By Michelle Pitcher
Editor-in-Chief

Technological integration has been at the forefront of Coppell ISD’s strategic plan in recent years, and this month’s bond election ensured the allocation of funding and resources to this goal will likely increase in the years to come.

With these technological improvements comes a change in leadership for CISD, as Sam Farsaii is the district’s new assistant superintendent of technology.

Farsaii, who comes from Irving ISD, replaces Chad Branum. Branum left CISD to become the Arlington ISD assistant superintendent of technology.

“I was really sad to see [Branum] leave Coppell ISD, but this change was a huge promotion for him,” CISD Assistant Superintendent for Administration Brad Hunt said. “He played a significant role in the many improvements we see with the technology in CISD and lead us through two strategic plans and several bonds that included major technology initiatives.  He will be greatly missed.”

With a background in technology, Farsaii wants to make sure that technology in CISD is being used to enhance the learning environment for the students. Farsaii describes the responsibilities of his new position as “managing technological infrastructure and making sure there are adequate resources available to students and teachers.”

“I come from a technology background in Irving ISD with an emphasis on putting students first,” Farsaii said. “We want to make sure students are getting the resources they need and making sure we have an adequate capacity for technology.”

Farsaii heard about CISD’s reputation for exceptional technology utilization through a statewide consortium which CISD Superintendent Dr. Jeff Turner leads and which Irving ISD took part.

“Through that collaborative, I found out about technology in CISD,” Farsaii said. “Some staff in Irving came from Coppell, so I knew about what was going on and I thought it was a good fit.”

In the years to come, Farsaii hopes the school district will continue to make great strides in terms of the technology available to students and teachers and an increase in the number of ways in which it can be utilized.

“Considering how well CISD performs and the leadership of Turner and the resources available, I want to see CISD’s technology integration at the forefront of the nation,” Farsaii said.

Many steps have already been taken to reach full technological integration within Coppell High School, such as the implementation of blended and virtual learning labs. In these classrooms, students have access to Dells, MacBooks and iMacs, and next year personal iPads will likely be introduced into the mix.

“[The technological integration] will take some time to get used to,” lab facilitator for the blending and virtual learning labs Lynn Hardin said. “There will be a learning curve there. Learners adapt so quickly. I think that they will make the best use of it.”