HP Innovation Journal Issue 15: Summer 2020 | Page 53

“ This is an
opportunity to
figure out
how we can
better leverage
technology
to support
deep and
meaningful
learning.”
—S. Craig Watkins,
professor, UT Austin
be modified. Even if schools are able to reopen, more
blended learning is likely.
While Lone Star benefited from its existing digital
infrastructure, Heideman says his fellow administrators
know they need to have technology and devices
already in place so they aren’t caught flat-footed again
in case of additional outbreaks or a natural disaster. “If
something like this happens, then we’re able to continue
to support learning,” he says. “Because whenever
we have to stop learning, kids regress.”
Keena hopes she’ll be able to have some kind of faceto-face
interaction with her new students in the fall in
order to build rapport with them. But overall, she feels
prepared for whatever comes next.
“This was a great learning experience, not only for
the students, but also for the teachers,” she says. “It’s
been a time to kind of reevaluate how you teach. That
was probably the most impactful thing, being able to
slow down and realize that [something] hasn’t been
working. And now, what can I do differently?”
INNOVATION/ SUMMER 2020
51