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Monongalia County showcases classroom technology, highlights EdTech staff
Summary
District technology director and school EdTech staff demonstrated coding, robotics, VR, drones and 3D printing across grade levels and described expanded classroom support and after‑school programs.
Monongalia County Schools presented a districtwide technology update at its April 8 Board of Education meeting, with Director of Technology Chris Urban describing recent equipment installs and the expanding role of school‑based education technologists (EdTechs).
Urban told the board the technology team is installing interactive classroom displays and supporting a wide range of classroom projects from early‑grade coding to high‑school 3‑D printing. “I can’t say enough about them,” he said of the EdTech staff, attributing the district’s readiness during the pandemic and its ongoing instructional support to those specialists.
The presentation showed examples from across the district: first graders using Code.org and CodeMouse; Lego and VEX Go projects tied to ELA, math and science lessons; Sphero and Ozobot activities framed as problem‑solving and sequencing; drone programs and four competitive drone teams that travel for meets; and middle‑ and high‑school robotics using VEX IQ and VEX V5. In secondary classes teachers and students used Minecraft to create geological features, VR headsets for immersive world‑history and literature projects, and 3‑D printers to produce student designs and collaborative art projects.
Representatives and classroom specialists highlighted several cross‑age collaborations: high‑school students turned kindergarten drawings into painted 3‑D printed models, EmTech and MTech career programs trained students on industry tools — from medical imaging simulations to Chromebook repair — and a business class used Cricut cutters for graduation materials. A cluster of career‑technical classes at Emtek showed students working on industry‑standard equipment and on a county video showcasing the programs.
Board members asked about resources and sustainability; presenters said the district maintains one EdTech contact per school and that work is coordinated across academic coaches, classroom teachers and the technology department. The presentation included a slide listing the district’s EdTechs by school and samples of classroom activities, and presenters urged continued funding to keep the on‑site support model intact.
The board responded with praise for the breadth of activities and for the number of women leading tech instruction districtwide. Urban and other presenters recommended continuing the current staffing model and fostering partnerships that allow students to compete and exhibit district work.
