HSTI showcases tech, district
More than 1,100 educators are expected to fill Hot Springs World Class High School again today for the final day of the 24th annual Hot Springs Technology Institute.
HSTI Director Don Benton said more than
400 educators attended pre-conference events on Monday and Tuesday. This year’s event is Benton’s
22nd as director.
“I love it,” Benton said. “This is my passion to connect to people, to network people and to see them using tools we have helped them learn about here at HSTI. I even get emotional about it if I am not careful.
“I love to see people working together that we talk with all throughout the year via social media and through digital technology, but being able to be face-to-face, hug folks, hang out with them and have lunch with them, that is where the real networking takes place.”
Lloyd Jackson, outgoing principal of the high school, said the district continues to support the conference and uses it as a chance to put its best foot forward. Jackson is transitioning into a deputy superintendent role for the 2017-18 school year. Langston Aerospace and Environmental Studies Magnet School Principal Taryn Echols was hired as the new principal of the high school.
“It is an awesome opportunity for Hot Springs and the Hot Springs School District,” Jackson said. “We can showcase our campus and showcase the technology we have in our district. We are very excited to do this every year.”
The first HSTI conference was held in August 1994 after it was established by former Hot Springs School District superintendent Roy Rowe as a forum for educators to share concerns and successes in implementing new and emerging technology. Less than 150 educators attended the first year.
General sessions and breakout sessions each year continue to offer educators information about a diverse array of technology. Presenters and exhibitors allow educators hands-on experiences with popular technology, such as virtual reality.
“Everybody is loving all of the new VR and coding stuff that is going on,” Benton said. “We have had a few workshops and a lot of presentations today. Google, VR — anything virtual reality is hot — coding and, with Google, we are even doing some certification classes throughout the HSTI conference.”
This is the first year HSTI has offered certification opportunities for Google technology. The Arkansas Department of Information Systems also offered network administration courses and workshops.
Benton said about 170 of the almost 240 public school districts in the state are represented at the conference. HSTI is also regularly attended by educators in the region from states such as Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas, as well as other more distant locales in Illinois and Canada.
New schools are represented each year. Benton said new attendees learn about the conference through positive word of mouth.
“I know of six or seven different people who have come to me over the last three days and said, ‘This is our first time to bring people from our school here,’” Benton said. “It is encouraging, because especially if I am hearing about six or seven, I know there’s a lot more represented.”
Jackson said the school district uses HSTI as an advantage in appealing to other educators. Open positions in the district are posted at the entrance of the high school during the conference.
“People who are coming to this are often people who are wanting to improve themselves,” Jackson said. “We are showcasing Hot Springs School District. We are talking up the Hot Springs community as a great place to live and work.
“The vendors who come in have a chance to see Hot Springs and see what we have to offer. We get some deals and opportunities through that too. It is just all-around a win-win for our district.”
Today’s featured speakers include several top state and local educators. Susan Gilley, an authorized Google education trainer and director of federal programs and instructional technology for the Harrison School District, will lead a session at 9 a.m. in the Johnnie Mae Mackey Theatre.
Lakeside High School library media specialist Stony Evans will follow with a session at 10:30 a.m. Evans’ presentation will focus on collaboration.
An 11:45 a.m. presentation about science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics education will be led by Matthew Sutherlin, chairman of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Henderson State University Teachers College, and Michelle Johnson, director of the STEM Center at Henderson. Johnson was previously the gifted and talented coordinator and facilitator for the Fountain Lake School District.
“In the afternoon, we are going to have a more lighthearted session,” Benton said of closing speaker Tim Cavanaugh. “We will have a former educator and comedian come in and make everyone have a laugh since we have worked so hard for these last four days.”