California Educator

June/July 2022

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M O S T E V E R Y T H U R S D A Y afternoon, Teresa Magpayo Castro and Ricardo Recinos sit in their respective home oces, turn on their laptop cameras, ip the switches on their mics and lights, hit record and start livestreaming their webinar "TRansforma- tional Tech." (Capital T for Teresa and R for Ricardo.) e pair are friendly, fun and have an easy rap- port with each other and their audience – with whom they chat and answer questions via mul- tiple social media platforms. eir professional development sessions for educators cover such topics as "e Inclusive Classroom: Cross-Lan- g u a g e C o m m u n i c a t i o n To o l s ," " E n h a n c i n g Student Learning With AR and VR" (augmented and vir tual reality) and "Engaging Students rough Design-Based Learning." Sessions that address social emotional learning and student engagement are especially popular. "It's about access and equity for our kids," says Magpayo Cas- tro, who, like Recinos, spent years as a classroom teacher. "at is ingrained, no matter what we do. For us, it's not just fad tech. Tech is a vehicle to provide meaning ful instruction." While the webinars focus on using tech to support students who might otherwise be left out – English Learners, students with exceptionalities, etc. – they 've drawn a broader audi- ence beyond educators to include students, parents, school administrators and board members, and ed tech fans around the country and globe. Both Magpayo Castro and Recinos are teachers on special assignment with Hacienda La Puente Unied School District, and members of Hacienda-La Puente Teachers Association (HLPTA). The district enrolls 16,500 students, 77 percent of which are Latinx and 16.5 percent Asian; more than 12,000 students receive free/ reduced-price lunch. "There is a huge need for professional devel- opment to reach all students," says Recinos. He and Magpayo Castro both learned English as a second language and understand the needs of ESL students. "With tech, every student can show mastery, no matter their background," Magpayo Castro adds. In July 2021, TRansformational Tech became a pilot project of CTA's Instructional Leadership Corps (see box). ILC provides training and support for teacher-led professional development, such as helping the HLPTA team secure a grant used to purchase production gear and fund small "thank you" gifts for webinar guests. Magpayo Castro and Recinos had been training educators for years as district TOSAs when the pandemic, school shut- down and distance learning necessitated a quick shift online Training on Demand Expansive webinar series thrives with help from CTA chapter and Instructional Leadership Corps Ricardo Recinos and Teresa Magpayo Castro welcome viewers to TRansformational Tech. "It's about access and equity for our kids. It's not just fad tech. Tech is a vehicle to provide meaningful instruction." —Teresa Magpayo Castro, HLPTA 42 cta.org Teaching & Learning

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