A few years later, as principal, I was asked to lead a school in Attleboro, Massachusetts, with a mandate to infuse learning with innovation. Over the next decade, I focused on integrating technology and innovative practices into the curriculum, directly enhancing educational experiences. After 10 years, I transitioned to a district leadership position as director of innovation and instruction, where I had the privilege of meeting Carl Hooker and hearing his keynote on the synergy between education, instruction, and technology.

For the past seven years, my work has centered on designing and championing innovative practices in various district stand-alone edtech or curriculum roles, most recently as assistant superintendent of teaching and learning. I work with a visionary leadership team in New Bedford, including Superintendent Andrew O’Leary and Deputy Superintendent Darcie Aungst, who share a commitment to innovative instruction and also want to have technology and instruction more aligned. To make that idea a reality this year, I will transition to assistant superintendent of technology and learning. I aim to merge educational and technological strategies, bringing Carl’s keynote vision to life.

The integration of technology and education

The integration of technology into education has transformed teaching and learning. From traditional classrooms to modern e-learning platforms, technology has become indispensable. I will explore the multifaceted relationship between technology and education this school year, examining this dynamic partnership’s benefits, challenges and future directions.

By developing these areas of learning, we can further emphasize the transformative power of technology in education, showcasing its ability to create personalized, engaging and collaborative learning environments that prepare students for the future.

• Personalized learning: One of the most significant benefits of integrating technology into education is the ability to personalize student learning. Adaptive learning technologies use algorithms to adjust the content and pace based on individual student needs. This personalized approach ensures that students receive instruction tailored to their learning styles, strengths and weaknesses, enhancing their educational experience. Innovation in learning can lead to more personalized educational experiences. Technology, for example, allows for adaptive learning systems that cater to individual students’ needs, learning paces and styles. This personalization can help all students achieve their full potential.
• Access to information: The internet provides access to resources worldwide, including virtual field trips, expert guest lectures and international collaborations. This global perspective enriches the learning experience and broadens students’ horizons. Digital resources can be updated more frequently than traditional textbooks, ensuring students can access the most current information and research in any field. Students can access information in various formats, such as videos, podcasts, articles and interactive simulations, catering to different learning preferences and enhancing understanding through diverse approaches.
• Engagement and interactivity: Technology enhances student engagement through interactive and multimedia content. Educational games, virtual reality and augmented reality provide immersive learning experiences that can make complex concepts more understandable and enjoyable. Interactive tools such as digital whiteboards and collaborative platforms facilitate student learning and collaboration. Innovative learning methods can make education more engaging and fun, increasing students’ learning motivation. Interactive and dynamic teaching techniques, such as gamification, project-based learning and the use of technology can capture students’ interest more effectively than traditional methods.
• Gamification: By introducing game-like elements such as badges, points, and leaderboards, students can be motivated to engage more deeply with the material. This approach can make learning fun and encourage a healthy sense of competition. Gamification tools often include features that allow students to track their progress and set goals. This self-assessment can promote a sense of accomplishment and motivate students to continue improving. Many educational games are designed to develop specific skills, such as problem-solving, critical thinking, and collaboration. These skills are essential for success both inside and outside the classroom.
• Collaboration and communication: Digital tools enable students to work on group projects regardless of their physical location. They can collaborate effectively with shared documents, virtual meeting spaces and project management tools. Online forums and social media platforms provide spaces for peer-to-peer learning, where students can ask questions, share resources and offer support to one another. This can create a collaborative learning community. Technology facilitates connections with classrooms worldwide, allowing students to collaborate on projects with peers from different cultures and backgrounds, fostering a global perspective and cultural understanding.
• Lifelong learning: Technology provides continuous access to educational resources, enabling students to learn at their own pace and revisit materials as needed. This promotes a habit of lifelong learning and self-directed education. Exposure to diverse viewpoints and information sources online encourages students to develop critical thinking skills. They learn to evaluate the credibility of sources, synthesize information and form well-informed opinions. Technology encourages students to experiment with new ideas and creative solutions. Tools like coding platforms, digital design software and multimedia creation tools empower students to innovate and express themselves in various formats.

Challenges in technology integration

Despite the benefits, challenges remain. The digital divide persists, with students from low-income families or rural areas lacking access to reliable internet or modern devices. Bridging this gap is crucial for ensuring equitable access to education.

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Effective technology integration also requires proficient teachers. Many educators need ongoing professional development to equip them with the necessary skills. Additionally, more reliance on technology can lead to health issues and diminish the importance of traditional teaching methods and interpersonal interactions.

Data privacy and security are other concerns. Educational institutions must ensure the security of student data and protect their privacy from potential cyber threats.

Looking ahead

Integrating technology into instruction is essential for creating a dynamic, efficient and inclusive educational environment. Collaboration is key to enhancing our district’s learning experiences and preparing students for future challenges. I am excited to be part of a team dedicated to enhancing learning experiences and equipping students with the necessary skills and knowledge to thrive in a complex, dynamic world.

I look forward to this new professional challenge and the opportunity to create classrooms as dynamic as the world around us.

The post Integrating technology with instruction: A path to enhanced learning appeared first on District Administration.

Burbio, the online service that tracks several aspects of K12 operations, has captivated District Administration readers with its reports on the subjects that are dominating school board discussions. Lately, the firm has been examining the prevalence of AI, reviewing the school board meeting minutes of 2,000 school districts that serve about 50% of the student population in the past.

In its search for terms such as AI policy, AI guidance and acceptable use policy, the upshot shot is that school boards are spending a lot more time on the broad category of artificial intelligence than policy or guidance.

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“It is worth noting how few discussions are occurring around AI policy at the district level,” Burbio reported regarding school boards and AI.

Burbio found the phrase artificial intelligence in the minutes of more than 20% of the meetings. “AI policy,” on the other hand, appeared in around 2% of the meetings. That jibes with recent District Administration reporting that has found educators are eager to adopt AI but want more guidance and training.

Here’s a rundown of Burbio’s tracking of how often school boards are discussing other hot K12 topics:

• School boarding meetings: How much time is devoted STEM?
• The four keywords that keep coming up in the biggest districts 
• Ominous signs are emerging in recent school board discussions 
• School boards are now spending more time on these 5 topics

The post School boards and AI: Is it the new hot topic? appeared first on District Administration.

As technology evolves rapidly, educators must equip students with the necessary skills to thrive in a technology-driven world.

Here are three ways K12 educators and school leaders can integrate technology resources in the classroom to ensure all students are confident navigating technology every day:

1. Set a foundation through cybersecurity education.

Technology is deeply integrated with almost every part of our lives, so cybersecurity should be a foundational education component for every student. By understanding the basics of cybersecurity, students become cyber literate, more responsible digital citizens and better prepared for the challenges of the digital age.

Educators can use scripted lessons from CYBER.ORG to teach students real-world cybersecurity skills through discussions and hands-on activities. These should be incorporated into existing subjects to highlight the importance of digital security while promoting safe online practices through classroom debates and practical exercises.

As students grow in their understanding of cybersecurity, the next step is to utilize the CYBER.ORG Range, a cloud-based virtual environment for K12 students that provides real-world cybersecurity training in a secure setting at no cost. This accessibility ensures that all students, regardless of the school’s resources, can gain valuable cybersecurity skills as they gain firsthand experience with cybersecurity.

2. Embrace emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Using emerging technology such as artificial intelligence in the classroom enables educators to enhance individualized learning for students. At the same time, it prepares students for future career opportunities in the technology sector. AI also fosters critical thinking and problem-solving skills, giving students practical experiences that align with the knowledge and abilities the modern workforce demands.

This year, the Louisiana Department of Education launched an initiative to include AI in its schools. Louisiana joins seven states—California, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia—in implementing guidance around AI in K12 settings. This investment from state leaders highlights the growing importance of AI in education, showing how it can be used to curb learning loss and support other gaps school districts may be facing.

There are many ways educators can integrate AI and machine learning in the classroom. A few examples are incorporating AI tools for daily activities, using AI-driven educational software and applications to personalize learning experiences, and introducing basic machine learning concepts through hands-on projects and discussions. Educators should work with their school leadership to ensure that student data is protected with any tools that are used.

3. Leverage professional development and curriculum focused on emerging technology.

To effectively integrate emerging technologies, it’s essential to equip educators with the knowledge and skills to help students understand what they’re learning. Professional development ensures that educators are confident and competent in using emerging technologies, leading to more effective teaching and improved student outcomes. A curriculum that incorporates new trends can keep pace with technological advancements and ensure that students are learning relevant skills.

There have been significant strides in integrating technology into the classroom. Ongoing professional development programs that focus on incorporating technology in the classroom have been shown to improve educators’ abilities to teach with technology effectively.

Districts should provide regular professional development opportunities for educators. School leaders and educators should partner with curriculum developers that collaborate with tech experts to incorporate current and relevant tech topics into their lessons. Online resources, workshops and collaborative learning communities can help educators stay updated on the latest tech trends and teaching strategies.

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Using educator professional development to integrate cybersecurity and AI into K-12 education is essential for preparing students for the future. These technologies enhance learning, foster engagement and build crucial skills across all subjects.

Educators and administrators should work to adopt these technologies to better prepare students for a tech-driven future. Collaboration and shared resources are key to integrating these tools successfully in your classroom within your district.

By leveraging emerging technologies thoughtfully, we can help shape the next generation of learners.

The post 3 ways K12 educators can integrate emerging tech into their curriculum appeared first on District Administration.

Date & Time: Wednesday, August 7th at 2 pm ET

AI-driven edtech has the potential to revolutionize K-12 education. In this insightful roundtable discussion, a leading superintendent will share how their district is successfully integrating AI and the positive impact it’s having in their schools. 

Also on the panel will be thought leaders from Owl Ventures, Amira Learning and Istation, who will discuss the recent merger of these innovative edtech providers, and how future AI-powered technologies will impact K-12 teaching and learning.  

Presenters

Rich Watson, CRO, Istation 

Mark Angel, CEO, Amira Learning 

Amit Patel, Managing Director, Owl Ventures 

Register Now

Sponsored by

The post Harnessing AI: Merging Innovation with Strategy for District-Wide Impact appeared first on District Administration.

That’s why it is extremely encouraging to see how district leaders have already embraced artificial intelligence, and how they want to expand the use in the near term, if given the necessary resources to do so.

According to a new poll conducted by District Administration in partnership with the company I work for, Age of Learning, 75% of district leaders say AI is being used in their schools in at least one way, with the most common being curriculum development followed by handling repetitive tasks, individualizing instruction, gathering resources and personalizing learning.

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Among the most interesting findings is where district leaders want to apply AI if they have the necessary funding. Currently, 12% report using the technology to analyze assessment data and 10% to identify students in need of intervention. With more funding available, however, the number of district leaders that would apply AI to strengthen how assessment data is analyzed is nearly quadrupled. Further, the number that would deploy it to more effectively identify which children need additional support would triple.

This underscores AI’s potential to drive data-informed decision-making and improve student success.

In fact, AI is seen as a tool to help drive improved learning outcomes. Some 82% of administrators believe AI could significantly or somewhat improve math learning outcomes, and 88% see it as a promising tool for boosting reading progress. Administrators specifically mention leveraging AI’s ability to tailor instruction and resources, engage students more effectively and accelerate their growth in these critical areas.

This is particularly important because data-driven personalization is a key strategy for addressing pandemic-induced learning loss and the widening opportunity gap among students. The use of assessment data to pinpoint what each student needs can be very effective but requires data analysis capabilities that most educators either do not have or do not have time to exercise effectively.

Using AI in this way is an ideal partnership between technology and educators—the AI surfaces relevant insights and the teachers focus on direct student engagement, resulting in improved student outcomes. This can be especially powerful for educators because their time is already spread too thin. The less time they spend manually analyzing data, the more time they use their superpowers to help students become more confident readers.

The survey findings provide a clear roadmap for all stakeholders who prioritize education and opportunity. Schools became early adopters in this new era of AI and are ready to accelerate and scale the use—if they have the resources needed. District leaders are not blindly embracing AI; instead, they are taking a measured, informed approach to implementation. This balanced approach combines enthusiasm for AI’s transformative potential with a commitment to responsible and informed implementation.

As more districts embrace this philosophy, the education sector can look forward to a future where artificial intelligence enhances teaching and learning, empowering educators and students alike to achieve their full potential.

The post DA survey: Artificial intelligence can enhance and empower K12 appeared first on District Administration.

That’s according to a recent survey of 1,000 parents by Lingokids, a learning app. The researchers sought to understand how much screen time kids get over the summer and for what purpose.

Despite the low age range of the kids sampled, one might consider their screen time pretty significant. Nearly 62% of children spend more than one hour daily on a device. Another 32% spend more than two hours in front of a screen each day, according to parents surveyed.

However, not every kid’s screen time is wasted on what some parents would consider “brain rot.” In fact, 60% of parents believe that their children consider education screen time fun and playful, and 56% say educational apps help prevent the “summer slide” associated with the extended time away from school.

Parents were also asked how they leverage technology and other methods to mitigate learning loss over the break. Here’s what they said:

• By letting them use/play educational apps and games (55.66%)
• Teaching them at home (44.93%)
• Educational camps (33.49%)
• TV shows/movies (31.23%)
• Summer school (30.87%)
• I don’t worry about my child/ren experiencing “the summer slide” (15.49%)

“We know that reading, math and other academic skills can see slippage when school is out of session for the summer break, while parent involvement is important, interactive learning apps may be effective in moderating summer learning loss by sustaining practice in core areas like English and STEM,” Chair of the Lingokids Advisory Board Suzanne Barchers said in a statement.

Parents also broke down the content their child engages with on their devices. Educational apps (66.15%) emerged as the most common content type, followed by:

• Games apps (those with no learning objectives (54.83%)
• Video streaming apps (46.48%)
• Communication apps (37.54%)
• Social media (36.11%)
• Music apps (32.66%)

DA coverage

For a more in-depth look at how kids are spending their summers on their devices, click here. Or, check out District Administration’s recent coverage on student achievement and well-being below:

• Marlin ISD was failing. Now this superintendent is changing trajectories
• Student report card: What kids think of their schools
• Reversing pandemic slides: How does your state compare?

The post 4 ways tech is helping kids avoid summer learning slides appeared first on District Administration.

So what should your AI guidelines look like? New Jersey recently released resources to help schools harness AI for teaching and learning. Let’s take a look:

Learning resources

Hosted on the state Department of Education’s Office of Innovation website, the guidelines offer several resources ranging from webinars surrounding the “considerations for artificial intelligence in education” to free documents from national organizations like Common Sense Education, which has published a wealth of use cases for AI in the classroom.

The New Jersey Department of Education also participates in the Teach AI initiative, a consortium of state education departments and international education agencies that work together to create frameworks for AI policy and teaching resources.

“AI is a transformative technology that will open new opportunities for teaching and learning,” Acting Commissioner of Education Kevin Dehmer said in a statement. “Our goal is to ensure students have the knowledge and skills in working with AI to help prepare them for success in the classroom and beyond graduation.”

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The state’s guidelines also include several resources to help educators learn how to teach about AI and some free AI tools they can experiment with. Here are some examples:

Teaching about AI

• The TeachAI website offers best practice guidelines for policymakers, education leaders, teachers and parents.
• The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) published The Hands-On AI Projects for the Classroom guides for elementary, secondary, elective and computer science teachers.
• Explore a wide range of learning units for K12 AI literacy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s RAISE initiative.

Free AI tools

• Google’s Quick Draw Application and Quick Draw Dataset Explorer (recognizes drawings using AI).
• Stable Diffusion (a text-to-image generator).
• ChatGPT 3.5 (OpenAI’s generative AI chatbot that responds to user-generated prompts).

Moving forward, New Jersey’s Office of Innovation will gather feedback from educators to learn how AI is being used in the classroom, which will help inform policy implementation in the future, according to a press release from the NJ Department of Education. Click here to take a deeper look at the state’s AI guidance.

DA’s AI coverage

We’ve also published numerous articles that dive into research about AI and how your peers are using the technology to meet their community’s needs. You can find some of those articles below:

• Why this tech director isn’t racing to adopt AI
• Want to teach AI literacy? Here are 5 new strategies

• AI magnet school: Why this superintendent is launching one

  

The post What do effective AI guidelines look like? Check out this new approach appeared first on District Administration.

Pandemic relief spending

Two new research studies released this week give us an idea of the effectiveness of ESSER spending by K12 schools. Each study contends that pandemic relief funds kept schools afloat and made some academic gains.

The first study, which was a collaboration between Harvard’s Center for Education Policy Research and Stanford’s Opportunity Project, reveals that every $1,000 of federal relief spent per student during the 2022-23 school year resulted in a 3% increase in math scores compared to a typical school year, or about six school days of learning.

As far as reading scores go, improvements weren’t as significant. The data suggests the same amount of spending only bought the gains equivalent to an extra three school days of learning.

“It led to significant improvements in children’s academic performance… It wasn’t enough money, or enough recovery, to get students all the way back to where they were in 2019, but it did make a significant difference,” Sean Reardon, professor of poverty and inequality in education at Stanford and project leader of the research,  told NPR.

The second study, which comes from the Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research, paints a similar picture. For every $1,000 increase in ESSER per pupil funds there were “statistically significant increases” in math scores but negligible impact in ELA.

“To recover losses remaining after 2023, we estimate schools would need to spend $9,000 to $13,000 per pupil,” the authors suggest.

Trump vs. vaccines

In other news, former President Donald Trump is vowing to cut federal education investments. Last week, he told his followers in Wisconsin that he “will not give one penny to any school that has a vaccine mandate,” MSNBC reports. He echoed this sentiment again this past weekend.

During a rally at Temple University on Saturday, he vowed to move the Department of Education “to the states,” The Washington Examiner reports.

“We’ll be able to cut [spending on] education in half and get much better education in some of the states,” Trump said. “We’ll have the best education anywhere in the world.”

He also mentioned that the United States spends more “per pupil” than any other country, yet he notes that the U.S. ranks poorly in education. So, “What the hell do you have to lose?” he asked.

Trump: I will cut education in half pic.twitter.com/YtAD0QMH4F

— Biden-Harris HQ (@BidenHQ) June 22, 2024

New AI tools from Google

The last tidbit of information I’ll throw your way comes from Google. This week, they’ve announced new updates to their AI tools for students. Gemini, for instance, is now available for teens’ school accounts to help them learn “responsibly and confidently in an AI-first future,” the announcement reads.

Gemini will guide students with in-the-moment assistance, practice materials and real-time feedback. Furthermore, Google is adding extra data protection to Gemini, promising not to use data from chats to improve AI models,” the company adds.

“In the coming months, we’re making Gemini available to teen students that meet our minimum age requirements while using their Google Workspace for Education accounts in English in over 100 countries around the world, free of charge for all education institutions.”

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Additionally, Google announced several resources and trainings for students, parents and educators to learn more about generative AI and how to use it responsibly and effectively:

New from DA

As always, here’s what’s new from District Administration this week:

• “Talking Out of School” podcast: Paper CEO Phil Cutler shares insights from Leadership Voices, a series of interviews with superintendents covering artificial intelligence, personalized learning, staffing challenges and the other issues that are top of mind.
• EdTech Top 40: Read our coverage of LearnPlatform by Instructure’s 2024 list of the top 40 edtech tools. This year’s list reflects the importance of uniqueness and interoperability in education.
• Teaching apprenticeships: We know the importance of building a strong teacher pipeline. In this article, I share three innovative teaching apprenticeships that blend K12 with higher education to prepare the next generation of students.

The post TGIF time-saver: How to gauge ESSER’s academic impact appeared first on District Administration.

It’s not that technology companies are inherently malicious; instead, they haven’t had the right motivations to optimize for child wellbeing in product design. With the growing buzz around generative artificial intelligence and the push for its swift integration into K-2 education, it’s the perfect time to leverage the substantial purchasing power of America’s schools to advance this shift. This will be a positive development for students, schools, districts and technology companies.

$837 billion in K12 spending leverage

Imagine a classroom where every educational technology tool has been meticulously designed to protect children’s safety and privacy and help them learn. Technology companies are often at the forefront of innovation, but their track record in creating child-safe and effective products is questionable.

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Many education technology tools lack rigorous safety protocols to protect children from harmful content and interactions. Children’s data privacy is frequently compromised, with inadequate measures to protect sensitive information.

Without diverse input, many tools unintentionally perpetuate biases, disadvantaging certain groups of students. Products are often developed without a deep understanding of children’s educational needs and rights, leading to subpar learning outcomes. The rapid rise of generative AI has and will continue to exacerbate these challenges.

One of the most critical levers that school districts and schools have to change the behavior of service providers is procurement. School districts and schools purchase everything from buses and instructional materials to technology and food. The most recent spending data detailed expenditures of $837 billion for public elementary and secondary education in a single school year. This vast sum represents significant leverage that K12 policymakers can use to shift incentives in the technology industry.

It is incumbent on districts and schools to decipher which AI tools and products meet safety and education standards. For example, school systems have had to evaluate whether AI companies sell identifiable student data or whether they use student data to engage in targeted advertising to students, both legally prohibited practices.

However, district and school administrators often do not have the resources to undertake the compliance analysis that is required to ensure that tools marketed to school children are safe and prevent a school district from legal liability. Many districts have had to retain legal support to review the software platforms for safety compliance. Why should a school system have to spend this time and expense that would otherwise go to directly supporting students?

AI procurement benchmarks

To help districts and schools use their purchasing power to change provider behavior, our organizations have designed AI procurement benchmarks to serve as a starting point for defining and enforcing strict safety, privacy and efficacy standards for generative AI products and tools. The responsibility of ensuring safe AI tools should fall on the technology companies, as they possess the capability and understanding to build AI-powered tools and products that meet such standards.

Won’t this stifle innovation? To the contrary. Drawing from history and other disciplines, we know that rigorous standards can drive innovation and safety. The situation as it stands has districts and schools frozen, unable to make purchasing decisions because of the risks associated with the challenges laid out above. Establishing a set of standardized benchmarks for technology companies to meet will dramatically accelerate innovation by reducing friction in the sales cycle and pave the way for expanded use of AI in education.

Of course, this isn’t a universal fix. AI will still walk through the school doors in the pockets of students and staff. And children will continue to access AI tools at home that aren’t designed with their best interests. But it is a promising place to start.

By setting clear standards, demanding transparency and prioritizing educational value, districts and schools can drive the development of safer, more effective technology products for children. This approach protects our children and ensures that technology is designed with a deep understanding of their needs, paving the way for a brighter, safer educational future.

The post Why procurement is key to the successful use of AI appeared first on District Administration.

Date & Time: Thursday, August 15th at 2 pm ET

The education sector stands on the brink of a significant transformation—moving from an era dominated by paper to one powered by digital solutions. This shift promises not only to revolutionize the way we manage documents but also to redefine the operational efficiency within our schools and school systems.  

In this webinar, the CTO of the School District of Manatee County will discuss how his school system transformed its own document management system through an innovative strategic blueprint, a mobile mass scanning fleet, and a close partnership between district leadership and school site staff.  

If the transition from paper to digital document management feels overwhelming and confusing for you and your team, this webinar is not to be missed. 

Presenters

Scott A. Hansen, Chief Technology Officer, School District of Manatee County 

Marshall Simmonds, Vice President, Scribbles Software 

Scott Francis, Technology Evangelist, PFU America, a Ricoh Group company 

Watch Now

Sponsored by

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