Susan Aplin, Instructional Technology Specialist at Lexington Richland 5 in South Carolina
Susan Aplin is a Google Certified Trainer and ISTE Certified Educator who serves as the Instructional Technology Specialist for Lexington Richland School District 5. She organizes district professional development and supports school instructional coaches, administrators and teachers and administrators. She also presents at conferences and develops and teaches college courses for teachers. She focuses on equitable and quality instruction that effectively integrates technology and positively impacts student learning.
For the last three years, in her work as the district Instructional Technology Specialist, Aplin has taken an active role in leading the district’s training and implementation of assistive technology and instructional design. She has chosen to ground her professional development and coaching conversations in Universal Design for Learning (UDL). With a belief that all students can learn, Aplin focuses on how teachers can design instruction to address barriers to learning. Aplin’s work has positively impacted the teachers, administrator, and students in the district.
Aplin works one-on-one with teachers and instructional coaches, but also leads professional development sessions for small and large groups (K-12). When Aplin moved to the district position, she saw a need for more professional development related to UDL and assistive technology, so she proposed a new graduate-level course for teachers. She wrote the curriculum and has taught the course for the last two years. She also works closely with the district Director of Special Services and school level leaders to improve the support of students served through special services.
