Joanne Scott EDUC-5373 Blog

Pittsburg Unified School District prioritizes access to the internet and devices and is committed to equity of access. They have upgraded the networks at school and are also investing in wifi on school buses so that students can complete work on the way to or from school. They have also invested in internet hotspots that can be loaned out if students need access to the internet at home. Each student can check out a Chromebook from the school library for the year, so we have 1-1 device access. The way that technology is used is also important. Crossland, Gray and Reynold (2018) address this in a publication about the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) regarding closing the digital accessibility gap. They talk about the importance of considering access when schools use technology and point out that this access is also a requirement of existing disability legislation. They point out that technology can help address gaps in education and provide more flexible, individualized learning. They ...

  One crucial component of a Technology Integration plan is professional development. If teachers are not trained in a new technology or a new way of using technology, they are unlikely to achieve the best results. According to the STARSS-LS rubric, this PD must provide ongoing learning and support. It should be learner-centered, oriented towards adult leaders, timely, and relevant. In my technology integration plan, one of the needs identified was for teachers to become familiar with the ISTE standards for students and educators. Most said they had not heard of them before, and this was also reflected in their practice, where technology tended to be used for more passive learning activities, such as accessing lessons in Google Classroom and uploading assignments. Without increasing awareness of the possibilities and best practices, change is unlikely. Helen Crompton did a review of evidence between 2015 and 2022 and found that there is evidence that the ISTE standards for Educator...

                  Crompton (2023) looked at studies done between 2015 and 2022 to find the effectiveness of best practices in teaching with technology relating to the ISTE Educator Standards. One of those practices was Empowering Students. In two studies, students who used technology to learn the material had better learning outcomes than the control group, who learned traditionally. The technology tools used were The Internet of Things (IoT) and Scratch Encore . Another area examined was critical thinking when doing online research (Digital Citizen). Students who used technology with a structured pedagogical approach outperformed the students who used the technology in an unstructured way. These and other examples of best practices show that technology often has a positive effect on learning but has to be used effectively, and teachers need adequate training (Crompton, 2023). In developing a Technology Vision, effective technology...