Is your classroom technology falling short of its promise to change classroom dynamics? This is a question that often lingers in the background as district leaders consider the vast array of options available to them. From projectors to interactive whiteboards, Chromebooks to iPads, the options are endless and keep your personal preferences firmly in place. When budgets are tight, there’s a lot of pressure to make the right decisions. For school district technology leaders, navigating potential innovations in classroom technology can be difficult.
Refreshing your technology isn’t just about keeping up with the latest trends or adding the latest features. It’s about ensuring that investments in edtech support educators and provide them with the tools to meaningfully impact student learning outcomes. This requires a shift in perspective, moving away from traditional buying habits and toward a more strategic, holistic approach that prioritizes the needs and goals of all stakeholders over preference and familiarity.
#1 Break through your assumptions: Assess your current state
It’s natural to be drawn to the allure of interactive flat panels (IFPs) and their promise of touch interactivity, annotation capabilities, and seamless digital integration. These can be considered the “holy grail” of a tech-savvy classroom. However, before making any assumptions, it is important to thoroughly assess your current needs.
Start by asking specific questions of key stakeholders (teachers, students, technology teams, administrators) to understand what will be most helpful now and in the future. For example, what interactive features are in use? Which technologies don’t live up to the hype? Which technologies get ignored because they’re unreliable? Which ones gather dust because they’re too complex? What features do they want that are missing?
One of the biggest changes in the classroom over the past few years has been the move away from the front of the classroom. This new mobility gives teachers the freedom to interact with students on a more personal level by co-teaching with them while controlling classroom displays through wireless screen sharing. That flashy new IFP could prevent this important transformation and instead force teachers and students back to the front of the classroom to use the panel’s functionality.
Hint: Conduct a needs assessment to understand how teacher and student needs have changed since the last classroom technology update. Next, create a final list of non-negotiables to share with all parties.
#2 Think Big: Imagine a technology-enabled classroom
What are the district’s goals and priorities? Based on these priorities, what would the ideal learning environment look like? Prioritize technology that directly aligns with the organization’s goals.
For example, when corbett school district When building a new middle school, the superintendent and technology director reflected on the student and teacher behaviors they wanted to encourage, rather than focusing on specific classroom technology solutions from the beginning. They wanted to stimulate more student-centered learning and student ownership. This is a quality that the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) accelerator is focused on. 2024 Driving K-12 Innovation Report.
This perspective has led to classroom designs that center student participation, rather than focusing solely on the teacher at the front of the classroom. They ditched the rows of desks and his single classroom display in favor of adaptable seating options, a movable teacher’s lectern, combined with a television. Vivis Mounted on all four walls for maximum flexibility and versatility. Rather than relying on the interactivity of a single, expensive display panel, Vivi’s reliable wireless screen sharing and built-in teaching features enable students to better use their devices to achieve desired interactivity. was realized.
Hint: Host a brainstorming session with stakeholders. Imagine walking into your ideal classroom. what does it look like? How are the teachers and students doing? Start with this vision and go from there.
#3 Crowdsource: Ask people you know
Which school districts are disrupting the status quo and empowering teachers through technology? What does their classroom technology stack look like? Reach out and ask them what their experience is like. Ask questions about the pros and cons of different options, and be open to exploring possibilities beyond what you originally envisioned. Take advantage of online forums, attend conferences, and start your research in the preliminary stages. If you are actively considering a solution, don’t be shy to ask for reference districts before making your final decision.
Hint: In addition to member-only online communities such as those hosted by CoSN and Quotecheck out active Reddit. K-12 System Administrator Subreddit We have over 40,000 members.
#4 Understand your total cost of ownership
Base price is important, but it’s also important to consider the bigger picture when evaluating the total cost of ownership of your technology. Consider the following factors when calculating your cost of ownership:
- Additions: This includes accessories such as mounts, cables, and adapters.
- support: Is ongoing technical support included in the purchase or subscription price? Limited support is included, but is premium support available for an additional fee?
- training: Will training be included for all users or only for administrators? How will it be delivered (asynchronous or live, virtual or in-person, etc.)? Is it limited to a limited quantity?
- Maintenance and repair: If something breaks, will it be covered? If not, what are the estimated repair costs over the life of the equipment? Is there a warranty?
- Direct and indirect labor: Indirect labor costs, such as the time teachers spend training and troubleshooting technology, can be estimated using teacher surveys. Direct labor includes both full-time employee (FTE) labor costs and temporary labor costs, such as installation.
However, cost should not be the only consideration. Consider potential savings and hidden benefits. These may include solutions that address other issues or provide additional value beyond the primary functionality. For example, school districts that purchase his Vivi for classroom screen sharing will also have access to campus communication features such as visual emergency alerts, digital signage, and live video announcements. Turning every display in your classroom into a signage opportunity reduces the time and expense required for a separate digital signage vendor.
#5 Try before you buy
Before committing to a large-scale deployment, conduct a pilot program to evaluate how the technology will work within your environment and existing technology infrastructure. A well-executed pilot can also build support and momentum for a new technology solution and ease post-purchase adoption.
Here are some tips to follow when setting up your pilot.
- Plan ahead: Before you start, create a complete test plan for everything you want to evaluate. This will help you further test basic functionality.
- Choose the right timing: Pilot during a period when all parties can devote time and energy to exploring the capabilities of the technology.
- Don’t make it too big or too small. Size matters. You need to make sure you collect the information you need to make decisions from different classrooms. However, if you try to do too much, the effort may not be worth it.
- Please select the appropriate participants: We have a mix of teachers with different technology skills, teaching styles, and experience.
By following these steps and considering your district’s unique needs, you can ensure that classroom technology innovation reaches its most important stakeholders: teachers and students.
