Considerations for #EdTech Purchases

Well into the 21st century, most schools acknowledge that for students to be prepared for college and career, they must have equity and access to technology. Providing technology resources is more than purchasing equipment and delivering it to a school. As we've learned from numerous other districts who've gotten this wrong (east coast and west), district-wide technology purchases can be a godsend or a disaster.  

Here are some recommendations for schools or districts that are allocating dollars toward technology.

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When tech teaches, what do teachers do?

When I talk to students these days they tell me that when they want to learn something they're interested in, it usually is not teachers or parents they turn to. It’s Google, YouTube, or to others they find online (aka their PLN) who engage in their activities of interest.

These kids aren’t just playing on the computer either. They mean serious business. Teen Jack Andraka turned to Google when doing his research that led to his discovery of a new screening for pancreatic cancer. Teens like Courtney Gressman and Alex Laubscher are building networks using social media to pursue their passions and do work that matters to them and others.

Not only does access to the internet provide limitless access to resources but tools like the iPad (or other tablets) also change with the needs of the user. One device can transform into a piano, drawing canvas, book, publishing press, or whatever a student wants it to be... on demand.

This has come up in my world recently when a parent confess to me that she was unsure of her ability to support her child's learning away from school. To put her mind at ease we simply discussed what her child wants to learn, and then determined available resources.  

What follows is a possible curriculum via tablet, customized to one student’s passions and abilities:

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Collaboration between companies + school district = Connected educators

Are you gaga over Google? Do you think Microsoft is magnificent? Do you excel at using Edmodo? Do you think PBS is the perfect platform for digital media content?

Wouldn’t it be great to find others in your district using the same tools as you? Wouldn’t it be great to have a direct connection to the people who work at the companies of the very resources you are using for teaching and learning? 

As reported this week in the Wall Street Journal, Chalkbeat New York, and this press release from the NYC Department of Education's press office, this has become a reality for NYC Department of Education teachers.  

As part of Chancellor Carmen Farina’s commitment to integrate more technology into classrooms a series of innovative summer courses for teachers will be offered so that teachers are equipped to ensure students graduate from New York City public schools with the digital skills they need to succeed.

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Looking back and forward at my New Year predictions for education

Last January I shared my predictions with Tech & Learning about what I thought would be big in hardware and software in 2013.

Here they are:

-->School districts will begin embracing social media as they realize the importance of empowering students to responsibly use these resources for academic, career, and citizenship success

-->Lifting the ban on use of cell phones and other student-owned digital devices in school; providing home Internet access by working with Internet providers to offer special rates and packages to students who qualify for subsidies; going paperless as districts reallocate resources toward digital solutions; customizing learning with digital lectures and learning resources that are available anytime, anywhere.

This year Tech & Learning is running a follow-up article in their January 2014 issue and asked, me to share what I thought about my predictions.  

Here is what I shared.

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