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Rim of The World Unified School District: Technology and the teacher Project partner

Rim of The World Unified School District: Technology and the teacher Michelle Murphy, Superintendent of Rim of The World Unified School District, explores how a digitalisation of the classroom begins and ends with the success of the student in mind

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D al e Bent on Cr ai g D ani el s

RIM OF THE WORLD UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

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W

hen we talk of the digital disruption of modern industry, our attention often turns to the

private sector. We hear many great tales of how technology is transforming the world of the financial industry or how it is revolutionising the retail space, but what of the public sector? Technology is part of our everyday lives, so how is this reflected in a particularly key area of the lives of our children and that of future generations?

How is technology redefining the education experience?

This is a question that Michellle Murphy, Superintendent of the Rim of The World Unified School District, has faced throughout her entire career. Starting out as an elementary school teacher, moving on to the role of Principal, then taking on the role of CTO before her current role as Superintendent, Murphy has been blessed with a full view of the education system and in

that forms part of her current role with

particular, how technology can and should

Rim of the World Unified School District,

empower the experience.

a Southern Californian district of six

“I always call myself the great transla-

schools that consists of a continua-

tor for the normal educator,” she laughs.

tion high school, a regular high school,

“I could navigate the line between the tech-

three elementaries and a middle school.

nologist’s perspective and what a normal

When Murphy joined in 2016, her unique

principal would want to know about things

perspective of technology combined

like cybersecurity or what an access

with the education ecosystem was key in

point is versus a router versus a server.”

defining the future of the district. Murphy

It is this ability to act as a translator

recalls; “Our tech coordinator was really

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the experience to make good decisions about college and career? If they’re not exposed to technology, are we deploying the technology that can help them make those decisions about what they want to happy to have someone to talk to about

be when I grow up, or even know what’s

technology who really understood it.”

out there in the world,” she says.

When exploring the impact of technol-

“It’s about getting kids connected to the

ogy in the private sector, the measure of

world, and providing them with tools that

success is often an increase in efficiency or

can connect them to what is out there

enabling a seamlessness of process that

beyond our little mountain. For us, this

ultimately leads to more cashflow and profit.

is key to enabling success in their lives.”

For the education sector, the success of

The need for technology is clear so

technology implementation is defined by

then the question becomes one of capac-

one thing; the student. Murphy understands

ity; does the education sector have the

this. “We ask ourselves; have we given them

readiness and the capacity to embrace 5

digital solutions that will disrupt the class-

taught at every age level and seen what is

room experience? Over the last four years,

needed to transform those experiences,

Murphy has worked closely with the district

I can really support teachers and under-

to implement technologies and solutions

stand what the kids need and what we

where possible, but even she admits that

need in the classroom. It’s about making

it has not been without its challenges. It is

sure that we’re asking the right questions

here in particular that her experience as

before we spend $100,000 on a platform.”

a teacher and a CTO comes to the fore.“I

Murphy’s approach of asking the right

think a lot of times superintendents have

questions and finding the right answers

an IT person in as an advisor to answer the

before investing money is in itself a chal-

questions they dont understand and advise

lenging situation. Companies, and in this

on where the money should be spent on

instance schools, need to stay in touch

technology,” says Murphy. “Because I have

with the rapidly evolving technology

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trends of the world around them and so this

at what long term goals we have and then

can cause a sense of panic and a need to

working with vendors that want to help

catch up or fall behind competitors. For the

us,” she says. “Relationships are really

Rim of The World Unified School District,

important and the vendors that answer

a small scale district that does not possess

questions and work with us to identify if

the large budgets that private businesses

their solution matches our needs, those

have at their disposal, any investment made

are the ones that make a real difference

in technology has to be the right invest-

for us and for our students.”

ment. The risks are higher and Murphy, for

This approach has proven incredibly

all her experience, can’t make these deci-

successful over her career and to this day

sions alone. “We’ve always looked at what

she can still call a number of the vendors

platforms fit our needs that are cost effec-

she works with and ask questions and

tive over the long term. It’s about looking

identify what she needs before investing,

“ I can really support teachers and understand what the kids need and what we need in the classroom. It’s about making sure that we’re asking the right questions before we spend $100,000 on a platform” — M I C H E L L E M U R P H Y, S U P E R I N T E N D E N T, R .O.W. U . S . D

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purely because of the long term and ‘real’

that those first steps for her were eye

relationships she has struck with them. “It’s

opening. In her previous role she had

just about asking for their opinion too,” she

played a key part in the nationally recog-

says. “It needs to be a two-way street. Not

nised WiFi on Wheels program, an initi-

just what do I need, but what’s your opin-

ative that saw a number of school busses

ion? We don’t ever want to be in a situation

turned into mobile hotspots parked over-

where they are recommending you the

night at various sites across the Coachella

Cadillac that they know you can’t afford but

Valley Community to provide WiFi access

the position you’re in means you are left

to students with limited home connectivity

with no alternative.”

so that they can connect at home to work

Coming into any organisation and looking to make changes is a journey that has to

on their assignments.

In another successful program, Murphy

start somewhere. The early days of iden-

worked with a tech team of 30 to deploy

tifying and outlining the road ahead have

iPads to every single student of the

been described by many as some of the

Coachella School Valley District, in some

most challenging and Murphy concedes

cases deploying more than 1,000 iPads a

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day to ensure that the 18,000+ students had the equipment they needed to be able to succeed. These successes were not without their challenges, but a key part of those achievements came from collaboration and that starts from day one.

When Murphy sat down and began to discuss with her peers what was needed at the Rim of the World Unified School District, collaboration was something that had previously been lacking. “I met with every person that worked at the district office, because that was important to me,” she says. “I’d introduce myself and try to get to know them, but increasingly I found

of using the likes of Facebook and Twitter

that a lot of the staff had never set foot in

that can ultimately benefit the school expe-

the office we were sat in,”

rience. Where social media was once a hue

“That was not gonna fly with me. I am all

concern for Rim of the World, now it is used

about building relationships. My title may be

to promote the success of students and

different or even senior, but I’m no different

the good community work they do.

than the technology person, the teacher,

“It showed people that the approach

or the food service worker. We’re all on the

was not for me to come in and say we are

same page to get the job done together.”

implementing change and this is my road

Murphy spent a lot of her early days under -standing what she saw to be a limited use and understanding of technology. Where

or the high road. It’s about talking to people, modeling it and sharing my experience.”

Murphy recalls wanting to include videos

some would see this limited understanding

of staff and students doing great things for

as a problem Murphy saw it as an oppor-

the community in her weekly superinten-

tunity. For example, social media in the

dents report, but as a result of that initial

education sector can be a difficult beast

lack of technology experience throughout

and so Murphy has worked with her teams

the district she didn’t have anyone who

to look at a more efficient and effective way

could film them for her. Her solution?

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Take it upon herself to do it.

“Sometimes it means putting yourself out there and being vulnerable. I’m going to do it, so if I can do it, anybody can do it,” she says. “I always bring it to people not as a command but as a request to say: let’s make our life easier through technology.”

When working with technology, one can be forgiven for focusing solely on the successes. When money is invested, people need to see returns on that investment. Murphy has a different take and while she admits that success speaks volumes, the missteps or false starts speak loudest.

When Murphy joined the district, she inherited a platform that had previously been purchased prior to her starting.

This platform was aimed solely at the students but was expensive and highly labour intensive for the teachers to navigate resulting in teachers outright refusing to use it entirely. Murphy gathered the teachers together and asked them what they thought about it, why it wasn’t the best solution and what they needed from a platform to be able to do their jobs better and work with the students.

“You have to be able to listen to the people that are actually using it,” she says. “ Then you find the right answers together, because I am not in that world every day so how could I make that decision for them?”

The biggest stakeholders for Rim of The World are the students. So how does it ensure that they are at the very heart of everything it does and that decisions are made because they want and need it ? For Rim of the World, there is a great solution to this and once again, it’s built around listening. “We don’t just purchase a textbook without the teachers piloting several and then picking their own,” explains Murphy.

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“ I always bring it to people not as a command but as a request to say: let’s make our life easier through technology” — M I C H E L L E M U R P H Y, S U P E R I N T E N D E N T, R .O.W. U . S . D

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“But again, it’s important to touch base

portrayed and what can we do to portray

with the people and the kids that are using

ourselves in a better light. I think it’s incredi-

it. I have a couple of committees and I

bly important to listen to the kids too.”

have a high school kid on every one.

2020 has been a year in which the world

We have a high school kid that’s on our

has been devastated by the COVID19

school board, we have a high school kid

pandemic. With major losses to life and to

that’s on the COVID taskforce, I have a high

business, countries the world over have

school student on my ABC team, which

had to enforce major restrictions in order

stands for Always Be Communicating that

to mitigate the challenges the virus is caus-

looks at social media and how we’re being

ing even now. Lockdowns and quarantines

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RIM OF THE WORLD UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

have forced business and schools to close

she says. “They set me a certain goal back

their doors, but as the old saying goes

in May that would have taken around five

there is strength through adversity. Murphy

years to complete and we have actually

speaks to the way in which the chall-

done that this year. It’s done.”

enges thrown at her and the schools have

Elsewhere, Murphy recalls how the

actually presented an opportunity to move

Teachers On Special Assignment (TOSA)

forward quicker than ever before. “The

that she has across the district have

school board is my boss and they’re very

spoken of their disbelief at just how quickly

familiar with my tech background and they

teachers have been equipped with the

trust me with our technology purchases, “

tools and the skillset to use Google Class13

room, something that wasn’t on the agenda

Are kids learning? What are their grades

for 2020.

looking like? What are our graduation

“The technology that we were trying to purchase for the next five years would potentially be outdated by the time we got

rates going to look like? What could we do better?”

While the future of the world remains

it because there was no refresh cycle” adds

uncertain, what is clear is that Murphy and

Murphy. “All of that is already purchased or

Rim of the World have a clear picture

on its way. We have 400 hotspots arriving

of what matters most to them and that

soon to get kids connected at home. Quite

is the success of the student. While

frankly, all of these things wouldn’t have

money may come and go, the main thing

happened. It’s quadrupled the speed of

for Murphy is that the right decisions

implementation which is fantastic, but it’s

are made and the right technology is in

important to remember that all of this is to ensure the safety of our students without jeopardizing their education.

Four years into this journey and the mentality remains the same for Murphy and her teams across the district; listen.

Through difficult circumstances, she has been able to take stock of what has proven successful in her time so far with Rim of The World and despite the implementation of technology coming quicker than she could have possibly anticipated, she can’t rest on her laurels and call it a day.

Each day is a new opportunity to listen and to learn for Murphy. “Now it’s about really taking a look at the implementation,” she says. “Looking at what’s working and what isn’t, and how can you make technology engaging? Because yes we’ve moved teaching forward but is it engaging?

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“ In our position, we must never stop learning or being open to learning” — M I C H E L L E M U R P H Y, S U P E R I N T E N D E N T, R .O.W. U . S . D

place to offer the best possible education experience for their students. But the education doesn’t start and stop with the students themselves, as Murphy notes; “In our position, we must never stop learning or being open to learning,” “Your way isn’t always the right way.

I had a conversation with my assistant superintendent yesterday and I said; ‘Now, if you don’t agree with me, I expect you to tell me and I expect you to tell me why and it’s okay.’ You have to keep learning and that’s what we truly believe here at Rim of The World Unified School District.”

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