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Chip Dolce (back far right), and Susan Grammatico (front, second from right)

AUG. 28, 2026—Two Palmyra-Macedon Central School District educators were recently at the lead of a national conversation on the present and future of educational technology.

Director of Instructional Technology Chip Dolce and Instructional Coach for Innovation Sue Grammatico represented Pal-Mac last month at the invite-only Google AI Educator Series: GEG Leader Academy held at Google’s New York City headquarters.

Dolce and Grammatico were among the more than 650 Google Educator Group champions at the academy. They helped guide sessions with select educators from across the country, with a focus on AI readiness, data privacy, critical thinking, and building sustainable educator learning communities.

The event explored core concepts ranging from identifying algorithmic bias and evaluating AI-generated claims to participating in modules that help teachers address immediate classroom needs like building reading scaffolds or adapting materials for diverse learners.

Dolce said taking a leadership role on the national stage directly reflects the District's proactive approach to emerging technologies.

“We don’t want to prepare students simply for today’s technology,” Dolce said. “We want them to be responsible with the tools and resources available to them now, while developing the critical thinking, curiosity, and judgment they’ll need for whatever comes next. Pal-Mac needs to be part of that conversation, and we want to help lead it, so the focus always stays where it belongs: on students and learning, not on the tools or the companies that make them.”

That leadership is rooted in Pal-Mac's core belief that technology must always serve learning instead of than determining it.

As detailed in the District's public guidance on Technology Use at Pal-Mac, Pal-Mac intentionally limits screen time in early grades and gradually expands device access as students mature. District policy emphasizes that digital tools should never replace face-to-face interaction, movement, hands-on learning, or play.

Dolce says while artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies will inevitably shape future colleges and careers, Pal-Mac's approach ensures students are not given unrestricted access. Any exposure to AI tools remains age-appropriate, teacher-directed, and designed to support student thinking and original work.

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