Dr. Will Deyamport, Instructional Technology Specialist, Hattiesburg Public School District, Mississippi, and founder of The Dr. Will Show. The Dr. Will Show is a podcast dedicated to driving the conversation of what it means to go digital. Each episode features an educator at the forefront of teaching, coaching, and leadership.

 

I’ve known Dr. Will for several years and always reach out to him to learn more about different technology tools. I have been very fortunate to be on his show.  Because of his extensive work with coaching and leadership, he just knows how to make his guests comfortable.  I have several selfies at different conferences with Dr. Will so added one here. I really enjoyed our conversation and hope you will too.

 

Can you share about your background, your story, and your wife?

I kind of fell into Instructional Technology by divine intervention. I was actually Chief Social Strategist for a coaching company. I was making videos and coaching people when Eric Sheninger came to our state to an ISTE Affiliate Conference in 2013. Right before he did his keynote, he said that he has a friend here who is an expert in Google. He said my name so I did the Miss America wave to everybody. After his keynote, I talked to the tech director at Hattiesburg School District who then gave me a job.

My wife, Elvira, is a teacher of the gifted 2nd through 6th grades and uses technology in the classroom. She encourages them to have ownership of their learning. Some of her students don’t like that because they grew up with teachers spoon feeding them. She asks them to work it out and continues to tell them to have ownership of their learning. She presents at conferences as well and enjoys what she does. To learn more about my wife and The Deyamport Group, check out https://www.tdginformation.com/

 

Why are you so passionate about going on this journey to transform learning?

I am so passionate about transforming learning because of  Twitter and at conferences. So many people are talking about 21st-century learning. and I hate that term with a passion because we are knee deep in the 21st century. The 21st century isn’t tomorrow, next week, or two years from now. It is now. We are talking about modern learning. When I look at the technology, I was able to bring the world to the students. For example, we are a rural district in Mississippi, but if you use Google Hangouts or Skype, you can bring in NASA, students, professors, and others from Africa or Brazil into your classroom. Students are being connected and learning in ways that, quite honestly, we never thought of 15 or 20 years ago. I love how students can take ownership of their learning and provide avenues to go deeper into their learning.

Webinar for Future Ready Schools

Also, I’m passionate about technology and how digital is transforming at a phenomenal rate outside of education. Our students need to have the types of skills, creativity, and passion to compete. I’ve seen Tom Murray speak in person. He mentioned, “Have you seen a Blockbuster lately?” They’re gone. That’s what I think about when I want to talk to my teachers. I tell them, “I want you to be transformative before the transformation is upon you and you have no choice.”  I want teachers to take ownership and define their why. I want teachers to get excited about what they can do and not feel like it’s just another thing the principal tells them or another thing to do. I want them to wake up in the morning, be rejuvenated and understand how their teacher can be the best they can be with technology. 

 

I know your job is Instructional Technology Specialist. Can you share your district, your responsibilities,