went full circle. So you had all these devices and you had things given to you but not the knowledge to go with it of how to actually implement it. And then you were proactive and seeking out how to, you know, find other people find resources, find a network to get plugged into, and now you're providing those resources in that network for others who might be feeling that same way.

Sharisa  14:04

Yes, definitely. And for me, Sonal and Jessica could both tell you networking for me, I can do it. And but I'm an introvert by nature. So I'm like, I really need help with this. I don't have any other choice. It's that or try to research on my own, but it was so new at the time, I just had to find somebody who was already doing it. So

Sonal  14:23

I always used to see you at all of our training. So speaking of lifelong learner, I feel that we all have that in common with you know what you were seeing Jessica about you're still you're still learning to stay and fun story about Jessica and I we ended up doing the same masters and Ed Tech program a little while back. And then with with Teresa, we've been to the similar conferences and we might have passed each other in the hallway and we didn't even realize it. But you know, I think that all of us are lifelong learners and in this field and digital learning and computer science, I feel we definitely need to be we need to continue to stay updated. So with that If I may, I'll just talk a little bit about my journey in digital learning. I think I started out back in the UK when I was when I did my first teaching assignment at a really high technology school. And I realized, I mean, at the time, it was one, one computer lab, as well as those smart boards in our classroom. But even with that, I felt we could do so much more to engage our students. We took the I took this one step further, when I came out to the USA, well, actually, I'm going to be honest with you, I came out to the USA and I had one computer in my classroom. And that was it. And all they would use it for was AR testing, I'm sure you can remember that. And I'm sure many of you can relate. And I was like, Okay, this was the home of Silicon Valley, California, what is going on here. And I wanted to I just wanted to kind of, you know, try to figure out what we could do to try to get the technology but to do in order to do that I wanted more knowledge on what, what a whole district infrastructure should look like, right. And so that was the initial reason why I went into the masters and Ed Tech program. As I did it, I wanted to experiment right away with my then fourth grade students and how to utilize this technology within a blended learning type of setting. So I got into the work of Michael Horn and Catlin Tucker and started to implement blended learning models and saw the true impact not just of the use of technology, but how we were utilizing the technology to personalize our student learning needs, right like so we were getting students now not listening to that one size fits all model of teacher instruction. But they were actually listening to screencasts, where they could pause and stop and start, they were using scaffolded materials or in in the online world that were really helping them to be able to transform the way they were consuming information. Not just consuming, though they were given opportunities to demonstrate their learning in multiple different ways. And that was the beauty. We saw kids engage, we saw that the data was showing consistently that our students were student outcomes academically and socially, emotionally were were improved. And so just wanted to keep going with that. And I ended up going into the instructional coaching role after that. And, you know, bringing this to many more educators who were also seeing the impact of it. And that's how I started wanting to really help and help grow this work even more. When I got to the county, I really didn't have that much, you know, capacity and computer science education, same as usually. So we did an hour of code, you know, whenever we could bring it in, we would, but it wouldn't actually be an experience that they would participate in all year round, right. So I got here and I decided that I was going to enroll myself in a computer science supplemental program. And the very first module was equity in computer science. And it was from there that I realized we needed to do something about it. I did that module and realize how many what I realized how many students were underrepresented in computer science underserved in computer science, and especially our fear students who identify as females, African American Latin X and Native American and indigenous students, I felt that we needed to do something to change the current statistics and the research that suggests that we do not have the diversity in the computer science field, not to mention in computer science classes within the K 12. setting. So those questions kept coming up. What can we do about this? You know, how can we change the trajectory of computer science education so that more kids have access to equitable computer science education. And that's where we are today. And we developed our next, you know, our new vision. Does anyone sorry, I spoke a lot doesn't want to say anything. Before I go into that vision.

Sharisa  18:52

I just want to say that's definitely it speaks to my heart, all the work that's been done. And I think for the three of us, you know, making those connections with students and personalizing their learning are helping now for us helping others show how to do things like that. So that kids can our students can really have the best learning experiences that are memorable and I can take with them is so powerful. So thank you for bringing that up that those are great points. 

Sonal  19:18

Thanks, Teresa. We look forward to do more work around our mission to transform lives through education and our department's vision, which is to aspire to collaboratively build capacity in providing equitable, accessible and data informed online blended learning and computer science experiences for all of our learners.

Sharisa  19:18

You'll get to learn more about the work we do throughout these podcasts. Each month, we will have different guests come to speak to you about initiatives that are directly connected to SBCSS County's mission and our department's vision

Jessica  20:00

We'll also provide you with the latest updates and information on all things related to digital learning services and computer science education.

Sonal  20:10

Thank you again, everyone. 

Sharisa  20:11

Yes, thank you.

Jessica  20:12

Thank you so much. 

Sonal  20:14

Join us next time for more bits and bytes of digital learning and computer science. And remember, if you're hungry for more, you can simply text dlsnews to 22828 or find us on Twitter @SBCSS_edtech.