The Tustin Unified School District’s senior director of information technology has been named Toshiba’s Education Technology Leader of the Year.
Robert Craven, who is responsible for virtually all technology within the Tustin district, was presented with the accolade by Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. at last month’s International Society for Technology in Education conference — also known as ISTE 2016 — in Denver.
“It’s an honor to announce Robert as the inaugural winner of this award,” said Paul Hickey, director of sales in Toshiba’s Client Solutions Division. “His vision and commitment to bringing technology into the classroom is exactly what we want this award to symbolize. Robert understands the value a device affords a student in the learning process, as well as the advantages it gives students once they join the workforce.”
With 20 years of experience, Craven manages the Information Technology department for TUSD, which has 24,000 students at 29 schools. His numerous responsibilities include designing, installing and maintaining the networks at all of the district’s campuses, as well as the TUSD Administration Center.
Over the past two years, Craven and his team have successfully rolled out a one-to-one notebook program at the district’s high schools and a tablet program at the elementary and middle schools. Recognizing that not all students have Internet access at home to complete their assignments, Craven is expanding outdoor Wi-Fi and piloting a program to provide Internet access outside of school.
Along with the honor, Craven was asked to co-chair Toshiba’s Education Advisory Board for the 2016-17 school year. He’ll join a group of IT professionals who work with both public and private schools.