Dr. Ruben Alejandro says he has a vision.
And it's a vision education systems here in the valley are only beginning to adopt.
It involves replacing familiar textbooks with more of a technological approach.
Over 16,000 and almost 2,500 staff members are a part of Weslaco ISD, and Dr. Alejandro believes he will lead them to a school year that will be better than ever.
"We're definitely going in the right direction,” said Dr. Alejandro. “What we want to try to do is to educate the 21st century learner. I know we've been in the 21st century for years now, but surprisingly enough, there's a lot of traditional type of instruction that is still going on."
Weslaco ISD has been in the process of restructuring their curriculum to keep up with the technology curve, and properly prepare students with the technology they are exposed with on a daily basis.
"We want to go ahead and work collaboratively with the teachers and the students, so that the teachers who know the content can work together with the students who know technology,” said Dr. Alejandro. “By fusing the two together, then we can maximize the kind of learning that takes place in the classroom.
Teachers and staff received extensive technology training during the summer.
This school year, every student in Weslaco ISD will have access to electronic devices including laptops, smart phones, and iPads to further their learning experience.
Dr. Alejandro says evolving his district with fast growing technology will prepare students for jobs in the future.
"I definitely believe that a lot of our students, especially our elementary students, are going to be getting job that don't currently exist because the body of knowledge is evolving so rapidly," said Dr. Alejandro.
Wednesday was the first day of school for Weslaco ISD, where students were able to get a quick taste on what they will experience for the rest of the year.
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