Daniel Whitt, Coordinator of Instructional Technology for Madison City Schools, pauses with his wife Jennifer and their children, Silas and Stella. (CONTRIBUTED)

MADISON – Madison Board of Education has promoted Daniel Whitt as Coordinator of Instructional Technology for Madison City Schools.

In this position, Whitt said he will support teachers at all grade levels “by advocating for their technology needs in the classroom.” He also will help “by facilitating learning opportunities, creating ‘share spaces’ where they can teach each other and serving as a bridge” between instruction and technology departments.

Previously, he worked as secondary instructional technology specialist.

“Traditionally, teachers and technology personnel speak very different languages. In 2015, a dichotomy like that — if unaddressed — can lead to an unhealthy disconnect for all stakeholders in a school system,” Whitt said. His focus will be the “translator” between instruction and technology.

“Though my heart and soul is that of a teacher, I have a penchant for technology and all things tech-related,” Whitt said. “We must work to prepare our students for the new global economy. Part of my job is to help guide the district in doing this responsibly and effectively with technology integration.”

Whitt works within the district’s instructional staff, headed by Dr. Heather Donaldson and Judy Warmath, coordinators of secondary and elementary instruction, respectively. He meets frequently with coordinator of technology infrastructure Aaron New.

In September, Madison teachers will receive their choice of a Windows-based laptop or a MacBook Air. Most districts don’t give a choice to teachers.

Beyond those two options, teachers could opt to ‘compete’ for the “Digital Content Creator” package, which includes a “suped-up” MacBook Pro, an external hard drive, Final Cut Pro X for video editing and training, Whitt said. “Our focus as a district this year is ‘Connect, Partner, Create, Share.'”

The Digital Content Creator packages will allow teachers to share new ideas … “the special sauce that leads to innovation,” Whitt said. “I want to aid in teachers’ development as educators; technology is often at the center of much of that development.”

His wife Jennifer teaches English at Athens Middle School. The children, third-grader Stella and kindergartner Silas, attend Julian Newman Elementary School.