Sand Springs Public Schools
THE DISTRICT
Sand Springs Public Schools, located in Sand Springs, Oklahoma, a suburb of Tulsa, operates eight school sites, along with a virtual academy and an alternative program. The district serves approximately 5,000 students and employs around 800 staff members, including 375 teachers.
HOW IT STARTED
When Shawn Beard became Assistant Superintendent of Teaching & Learning, he inherited the responsibility of overseeing professional development for the district. It was a pivotal time, as educators were transitioning back to traditional settings after the pandemic and had grown to appreciate the flexibility of self-paced, on-demand training.
At the time, Sand Springs was using a professional development solution that failed to meet the expectations of teachers and administrators. After connecting with MobileMind, Shawn was intrigued by its alignment with modern PD preferences, the ability to create customized content tailored to district needs, and the robust tracking capabilities for state-mandated training.
Once Sand Springs implemented MobileMind, they quickly recognized its potential as a comprehensive learning hub for all training needs, ranging from mandated training and Google for Education PD to registration and tracking for live events like workshops.
A NEW WAY
As a Google district, Sand Springs initially adopted MobileMind for Google technology training. However, they soon expanded to training on other tools, including Newline and GoGuardian, as well as compliance training for the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and foster care student requirements.
Shawn shared how
MobileMind Events enhanced their PD process, “When we had a new curriculum workshop this summer, we were able to record those sessions and then put them in MobileMind for the teachers that were unable to attend.”
The learning hub also empowered teachers by giving them a voice in shaping their PD journey, enabling them to suggest valuable training topics. Furthermore, MobileMind proved helpful in delivering targeted, anonymous training for teachers on improvement plans, ensuring personalized support.
When asked what his favorite feature in MobileMind was, Shawn quickly answered tracking and reporting. “I’ve received several emails from teachers asking to see the PD they completed, and I just told them to look in their MobileMind Backpack. That is huge.” The Assistant Superintendent explained that the learning hub had saved their site secretaries a lot of time because, in the past, they had to enter training hours for teachers manually.
Next in his list of MobileMind favorites was the ability to create your own training and the easy-to-use, intuitive interface. Shawn explained that for teacher buy-in, it’s essential to keep them from jumping from tool to tool, solution consolidation is paramount. “Other systems are very complicated to navigate. In fact, we put other system’s links in MobileMind because it is so much easier to find there,” Shawn stated.
Another feature that Sand Springs appreciates is the ability for teachers to log and track external PD. “When a teacher asks if they can get credit for an Oklahoma State University workshop they attended, I just tell them to submit it for credit through MobileMind Events. That is a nice feature to have; it has paid off quite a bit because we have had a ton of people take advantage of it,” Shawn explained.
"Other systems are very complicated to navigate. In fact, we put other system’s links in MobileMind because it is so much easier to find there."
SHAWN BEARD
Assistant Superintendent of Teaching & Learning
SURPRISING USES
Since the launch of AI Content Genie in the summer of 2024, Sand Springs has already utilized the tool to streamline course creation, producing 22 courses to date. “I had the AI Content Genie recreate some quizzes for training, and that was really nice. I feel like the questions it creates are more robust.” Shawn went on to explain that the district has used AI Content Genie to create needed training on topics on tools like GoGuardian quickly. “When you want to quickly get training out, the last thing you want to do is spend an inordinate amount of time creating content and quizzes. AI Content Genie saved us a lot of time,” Shawn stated. The district also looks forward to using the tool to create courses on Reading Sufficiency and Intervention.
When asked what his favorite feature in MobileMind was, Shawn quickly answered tracking and reporting. “I’ve received several emails from teachers asking to see the PD they completed, and I just told them to look in their MobileMind Backpack. That is huge.” The Assistant Superintendent explained that the learning hub had saved their site secretaries a lot of time because, in the past, they had to enter training hours for teachers manually.
Next in his list of MobileMind favorites was the ability to create your own training and the easy-to-use, intuitive interface. Shawn explained that for teacher buy-in, it’s essential to keep them from jumping from tool to tool, solution consolidation is paramount. “Other systems are very complicated to navigate. In fact, we put other system’s links in MobileMind because it is so much easier to find there,” Shawn stated.
Another feature that Sand Springs appreciates is the ability for teachers to log and track external PD. “When a teacher asks if they can get credit for an Oklahoma State University workshop they attended, I just tell them to submit it for credit through MobileMind Events. That is a nice feature to have; it has paid off quite a bit because we have had a ton of people take advantage of it,” Shawn explained.
“I had the AI Content Genie recreate some quizzes for training, and that was really nice. I feel like the questions it creates are more robust.”
SHAWN BEARD
CONCLUSION
MobileMind has revolutionized professional development at Sand Springs Public Schools, transforming it into a streamlined, teacher-focused, and highly efficient process. From fostering self-paced learning to simplifying compliance tracking and utilizing cutting-edge AI tools, MobileMind has empowered Sand Springs to meet its training needs with greater agility and innovation.
KEY NUMBERS
as of November 20, 2024
22
AI Content Genie created micro-courses
16,852
micro-courses completed
18,306
hours spent in MobileMind
108
micro-courses created
9,959
PD credit scheduled, earned, and tracked in MobileMind Events