In her third year as principal at JayElementary School, Kelly Allen-Short is thankful for the support her school has received not only from the teachers and staff, but from the community as well. With the support, Short represented the entire county as a finalist for the 2016 Florida Innovative Principal of the Year.
“It’s an amazing community and I have a great staff,” Short said. “It has absolutely been a team effort from churches to parents, along with district support, and the teachers in taking and running with it and working so hard to do what is best for kids.”
Allen and her staff are actively using innovative technology including electronic tablets, laptop computers and a smart table, to better reach children.
“Kids are a lot different these days, they are harder to engage and they learn differently. We can’t change them, we have to change our approach,” Short said.
Shifting from textbooks to technology is taking place throughout the county, Short said, adding the transition is just part of adjusting to an ever changing world.
“The shift is happening, gradually, but we don’t have an option,” Short said. “We have to get that in the hands of kids and know how to utilize that.”
As an example, the school has four STEM, (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) educators who are working with Discovery Education in finding opportunities to further educate students through the use of technology.
Learning to use technology will assist students, who will more than likely use those skills in the workplace. Short said working with STEM, which can assist students in using their critical thinking skills, will help prepare them for a job which may not even exist at the moment.
The school recently used Title I funding to finance a science lab which will be headed by a certified teaching mentor from the University of West Florida.
She said her school received support from multiple sources including the school’s Parent Teacher Organization, Title I funding, a grant through the Porch Band of Creek Indians Tribe, donations from two Jay businesses and even the Santa Rosa County Correctional Institute in which inmates built student desks. Short said the desks can allow teachers to have their student to work closely together.
Regardless of the donations, whether it’s monetary or supply, She said the goal is to make the best use of the donations.
“Whenever we get a chunk of money, we try to plug it in there when we can,” she said. “Along with that comes with the professional development and how do use this (technology) now that we have that.”
Short, along with several other school educators, is planning to attend the Florida Educational Technology Conference in Orlando, in which the winner of the ‘Innovative Principal of the Year’ will be named. She anticipates the school staff will come away with information and techniques on how to better educate students and share that information with the rest of the staff.
“It’s a huge learning opportunity for us,” she said. “When we come back, we will use what we learned and provide professional development in house for our teachers.”
Also in the works for Jay Elementary School, Short plans to involve parents in educating students on the dangers of using such technology and how to prevent it from occurring.
“There is a lot of yuck out there,” she said. “I have four kids and it is something I think about all of the time.”
She said she is honored to represent the district, adding she is not only representing her teaching staff.
“They are the ones who are in the trenches, they are the ones who are trying new things, integrating new technology,” she said. “I am excited for them, because they are getting that recognition.”
As for the future, Short wants to continue the trend of not only placing more technology into the hands of each student, but making sure each teacher is best utilizing that technology for their student’s education.
“It’s not how many iPads you have or what kind of cool table you got, it is what are you doing with it and what kind of results are you seeing,” Short said. “The bottom line is that it should be evident in our student performance scores.”
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Jay principal thanks community, staff for 'Innovative Principal' nomination