Education technology leaders are increasingly called upon to help prepare students for the future workforce. And for Chris Smallen, the chief technology officer of the Lenoir City School District, not far from Knoxville, Tenn., that means helping the district create maker spaces for students of different ages and offering a virtual learning program that allows high-achievers to get core credits out of the way so that they can concerntrate on advanced placement courses.
Education Week chatted with Smallen about his work.
Tell me a little bit about what you’ve done on maker spaces. How do you differentiate for different age levels?
The district has a maker space at each of its three schools—elementary (which goes from kindergarten to 3rd grade), middle, and high school. Each of the spaces emphasizes different skills. At the elementary level, the maker space, housed in the…
