Guy Lodico, most recently coordinator of technology at Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District, was promoted to director of technology. He will provide for the planning, coordination, administration, supervision and evaluation of the district's educational technology programs.

Lodico's promotion stems from his vast initiatives that started while in the New York City Public School System.

While working in Elmhurst, Queens, an area known as the most ethnically diverse community in the United States, Lodico's task was to teach the students reading and language skills. Lodico started to research using music and the arts to develop reading and language skills and he was one of the pioneers in the research and development of integrated teaching and learning strategies thanks to his mentor, a principal from PS 102.

The principal of the school helped Lodico realize that his strengths were in music and the arts. "Eleven years later I had come out with a curriculum called Reading Through Music and Technology," said Lodico. "We started by collaborating all of the arts and it became a fine arts core curriculum."

Lodico started naturally integrating technology into everything. Having been a professional musician, having a bachelor's degree in communication arts, and having a master's degree in education with a specialization in reading, Lodico had a little bit of everything. "I took all of this and my love for the arts and put this all together to create a multi-sensory pathway to literacy," he said.

Lodico developed and designed "Classrooms of the 21st Century." Students would come into the classroom and view a multi-sensory electronic chalkboard. "If the kid was a visual learner, for example, the chalkboard would be tailored to that student's needs," said Lodico. "It was an interactive electronic chalkboard. I would provide lessons that would meet the students' needs as learners."

The Plainview Old Bethpage Central School District benefited from Lodico's initiatives when he came to the district in 1997. Lodico started to develop similar programs in Plainview using his past work as a model.

According to Lodico, there is often a misconception about what technology actually is and he uses this discussion often when giving speeches or explaining his initiatives. "Technology comes from the Greek word meaning art and discourse," explained Lodico. "Technology is the art of communication and that to me is the foundation for everything that I do. Why do we use computers and any technology? To communicate and art has to be part of that because it has to be a creative process for it to be acceptable to people. A computer is not just a machine or software. You have to have a message and know what technology will be the best to communicate your message. That keeps me focused to remember that the bottom line is how is this technology going to affect the children and their lives."

Many awards and honors have been given to Lodico in recognition of his many accomplishments. Most recently, he has been nominated New York State's Technologist of the Year and has been awarded a citation from the Nassau County executive's office for exemplary record of achievements. He has also been recognized nationally in Who's Who Among America's Educators.

The Association of Italian American Educators, a national organization, recently designated Lodico a 2001 Educator of the Year, an award that recognizes the accomplishments and dedicated efforts of those who exemplify the positive image of Italian Americans in the field of education. "I was honored to be named Educator of the Year," said Lodico. "It is an esteemed recognition."

Lodico sees his position in the Plainview Old Bethpage School District as a triangle. "I work with teachers, parents and students and I am responsible for a triangle of success between all of them to affect the lives of the kids of the district. I work around budgets and technology that changes every two years," he said. "I enjoy it because it is a part of me and it all goes back to my mentor, that principal, years ago."