SCS Technology

☀️ School may be out for our students, but class was in session for our department yesterday! 💻🏫

Session topics included:
🌐 Networking and infrastructure
📲 Apptegy and Rooms
🔒 Cybersecurity
📊 PowerSchool Enrollment
🧑‍💻 Responsible technology integration through the digital request process

Through intentional cross-training, we are learning from each other and setting ourselves up for success for the 2026-27 school year! 🤝🎓🌟

As the school year winds down, we want to extend a huge THANK YOU to our incredible teachers. We deeply appreciate the hard work and dedication you’ve poured into your students all year long. Our EdTech team has truly loved collaborating with you this year to support the integration of technology in your classrooms. Our school system simply wouldn’t be the amazing place it is without YOU and we wish you a wonderful summer break!🌞

On Tuesday of this week, the edtech team had the incredible opportunity to attend a unique Kami + Book Creator event at the Vulcan Park and Museum, tailored for Alabama teachers! Teachers from Oak Mountain Elementary, Helena Intermediate, and Helena High School joined us and shared some of the amazing ways they are using these two platforms to create meaningful learning experiences with their students. Districts from all around the state were present and learned from our amazing teachers! It was a day full of celebrating successes, lots of learning, and fun!

We love collaborating with students and teachers on impactful projects. Today was a true celebration of one of those projects!

Mrs. Winslett's 6th - 8th grade ELA students from Calera Middle School brought learning to life through the “Parade of Progress,” a student-choice passion project where creativity, storytelling, and technology came together in a magical way! Students selected topics they were passionate about, researched and designed their own themed floats, and then coded Root Robots to guide their creations through an interactive parade experience. From imaginative worlds to meaningful real-world topics, students combined innovation, problem-solving, and personal interests to create a one-of-a-kind showcase of learning and creativity.

🍎 Shelby County Schools Teachers

We are so excited to be offering two learning sessions this summer:
🤖 AI in the Classroom
🪽 Drones in the Classroom

Seats are filling up fast and are limited to the first 25 teachers, so sign up today in PDExpress. We can't wait to spend a day learning with you!

This week we are celebrating the educators who brighten futures, spark curiosity, and keep us all connected.

From the Technology Department to all of our Shelby County Schools' teachers—HAPPY APPRECIATION WEEK! We are so honored to serve alongside YOU!

That’s a wrap on the eMERGE Cohort for this school year! 🎬

This cohort was designed to INSPIRE and EMPOWER teachers to grow and further the integration of technology in order to directly impact learning outcomes. 🌟

While we were sad to have our last session together, our day was an absolute blast. 🎉

We focused on:

🎨 Creative updates in Google Slides, Canva, and Adobe Express.

🤖 Hands-on coding with Ozobots, Kibos, Finches, and Sphero Bolts.

✍️ Collaborative learning with the "Pile of Words" Eduprotocol.

and so much more!

The highlight? Our "Cresting the Summit Project Showcase." Seeing our Year 2 teachers share how they’ve transformed teaching and learning through what they learned in eMERGE was nothing short of AMAZING. We are so proud of them! 🥳

Can’t wait to do it all again next year. Who’s joining us?

Tuesday was a big day in the technology department! We announced the annual winners of the Owens-Young Technology Innovation Award and a new award for this year, the Excellence in Technology Leadership Award.
The Owens-Young Award is given to one elementary teacher and one secondary teacher who exemplify what innovation with technology looks like in the classroom. Congratulations to Karen McDonald, from OMIS, and Amy Baggett, from Chelsea High School! Both of these incredible teachers were nominated by their peers for the amazing opportunities they extend to their students. Congratulations, ladies!! 🎉🎉

The Excellence in Technology Leadership award is given to honor our school technology coordinators (TC’s), who go above and beyond the call of duty to model excellence in leadership in our schools every day. This year, we are honored to present this award to Amanda Miller from Helena Intermediate School. Amanda has served as her school's TC for many years and works diligently to ensure her building's technology needs are not only met, but exceeded. We are grateful beyond words for her service and dedication to this position. Congratulations, Amanda!

💻 Our team spent time today immersed in the Canva Create 2026 virtual keynote! It’s inspiring to see how Canva continues to evolve, offering more effortless ways to bring design into the classroom.

👩🏽‍🏫Whether it’s interactive presentations, digital notebooks, or collaborative whiteboards, the possibilities for educators are expanding faster than ever.

🖌️If you are a Canva user, how are you using Canva to CREATE?