Technology integration by design
By Kristen Swanson on
January 29th, 2013
Over the past year, most of my time
has been spent helping fellow teachers and school leaders to “think backwards.”
And while it’s tempting to imagine this merely involves reciting the alphabet
from Z to A, it’s actually an instructional framework (developed by Grant Wiggins and Jay
McTighe) where the goals precede action.
Beginning with student-focused goals
allows us to ensure that we strategically prioritize time and resources in our
classrooms. Although this way of thinking was initially designed for
instructional units, it is also the perfect methodology for planning a new
technology initiative.
In essence, this three-step process
helps you to remain hyper-focused on student learning as you select devices,
formats (carts, BYOD, 1:1, etc.) and applications.
Step 1: Define the goals of your
technology initiative using desired outcomes, not tools. What types of learning do you want to enable via this
initiative? Consider the following examples.
Increase access to
cutting-edge texts, news and primary sources.
Promote
interactive, digital methods of collecting real-time feedback from students.
Enhance
opportunities for students to publish media for authentic audiences.
Augment anytime,
anywhere learning for students.
As you determine your goals, remember
to be strategic. Having too many goals is just as counterproductive as having
none at all. It’s also important to ensure that all stakeholders, including
students, have input into the project goals. Specific, shared goals make the
rest of the process much easier.
Step 2: Carefully describe the types
of evidence that will exist when the goals are met.What types of artifacts will be available when the goals have
been met? Think in terms of student work samples or student learning
opportunities. Try to refrain from identifying specific apps or tools. This
will help to ensure that you evaluate all options equally. Consider the
following pieces of evidence described by a team that identified “augment
anytime, anywhere learning for students” as their primary goal:
Students will
access texts related to coursework and texts related to personal interests at
home and at school.
Students will
flexibly enroll in on-site courses, fully online courses and hybrid courses as
part of the high school experience.
Students will
publish their ideas in the form of text or media for large audiences.
These forms of evidence can be easily
observed and measured after your initiative begins. For example, you can survey
students about their habits accessing authentic text on the device you select.
You can also evaluate records of course offerings, student registrations and
course evaluations. Finally, you can measure the number and quality of text and
media products published by students in a given year using rubrics. These
pieces of evidence serve as clear, pragmatic indicators that your initiative is
working.
Step 3: Identify the devices, formats
(carts, BYOD, 1:1, etc.), apps and actions that will generate the evidence
required by your goals. So, what do you actually
purchase and how do you deploy it? As you evaluate each potential option, be
sure to keep a list of your desired goals and required evidence close at hand. You
may not find a single device or software solution that meets every need, but
certain choices seem to rise to the top rather quickly. Further, carefully
consider every aspect of what will need to happen to achieve success. Will
infrastructure need to be updated? (Probably.) Will teachers need access to
regular professional development and collaboration? (Most definitely.) With
this framework, sketching out a detailed deployment plan becomes the logical
conclusion of a well-planned argument.
While these three steps may seem commonsensical, there are
plenty of device-driven horror stories out there. (Trust me, I’ve seen them in
my former life as a tech director!) Technology integration must be designed to
foster specific learning outcomes in a deliberate and thoughtful way. You’ll
grow from strong goals, not a device.
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