Secretary of the NC Department of Information Technology and State Chief Information Officer Eric Boyette visited East Clayton Elementary to learn how Johnston County Public Schools utilizes technology in innovative ways in the classroom.
Boyette visited classrooms during a tour led by East Clayton Elementary Principal Jamie Tyler, where he saw various forms of technology in action across multiple grade levels.
Also onsite were representatives from the JCPS Academic Innovation Department who shared with Boyette aspects of the district’s JoCo 2020 initiative, which focuses heavily on personalized learning.
“I am so honored that East Clayton is where the secretary decided to spend his valuable time. We are working with technology every day and doing our very best to change students’ lives in a positive way,” said Tyler.
According to Dave Hinrichs, JCPS Director of Personalized Learning, and Jamie Lanier, JCPS Executive Director of Educator Innovation, East Clayton Elementary is one of several schools in the district effectively using technology to bring personalized learning to students.
“We need to recognize what you are doing and how important it is. What you do every day does not go unnoticed,” said Boyette. “I am proud of how Johnston County is moving forward and the leadership here. The focus is on the youth, and the youth is our future.”
From discussions during the visit, Boyette, in conjunction with the JCPS Academic Innovation Department, are exploring follow-up options about a centralized database that will include strategic information and resources for teachers. The database will free up teacher time and allow them to focus more on student/teacher relationships and instruction.
Boyette, along with other members of NC Governor Roy Cooper’s Cabinet, visited classrooms across the state as a part of American Education Week, Nov. 13-17, to highlight the importance of public education.
“Today Secretary Boyette got to see technology at its finest. He got to see technology in the littlest of hands and even some of our older kids,” said Tyler. “We would be ever grateful if he could work on our behalf to find funding or help us to be even be more innovative to meet students needs.”
