When folks asked us about our G21 project in Goochland, we had to confess that it wasn’t something we invented overnight. Like many things, it developed over time into something bigger and better. G21 would morph into Strategic Innovation Grants, for instance. And it started with individual technology plans that we implemented back in 2002.
I presented on this topic at the EdTech Conference, hosted by the Community Ideas Stations, which was held that year in Ashland, Virginia. This conference I would later lead into the GRAETC conference after the PBS station lost its education funding.
This work was very hands-on. As the only technology integration specialist in a school division with 210 teachers, this project involved me meeting and documenting with every single teacher some things they’d like to focus on with learning about how to integrate technology into their instruction each school year.
I used FileMakerPro to create the database and leaned into the LoTI framework to document where their interest and application fell in terms of instructional impact.
Eventually I made the decision to replace this program with our G21 Framework, which was focused less on the technology and more on the instructional plan teachers would follow. More on that another time.
My purpose for including it here is to showcase the long trajectory of my work in Goochland County, where it began, before we started cooking with blogs, wikis, and podcasts.
N.B. The image produced here is of a student using an Apple iSight camera to collaborate with another elementary student in another school in our district. While we Zoom all the time today (2026), this was quite something in the day, it seemed like magic to the students to be able to Facetime with their peers across the county.