President Obama’s ConnectED Initiative has taken full flight in Huntsville City Schools as our district continues the 1:1 learning journey into year two of digital learning. Moving to a 1:1 digital learning environment has invited educators into the world of today's students and closes the digital divide for those who are less fortunate, the real reason why it was necessary for Huntsville City Schools to embrace the task of becoming pioneers in education when we ventured into the world of digital learning. I'd been an educator for over 25 years when we took on this challenge. I fully understood the necessity of becoming a digital school district, particularly with our commitment to remove the stigma of a desegregation order that had been the district’s reality for decades. Providing students the opportunity to access their world-class curriculum and willingly participate in online learning twenty-four hours per day, seven days per week was the right thing to do to begin closing the digital divide for our more than 24,000 students.

I have an opportunity to view digital curriculum in action, both as the person responsible for the district-wide implementation and as a parent. It is the latter that brings me the greatest rewards. My two children have always been exposed to laptops, iPads, and cellular devices. Since their early tween years, they were always connected and used technology in more informal ways, primarily networking and communicating with their friends and peers via MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. As a parent I was okay with this interaction, but often wondered how much 'real' learning was taking place. I was excited when the opportunity for real learning with technology took root through access to a 1:1 digital curriculum in Huntsville City Schools.

Life in my household has changed as a result of the 1:1 Learning Initiative in Huntsville City Schools. My daughter, who is a student in the district, allows us to see a piece of her world daily when she brings her school issued laptop home bearing her core curriculum, online assignments via Edmodo, and access to an online tutorial when she struggles with a concept. Students in a digital environment learn very differently than what was provided through a traditional education. Parents are also impacted in this environment as we navigate Edmodo to monitor student assignments and stay abreast of the latest classroom assignments.

The true impact of 1:1 digital learning came alive for me when I agreed to watch 3 children ages 8, 13, and 16 on a Saturday afternoon. These students, who are also Huntsville City Schools students, entered my home with their laptops and they remained engaged on the laptop for many hours. When I summoned them to the dinner table, they joined my husband and me grudgingly as they wanted to continue the tasks on the computer. They immediately returned to their computers and remained engaged until they went home. This was a new experience for me as I’m accustomed to being very involved with children when they are at my home. These children required very little interaction and were able to explain what they were learning when the teacher in me just had to ask. The children went on to tell me that they didn’t go anywhere without the computer and they were able to constantly learn, even on the internet connected bus ride home each day.

Digital 1:1 learning is clearly one way to engage students while providing ubiquitous learning experiences for children who have spent most of their lives connected. It requires traditional educators to adapt to becoming facilitators of learning as students become exposed to a world that is constantly changing and providing limitless opportunities for them to take charge of their own learning.

Dr. Barbara Cooper has been a public school educator for over 20 years. She has served in many roles as an educator including teacher, assistant principal, principal, director and chief.  Dr. Cooper has received many awards for her contributions in education, and for her commitment to equality and social justice.  Most recently she received a Civility and Citizenship Award.  She was also the recipient of a Cornerstone Educator Award where she was designated “Educator Leader of the Year.” She currently serves as the Deputy Superintendent for Huntsville City Schools (HCS).