The conversations around standardized tests, raising student achievement, and implementing technology are a constant with administrators, teachers, education policy makers and even parents. The article “Schools Struggle to Balance Digital Innovation, Academic Accountability” by Michelle R. Davis does a great job presenting the struggles educators have between the focus on implementing state and national standards, keeping your test scores up and implementing technology in your school. She provides some great insight into the steps we can take to balance the risk reward of implementing new technology. While this article appeared in the June 15th edition of EdWeek, I thought revisiting it as the school year beings would be appropriate.
Ms. Davis’ article is much more thorough, but here’s a summary of what she has to say:
- Create policies that encourage innovation while maintaining reasonable accountability. Be careful with punishments for taking risks because you can’t get big rewards without taking big risks.
- “Maintaining a bad situation” or fear of failure is not a reason to stay put. Davis cites the example of Christopher Dede, who poses, “If a hospital with a high death rate refused to try new, modern practices because they’d be unsure of the outcome or there might be a learning curve, people would be upset.”
- Relevant tools and materials WILL increase student engagement over time and your scores are more likely to increase.
- Use the “80 Percent rule” presented by Kathy Onarheim. Technology changes too rapidly to wait for scientifically research-based evidence, which can take years to collect and sift through so if you are 80% sure of something, move forward.
- Utilize faster research tactics. Davis quotes Tom Vander Ark as saying, “Instead of randomized long-term control trials, we can use rapid short-cycle control trials. You can get good results in three hours and not three years.”
- Not every technology innovation translates into higher scores – sometimes you just have to do it because it’s the right thing to do.
- Move beyond test scores and use technology to help students learn better and help teachers teach better. It has to be about teaching and learning.
I hope you find this consolidation helpful. It would be my bullet list when implementing technology.
About the Author: Kevin Judd taught mathematics for 13 years before spending 5 years as a math specialist and curriculum administrator. He holds a Master’s Degree in Educational Policy Studies and has also consulted with schools on ways to reform mathematics curriculum and instruction for students. He is a frequent conference speaker on the topic of aligning math instruction to research on how students learn.
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