Peter Drescher

Director of Technology and Innovation, Essex Westford School District

Peter Drescher has been involved in Education Technology in Vermont for many years. Arriving in Vermont from New Mexico in 2003, Peter quickly established himself with his work for the Interactive Learning Network (ILN), out of the offices of Vermont Institutes. He provided professional development within that role for many districts and provided small Title IID-based grant programs that lead to many of our current 1:1 programs. Peter then worked for 12 years as the State Director of Education Technology at the Agency of Education, administering Title IID and other grant programs, developing policy, presenting on a myriad of topics, and building lasting relationships with districts across the State. His current role, as Director of Technology and Innovation at Essex Westford has moved him into a role of supporting educators and leadership in their use of technology specific to day to day teaching and learning. His team is on both the technical and instructional side and one of the aspects of his current work is fostering a strong cyber-security presence at his district. He continues to be fascinated, and a little frightened about all that is possible on the AI frontier, but seeks to foster ways teachers can continue to use new technologies to better their work with students.