Friday, May 11, 2018

A Focus on Student Learning at CUE BOLD



By Adina Sullivan-Marlow, 
CUE Board Member & Educational Technology Coordinator for San Marcos Unified
CUE is all about technology, right?

CUE is really all about quality student learning and supporting educators to make that happen. It’s easy to get caught up in the latest devices and programs, but student learning is really at the heart of what we do. The CUE BOLD Symposium, one of CUE’s newest educator learning opportunities is the perfect example of that intention and purpose. BOLD stands for Blended and Online Lesson Design and this year’s symposium was held at Laguna Beach High School, overlooking the ocean, on May 5th-6th. It kicked off with one of SDCUE’s own educators, Lisha Brunache of San Marcos Unified, receiving the award for Online and Blended Teacher of the Year!

While technology is included in the sessions, they are really about lesson design and based on Madeline Hunter’s Model of Mastery Learning.You can learn more about the lesson plan model and what it really means (hint: maybe not what you were taught) in Jon Corippo’s recent CUE Blog post. Most sessions are 30 minutes long. Once that session is over, you can stay for the “After Party”, complete with flashing disco ball, to dive deeper into the content and get help personalizing it for your own classroom. Already got what you needed? You could also head off to learn something new in a different session. Want even more personalized learning? There are also Lesson Builder sessions where highly experienced educators will build a lesson right on-the-spot for your classroom needs.

One of the highlights of BOLD is called #BOLDClassrooms. Two classrooms receive full makeovers, so you can experience what a well-designed learning environment looks like and how the teaching and learning process changes. These classrooms aren’t just showrooms, they are designed in collaboration with the teachers who works in those classrooms and are based on the specific teacher/student needs and learning goals in mind.

Missed the CUE BOLD Symposium this year, check out session resources at bit.ly/2018CUEBOLD. SDCUE was well represented. Check out Laura Spencer’s “Crash Course in Design Thinking”, Jo-Ann Fox’s “The Maker-Movement Meets Literacy”, and Lisha Brunache’s “‘Our’ Online Google Classroom”.

I have the privilege of being a part of several conferences a year. I left the CUE BOLD Symposium with more practical, student learning-centered ideas and resources than anything I have been to in a long time. Check out this year’s resources for yourself then plan to go next year!

A Fond Farewell to an Ed Tech Pioneer, Darryl LaGace


Darryl LaGace   (June 26, 1963-December 9, 2017)

In December, the educational community lost one of its most visionary and passionate advocates for transforming teaching and learning through technology. 

On Saturday, December 9thDarryl LaGace passed away peacefully in his San Diego home surrounded by family and friends.  Retiring this past summer, Darryl was diagnosed in June with an aggressive form of Parkinson’s disease.


Raised in Lemon Grove, Darryl worked tirelessly as Director of Technology for LGSD, bringing Internet connectivity through microwave technology. With this framework in place, in 1997 Project LemonLINK was born – a project that linked every classroom to the Internet and put a computer device in the hands of every student. It was in this capacity that SDCUE President, Laura Spencer, met Darryl. She taught in the 1:1 Lemon Link program that utilized a thin client tablet and Cox internet to provide 24/7 access to educational materials. This opportunity for Laura opened doors to a career in educational technology.
Top Tech Exec shout out to Darryl


In 2008, Darryl moved to San Diego Unified bringing the knowledge and skills he had learned at  Lemon Grove to lead the district’s five-year i21 Initiative. Its innovative design transformed education for the second largest school district in California that included 7,000 classrooms and 130,000 students, setting the bar for technology projects across the nation. Many SDCUE members, including current SDCUE Treasurer Pam Rabin, benefitted from Darryl's vision in this role.

When Darryl joined Lightspeed Systems in 2012 as Executive VP Global Business Development, he used this opportunity to spread his vision of shaping the educational landscape worldwide by expanding products sold to over 55 countries.
On Thursday night, at the annual Top Tech Exec Awards, which Darryl previous won, he was remembered for his vision and perseverance to provide technology that better served humanity.


Smithsonian Award