Sponsored Content January—March 2017 This issue sponsored by eSchoolNews.com xirrus.com

Technology News & Innovation in K-12 Education Schools in ESSA uncertainty Under new administration, DeVos, what’s going on with the ESSA?

By Meris Stansbury Lessons learned from a Editorial Director virtual inclusion pilot 13 Recently, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos told the Council of Chief State Schools Officers (CCSSO) that states should continue to move forward with their ESSA plans. However, accountability regulations may be significantly changed. What exactly does this mean for schools? The Difference between Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Due to the NCLB, ESSA and Common Core rapid transition from NCLB to ESSA, it is In 2015, the Every Student Succeeds Act important for educators and vendors to be When virtual class time (ESSA) was implemented, replacing the No ESSA, page 8 is innovative, student engagement soars 15 Personalized Kindergarten learning starts Chromebooks? When kindergarteners in libraries have devices, surprising By Meris Stansbury Editorial Director things occur. With personalization a growing initiative By Laura Ascione in schools, the library may not be the first Managing Editor thing educators think of as a resource. Although even the youngest children are However, according to Michelle Luhtala, considered tech-savvy today, there exists a library department chair at New Canaan difference between a child who knows how to Looking inside High School, CT, and Jackie Whiting, librar- use a tablet to watch videos and a child who classrooms can reveal ian at New Canaan High School, the library knows how to navigate a device for active surprising innovation 17 Libraries, page 20 learning. The thought of giving 30 kindergarten stu- dents their own Chromebooks might be daunting. But for one classroom, the move yielded some surprising results for student engagement, learning progress, and for stu- dents with special needs. Results, page 12 10 Years of Innovation 2004 Founded by Dirk Xirrus built a company and Gates, Patrick Parker, staked its reputation on creating and Steve DeGennaro a solution that supported the 2005 most challenging high-density Began marketing and selling High Wi-Fi environments—large Density Wi-Fi public venues. Today, that 2008 demanding and complex Presented new access point environment is your very own that provides up to 300Mbit/s data rate per radio enterprise, where users bring 2010 multiple devices and run almost Ranked as the 2nd Fastest any application imaginable. Growing Private Telecommunications 2 As the technology landscape Equipment Manufacturing Companies evolves, Xirrus continues to 2011-13 pioneer powerful, versatile, Ranked #2 in Wall Street Journal’s Next Big Thing list of the Top 50 forward-thinking solutions Venture-Backed companies that lead the industry. 2012 Made Business Insider's DIGITAL list of the 100 most valuable private tech companies Try us out 2012 Customers include Paul Hastings LLP’s 18 international offices and Get a free trial High Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospital, 2013 the largest acute care provider in Performance AP and the world Reached over 10,000 Cloud Management customers, with products System and services sold internationally 2015 www.xirrus.com Red Herring Top 100 Hottest Technology Company Finalist

25 JANUARY—MARCH 2017 Vol. 20, No. 1 C o n t e n t s EDUCATION UNDER TRUMP 1 1 What schools need to know about ESSA right now 4 10 high-need education policy areas for 2017 10 Is Betsy DeVos good or bad for edtech?

CLASSROOM INNOVATIONS 1 Fascinating results revealed by 9 Kindergarten Chromebooks 1 Why personalized learning should start in school libraries 5 What educators can learn about effective teaching from a Harvard prof 9 How 4 visionary schools are venturing into a new mixed reality 22 11 Should teachers use business tactics ALSO IN THIS ISSUE for happier classrooms? Awards Program— 21 iPads ignite furor in schools Sponsored by Xirrus 24 5 questions to answer about OER use 13 Virtual inclusion helps this district commit to all students–no matter what IT LEADERSHIP 7 New buzzphrase for IT has massive 15 When virtual class time is innovative, student implications for personalized learning engagement soars 22 7 signs of effective IT infrastructure 17 Looking inside classrooms 23 Report: Broadband access making can reveal surprising ‘dramatic’ progress innovation

This issue is sponsored by January—March 2017 • www.eSchoolNews.com 3 xirrus.com Education Under Trump 10 high-need education policy areas for 2017 As a new administration takes over, federal and state policymakers should keep these important policy areas in mind. By Laura Ascione Managing Editor Competition for jobs is increasing thanks to an ever-growing global econ- omy. Today’s students are preparing for jobs that, in some cases, do not yet exist. In order to ensure students’ col- lege and career readiness, the K-12 and higher education systems must be strengthened, according to a policy paper from New America, a non-parti- san think tank. Citing low student engagement, high dropout rates and gaping opportunity differences between high-income and low-income groups, New America’s Education Policy program identified a list of 10 essential education policy actions for the Trump administration, Promote a focus on meaningful profes- Overhaul the Education Department’s Congress, and state and local policy- sional learning throughout the educator college gatekeeping standards to keep makers. pipeline, and promote educator prepara- unscrupulous schools out of federal stu- The education policy brief highlights tion programs and in-service profes- dent aid programs to begin with. actions for state leaders in particular, and sional learning systems that prepare 8. Simplify and target financial aid encourages policymakers at that level to educators for the digital age. to the students who need it most. be aware of these 10 issues and look for 4. Align research and development Improve federal loans by switching to opportunities to improve practice. to educational practice. Make pub- interest-free federal loans with total cost 1. Expand access to quality early licly-funded educational materials of loan displayed up front, and eliminat- learning. Research consistently identi- freely available through open use poli- ing Grad PLUS loans and adding an fies early learning programs as essential cies that allow users to view content, as ability-to-repay metric to Parent PLUS to success in later life. States can sup- well as download, copy, keep, analyze, loans. port families with young children by and reuse it for any purpose. 9. Repair the federal-state partner- improving access to child care and the 5. Build an infrastructure for sup- ship in higher education. Require col- quality of teaching and learning in those porting dual language learners. Use leges to enroll a minimum number of facilities. States that require school dis- grants from the Office of English low-income students and charge all stu- tricts to offer full-day kindergarten and Language Acquisition to support the dents no more than their official provide funding to help districts could creation of alternate career pathways Expected Family Contribution, in be rewarded. that help multilingual paraprofessionals exchange for federal funding from a 2. Smooth transition points from and teacher assistants become fully- new block grant program financed by pre-K through higher education and licensed teachers. repurposing poorly-targeted and inef- into the workforce. States could devel- 6. Improve access to and linkages fective higher education tax credits. op professional learning systems that between education and workforce 10. Connect education and the link early childhood teachers with data while protecting student privacy. labor market by moving beyond the teachers in early grades. They also Improve data access and quality in high- “skills gap.” Provide more support for might look into providing strong incen- er education by collecting and releasing adult and non-traditional learners by tives for PreK-12 systems and higher-ed additional, more specific institutional expanding funding for, and access to, systems to align academic expectations data on graduation rates, loans, and stu- adult education and and policies. dent living expenses. English-as-a-Second-Language pro- 3. Transform the preparation and 7. Hold “bad actors” in the higher grams, particularly for immigrants and ongoing development of educators. education system accountable. school dropouts. eSN

4 January—March 2017 • www.eSchoolNews.com This issue is sponsored by xirrus.com Classroom Innovations 10 high-need education policy areas for 2017 What educators can learn about effective As a new administration takes over, federal and state policymakers should keep teaching from a Harvard prof these important policy areas in mind. By Alan November My son, Dan, took the course. When students can gather over pizza to discuss [Editor’s note: This post by Alan he first signed up for CS50, it is fair to problem sets or ask questions—and November, written exclusively for say he was not in the habit of choosing these nightly events routinely draw eSchool Media, is part of a series of the most demanding courses on campus. upwards of 300 students. upcoming articles by this notable edu- But Dr. Malan’s unique learning culture “I went to office hours four nights a cation thought leader. Check online at and sense of responsibility placed on the week,” Dan recalls. “That was the only www.eschoolnews.com for the next students helped Dan to discover a pas- way I could make it through the must-read post!] sion for “learning how to learn” and course.” Harvard professor David Malan has thinking about design—skills he can When Dan would arrive, the TAs managed to pull off a neat trick: His apply to manage his learning in any sit- would ask how far he had gotten in that Computer Science 50 course is the most uation, from other courses to his profes- week’s problem set and how confident popular course at both Harvard and sional growth. Two years later, he is still he was in his work. Then, they would Yale. By examining his success, we can on fire—and he will graduate in May to put him in a group with other students at learn some important lessons about pursue a career in computer science. his same comfort level. “There was effective teaching. I was so intrigued by the impact never an issue finding a group that was CS50 assumes no prior knowledge or CS50 had on my son that I started to at your pace,” he says. skill in computer programming, yet it’s explore Malan’s keys to effective teach- By making the learning fun and extremely demanding. Despite its rigor, ing that we can export to any education- social, while not sacrificing rigor, CS50 regularly attracts thousands of al setting. After many conversations Malan has found that his students give students each year. While some aspire with Professor Malan and Dan, I have their best effort. to become software engineers, others identified at least three processes that “We hope that by creating these enroll just to experience the course. we can apply across the curriculum at somewhat special and unusual experi- Why is Professor Malan’s course so all grade levels. ences for students, we can expect more popular, even with students who don’t from them,” he explains. “If we are per- plan a career in computer science—and 1. Learning is social, and students ceived as meeting them halfway, we even though it requires a lot of work? are hardwired to work together to solve hope they will meet us halfway as well Here are three keys to Malan’s effective problems. and will get as much out of the course as teaching that I think all schools every- One of the aspects that makes his they can.” where should apply, from K-12 schools course unique is its culture. Malan pays Making the learning a shared, social to colleges and universities. as much attention to his students’ social experience not only motivates students • Strengthen the social side of learning. experience in the class as he does to to do their best work; it also helps them • Teach students to self-assess. their academic experience, so that his learn from each other. And when stu- • Provide a public audience to inspire students feel like they are part of a dents learn from their peers, they’re apt students to invent. learning community. to learn more effectively. Imagine teaching a course with 800+ For instance, he organizes several There is a phenomenon known as the students at Harvard and another 400+ stu- events throughout the semester that “curse of knowledge,” in which teach- dents at Yale with an extremely high level bring students together, such as ers who have thorough knowledge of a of rigor and creativity. The course is “hackathons” and weekly lunches every subject sometimes have trouble reach- available for credit at either university, Friday on the Harvard campus. His ing students who are new to the materi- and anyone around the world can take a teaching assistants also host “office al, because they’ve forgotten what it’s noncredit version at no cost through the hours” every Monday through Thursday like to be in that position. Students, on open courseware platform edX. night from 9 p.m. to midnight, where Teaching, page 6

Learn from the best innovations in education! Join education thought leader Alan November in Boston July 26-28 for his 2017 Building Learning Communities edtech conference, where hundreds of K-12 and higher-education leaders from around the globe will gather to discuss the world’s most successful innovations in education.

This issue is sponsored by January—March 2017 • www.eSchoolNews.com 5 xirrus.com Classroom Innovations

Teaching (The first two on the list are teacher One simple strategy is to ask students to behaviors.) highlight their own writing with various continued from page 5 Teaching students how to self-assess colors in order to reflect on the the other hand, are more likely to their work can lead to interdependent strengths and weaknesses of their work. empathize or relate to their peers who learners, instead of being solely depend- are struggling. ent upon the teacher for feedback. By 3. Fairs replace finals: Students Dan can attest to the enormous value thinking about the quality of their own become problem designers. of the student community that Malan work, students take more responsibility My own experience as a teacher is has crafted. Dan found the highly social for quality and are more likely to try to that the norm for students is to want office hours especially helpful, because improve. clear guidelines for “What do I need to they gave him a chance to discuss the Dan explained: “Before submitting do to get an A?” In some ways, the tra- problem sets with his peers in the same our homework, we had to answer ques- ditional assessment system that we have situation—and inevitably he would see tions about how we thought we did, designed to motivate students to excel the topic in a fresh new light. how much time we spent on it, and so actually acts as a break or a ceiling and How many opportunities are there in on. At the end of the semester, we were has the impact of preventing students schools to craft various social settings asked: What grade do you think you from doing their best work. for students to come together outside of deserve, and why? What grade do you Professor Malan highly values the class to work with peers? Many schools think you’ll receive?” imagination of his students to design are now converting libraries—where Malan says he began this practice as their own problems. But how do you students traditionally cannot raise their a “sanity check”: He wanted to see how balance expectations of covering the voice—into learning commons where closely students’ expectations aligned curriculum without clear rubrics for there are spirited debates among stu- with their actual performance in the assessment? So I asked him: “What evi- dents as they study together. class. dence do you have your students are “We didn’t want to create an envi- meeting expectations? And he gave a 2. Malan requires students how to ronment where students left feeling like mind-bending answer: When students self-assess their work. they underperformed or disappointed go beyond what I’ve taught them in my As I watched my son become themselves,” he says. “We’d much pre- class. increasingly focused, organized, and fer that every student end up feeling sig- He says his proudest moment came passionate about his CS50 experience, I nificantly accomplished, regardless of in his second year of teaching the had to ask him, “Is there anything their prior knowledge or background in course. Drawing inspiration from mid- Professor Malan is doing for you that the subject.” dle school science fairs, he arranged the other teachers also could have done to Malan has expanded this practice to first of what would become a regular help you become a much better stu- include additional opportunities for stu- event: a “CS50 Fair” at the end of the dent?” His answer was almost too sim- dents to reflect on their performance. course, in which students came together ple: “He taught me how to assess my For instance, he has introduced what he to celebrate the work they had done— own work.” calls “postmortems” into the course. and much of this work was truly amaz- Research clearly shows the high These are video breakdowns in which a ing. “It was so incredibly gratifying,” he value of self-assessment for students, teaching assistant walks students says. and yet Dan says he was never really through a solution to the problem, so As Dan explains: “You got to do asked to reflect on his own work until they can see how else they might have whatever you wanted for your final he took Malan’s course. We do not need solved it—and how they might go about project. And there were so many kinds fancy technology to do this. What we improving their own code. of projects displayed at the fair that we need to do is empower our students to “In an ideal world, I dream of a sce- had never talked about in class. I take more responsibility to reflect on the nario where we have enough time for remember someone made a social quality of their own work. students to iterate on their work, see media calendar for the sailing team, and Researcher John Hattie and his team what they could be doing better, and someone else made a Nintendo simula- have pored over nearly 1,200 education- actually resubmit the work and appreci- tor. We never talked about programming al studies from around the world to ate the delta between version one and with hardware in the class. So you’ve identify the factors that most strongly version two,” he says. While the com- got all these people doing things that correlate with student success. Of the pressed timeframe for his course we’d never talked about, and they went 195 independent variables he has identi- doesn’t allow for this practice, he has out of their way to learn something fied, self-assessment ranks third on tried to provide resources for students to brand new—even though they could his list in terms of importance—and it’s at least reflect on their work. have earned full marks by doing some- the single most effective learning strate- We have unlimited opportunities to thing that had already been covered dur- gy that students can use for themselves. help students reflect on their own work. Teaching, page 25

6 January—March 2017 • www.eSchoolNews.com This issue is sponsored by xirrus.com IT Leadership New buzzphrase for IT has massive implications for personalized learning A new era of personalized learning means IT and edtech leaders must focus on digital cohesion

By Tom Boehmer student’s own life and learning style Research has shown repeatedly that will be. Technology will transform humans learn more rapidly and deeply everyday interactions with the world from experiences, rather than from a lec- into real-time learning experiences. ture or a book. However, many institu- Augmented reality technology com- tions struggle with the resources needed bined with visual recognition, sensors to meet this new mandate for personal- and learning services will deliver real- ized instruction, thanks to lack of funding life “classes” that present math, history, and widespread teacher shortages. language and other lessons in real-time The good news is, technologies like based on the student’s current location cloud, big data, mobility, and augment- and context. ed and virtual reality are converging to Digital Cohesion enable unprecedented levels of person- tions can no longer rely on the places in alization in education. Much like the Considerations and the network where the firewalls happen introduction of PCs and internet con- Challenges to be in order to detect and stop attacks. nectivity into classrooms, these tech- There are many considerations to Every network element must provide nologies are helping institutions do address and challenges to overcome insight into traffic patterns and participate more with less, and are accelerating and before this vision can be realized, how- in enhancing the security posture of a net- improving the learning experience. ever. Educational organizations face work. By using the network as the securi- The convergence of these technolo- many challenges when embracing new ty infrastructure, organizations can identi- gies is leading to “Digital Cohesion,” a technologies, including budgets, legacy fy and quarantine potential infection future in which technology anticipates systems and the fast pace at which edu- points close to their source, protecting the needs of users and seamlessly deliv- cation technology evolves. their users and data. ers services on demand. Security and access are also major In short: the network is the backbone Digital Cohesion in Real Life barriers. It stands to reason that as digi- of education technology and will be tal proliferation continues, the opportu- critical to realizing a future of anticipa- Imagine a few potential scenarios: nities for malicious acts will increase. tory, personalized learning through dig- while visiting a market with his parents, Educational organizations store a lot of ital cohesion. a child uses augmented reality glasses to personal information about their staff The forthcoming Digital Cohesion play a game where the object is to spend and students, making them prime tar- era will unleash possibilities we are $50 and buy a balanced meal for the gets for attackers. Additionally, as more only now beginning to imagine. In addi- family. Or, while walking through a students and staff connect to the educa- tion to laying the groundwork for city, a tourist gets real-time history les- tion network, they widen the network’s advancements in health and medicine, sons with video of the historical charac- attack surface. business and government, Digital ters overlaying the real-life scene. A Mitigating Risks Cohesion will help ensure that every tour of Ellis Island, for example, comes child has access to a high-quality, to life by “observing” immigrants who To mitigate these risks, educational engaging and personalized education. have just completed the journey across institutions will need to adopt a differ- It won’t be an easy journey, but the the Atlantic. A visit to the Great Wall of ent approach to security, as well as results will be well worth the effort. We China becomes more powerful with a assess and in many cases upgrade their are on the precipice of incredible progress, simulation of the wall’s construction. network infrastructure. The network making this a very, very exciting time to The possibilities are infinite. establishes connections to education be both a student and an educator. eSN The implications for education will applications in the cloud. An automated, be profound. Classrooms will no longer scalable network will anticipate traffic Tom Boehmer is the Senior Business be the main learning vehicle in the needs, ensuring access for all users. Development Manager for Juniper forthcoming Digital Cohesion era; the From a security perspective, organiza- Networks.

This issue is sponsored by January—March 2017 • www.eSchoolNews.com 7 xirrus.com Education Under Trump

ESSA line on September 18. About the Presenters As of press time, Education Week With more than 20 years of experi- continued from page 1 reports that 17 states plus the District ence in business management, Steve aware of the key differences between of Columbia have told the department Rowley, CEO of Acumen Partners, has the two. Steve Rowley, CEO of Acumen that they are shooting to have their plans had an illustrious career at the cross- Partners, and with Michael Campbell, ready in time for the April date. roads of business and education. Prior vice president of Acumen Partners, pre- But…Accountability could to igniting the flame that grew to be sented the latest updates on ESSA in the Acumen Partners in 2012, Steve webinar, “Making Sense of ESSA: Change engaged in principal leadership posi- What You Need to Know,” co-hosted Though DeVos says states should tions in leading organizations including by edWeb.net and MCH Strategic move along with their ESSA plans, the Pearson, McGraw Hill, Master Teacher, Data. Obama administration’s accountability Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and To start, Rowley addressed any con- template part of ESSA is currently EdLights. His knowledge and experi- fusion regarding the Common Core under review by DeVos and Congress. ence in the education sector are unri- State Standards. ESSA did not replace According to DeVos, she and her valled. He utilizes his experience to the Common Core, and although the team are reviewing the Obama adminis- decode and resolve problem areas, meet states are required to have standards, it tration’s ESSA accountability template the challenges of an ever-changing mar- prohibits the Department of Education because some measures may not be ket and empower others irrespective of from forcing the adoption of a particular “absolutely necessary.” The new depart- the industry. Prior to embarking on his set of standards. “This is a question that ment may release a revised or complete- mission to help his clients realize their we receive a lot,” he said. Since the ly re-written template for states by mid- own success through work at Acumen, Common Core is not a federal initiative, March this year. and other educational solution compa- it is unaffected by ESSA. Another potential change is that nies, Steve obtained his B.S. in econom- A key characteristic of ESSA is that DeVos’ department may also allow a ics from Brigham Young University in the federal government has acknowl- state or group of states to work together 1994. edged that many decisions belong at the to write their own template through the Michael Campbell’s passion for state level—something the Trump CCSSO. improving education through technolo- administration supports. If DeVos does allow a state or group gy and digital literacy has facilitated Accountability Plans of states to devise their own accounta- private and not-for-profit organizations bility template, it may prove difficult solutions support for the learning com- States will now be responsible for for peer reviewers to determine quality munity. For over 20 years, Michael has accountability, and each state will have and manage expectations due to a lack held executive, marketing management to submit their own accountability plan of uniformity. However, DeVos and her and sales positions spanning the K-12, to be peer reviewed. department could also change the higher education, corporate training, Under the Obama Administration’s guidelines for peer review—something technology and publishing industries. accountability template, accountability her camp has not yet mentioned. Currently Michael is the vice president systems (supported by tracking and data What can Schools and of client development at Acumen technology) involve four primary indi- Partners. Michael has held leadership cators: proficiency on state tests; Educators Do? positions in sales and marketing with English language proficiency; another Rowley still says any school interest- Learning Bird, Forward Thinking EDU, academic factor that can be broken out ed in how the ESSA may affect them Follett Software Company, ETA by subgroup; and a “wild card” item should become very familiar with the hand2mind, Pearson, Cengage and that each state can choose within certain current plan. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. guidelines. While there is no designated area for Join the Community States can also set additional bench- locating each state accountability plan, marks; for example, these may allow for Rowley recommends becoming familiar EdFocus: The EdMarketing certain high school benchmarks which with your state education agency’s web- Community is a free professional would not apply to elementary or mid- site and keeping a lookout for learning community (PLC). dle schools. Each state must be aware of announcements of things like requests The recording of the webinar can be how to accurately track their bench- for comment and draft plans. viewed by anyone here. eSN marks. Outside of state agency websites, DeVos has kept in place the Obama keeping abreast of policy news out of [Editor’s note: This piece is original administration's timeline for submitting Washington, can help you ask the right content produced by edWeb.net.View the plans, which includes one early bird questions of your state leaders. more edWeb.net events here.] deadline on April 3 and one later dead-

8 January—March 2017 • www.eSchoolNews.com This issue is sponsored by xirrus.com Classroom Innovations How 4 visionary schools are venturing into a new mixed reality Mixed reality combines virtual and augmented realities for enhanced learning experiences—and institutions are already implementing it

By Laura Ascione 24/7 online tutoring service, Managing Editor Smarthinking. If successful, this solu- A new collaboration between tion could provide struggling students Pearson and Microsoft is using a self- with richer, more personalized, just-in- contained holographic computer to time support from expert tutors as if develop “mixed reality” learning expe- they were sitting side-by-side. riences for students. Bryn Mawr also will experiment The collaboration will explore how with using holographs and mixed reality mixed reality can help solve real chal- to explore 3D content and concepts in a lenges in areas of learning, ranging number of academic disciplines, includ- from online tutoring and coaching, ing physics, biology, and archaeology. nursing education, and engineering to Not Just Higher Education construction and surveyor training. Microsoft says its HoloLens is the Pearson’s work with mixed reality world’s first self-contained holographic and HoloLens isn’t limited to higher computer. Pearson is developing and education. The company is in the early piloting mixed reality content at col- setting. When student nurses participate stages of evaluating the impact of holo- leges, universities and secondary in the simulations using HoloLens, they graphic learning at the late grammar schools in the United States and around will have a real world experience diag- school stage. the world. nosing patients, building the confidence At Canberra Grammar School in HoloLens leverages virtual reality and competence that they will need in Australia, Pearson is working with and augmented reality to create a new their careers. Here is how 4 schools plan teachers in a variety of disciplines to reality – mixed reality. With virtual real- to integrate mixed reality: develop holograms for use in their ity, the user is immersed in a simulated Texas Tech University Health classrooms. The University of Canberra world. Augmented reality overlays digi- Sciences Center in Lubbock and San is partnering with Pearson to provide tal information on top of the real world. Diego State University are both part of support for the project and evaluate the Mixed reality merges the virtual and a Pearson mixed reality pilot aimed at impact these holograms have on teach- physical worlds to create a new reality leveraging mixed reality to solve chal- ing and learning. whereby the two can coexist and lenges in nursing education. Today, “We are thrilled to partner with interact. many nursing programs hire and train Pearson to expand the curriculum avail- By understanding the user’s environ- actors to simulate scenarios nurses will able to students to learn through the ment, mixed reality enables holograms face in the real world — a process that power of holograms on Microsoft to look and sound like they are part of is hard to standardize and even harder to HoloLens,” said Lorraine Bardeen, gen- that world. This means learning content replicate. As part of the mixed reality eral manager for Microsoft Windows can be developed for HoloLens that pro- pilot, faculty at the two universities’ and HoloLens Experiences. “Complex vides students with real world experi- schools of nursing are collaborating systems are more easily understood in ences, allowing them to build proficien- with Pearson to improve the value and 3D and learning through holographic cy, develop confidence, explore and efficacy of the types of simulations in computing in mixed reality provides learn. which students participate. students a higher level of understanding To develop the content for this pilot, At Bryn Mawr College, a women’s and experience that they can then bring Pearson will use Microsoft’s holograph- liberal arts college in Pennsylvania, fac- into their real-world interactions. ic video capture capability, filming ulty, students, and staff are exploring HoloLens gives students access to actors to simulate patients with various various educational applications for the things they may never be able to see in health concerns and then transferring HoloLens mixed reality devices. They real life – historical artifacts, natural that video into holograms for the stu- are testing Skype for HoloLens to con- history, hands on training, and a connec- dent nurses to experience in a clinical nect students with tutors in Pearson’s tion to the broader world.” eSN

This issue is sponsored by January—March 2017 • www.eSchoolNews.com 9 xirrus.com Education Under Trump Is Betsy DeVos good or bad for edtech? Will Trump’s Education Secretary pick be a boon for edtech advocacy and implementation? And if so, will it only benefit some students?

By Meris Stansbury dom will ultimately be healthy for the If the Senate confirms DeVos as the Editorial Director education of our kids.” new education secretary, she would be in School choice, support of teachers She knows edtech has the power a position to hire the next director of the unions, and her record in Michigan have to enhance learning Office of Educational Technology along been the leading controversial talking “What’s best for kids seems to be at with other key department leaders. points in education when it comes to the center of DeVos’ philanthropic, pub- Will she support already-in-place Donald Trump’s pick for Education lic speaking and political efforts, both in edtech initiatives? Secretary, Betsy DeVos. But with a Michigan and in other states,” writes the For example, almost 3,000 school background in technology investment, New Hampshire Department of superintendents have already signed up could DeVos be a leader in the support Education’s ET News. “And she may for the Future Ready Schools initia- of successfully-implemented edtech? be open to ways that technology could tive, which helps school district leaders Here’s What We Know help kids.” ET News also notes that plan and implement personalized edtech John Bailey, who worked with DeVos as learning strategies to benefit students. She invests in technology the vice president of policy at the non- For Future Ready Schools, the According to Philanthropy maga- profit ExcelinEd, otherwise known as Education Department worked with the zine in spring 2013, DeVos serves as the Foundation For Excellence in national policy and advocacy organiza- chairman of the Windquest Group—a Education, said that “she was a great tion the Alliance for Excellent privately held, multi-company operat- board member at ExcelinEd. She is pas- Education. Sara Hall, executive direc- ing group that invests in technology, sionate about kids and will always put tor of that program at the Alliance, told manufacturing, and clean energy— kids needs first. She expressed deep ET News: “The promise of technology which she founded with her husband in interest in digital learning and how it is critical to unleashing the potential 1989. The magazine also identified could expand opportunities for kids.” within America’s education system… DeVos as “a member of several national ExcelinEd—a reform group headed We look forward to learning more about and local boards, including the DeVos by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush— Mrs. DeVos’ plans to harness the poten- Institute for Arts Management at the states in its Reform Agenda: tial of digital learning for America’s stu- Kennedy Center, Mars Hill Bible “Technology can revolutionize educa- dents, particularly those in underserved Church, Kids Hope U.S.A, and the tion and help ensure no student is bored communities.” Foundation for Excellence in or left behind. The Foundation supports Will her support of school choice Education.” the use of technology to offer students hinder edtech equality? She advocates for edtech, access to a high-quality, customized One of the benefits of edtech can be specifically education and empower teachers to help to help close the equity divide rampant In a 2013 interview with their students succeed.” among students and their families today. Philanthropy Roundtable, DeVos said Her charter school uses edtech Public schools that fund well-imple- when it comes to education reform According to Fox News, DeVos and mented edtech initiatives for learning strategies, she is most focused on edu- her husband support the West Michigan not only help to engage students in their cational choice. “But, thinking more Aviation Academy, a public charter learning, but provide tools to help them broadly, what we are trying to do is tear school they founded in Grand Rapids, succeed in technology-based and digital down the mindset that assigns students through the Dick and Betsy DeVos literacy-supported skills for the future. to a school based solely on the zip code Family Foundation. The school uses Yet, the argument against school of their family’s home. We advocate personalized learning facilities, includ- choice is that students within the public instead for as much freedom as possi- ing a separate computer science pro- school system will not get the same ble,” she said. “One long-term trend gram and instruction in robotics. It even opportunities as students attending char- that’s working in our favor is technolo- has a computer-aided drafting and ter schools. Funding and access to better gy. It seems to me that, in the internet design course. teachers and resources will be unfairly age, the tendency to equate ‘education’ Here’s What We Don’t Know tipped toward charter schools. If this with ‘specific school buildings’ is going argument has merit, will only some to be greatly diminished. Within the Will her hires be edtech schools see the benefit of having DeVos right framework of legislation, that free- advocates? as an edtech advocate? eSN

10 January—March 2017 • www.eSchoolNews.com This issue is sponsored by xirrus.com Classroom Innovations Should teachers use business tactics for happier classrooms? Applying 7 actions gleaned from successful business practices could help students and teachers excel in the classroom

By Laura Ascione Managing Editor In recent years, school leaders have debated what, if anything, schools can glean from the way businesses are run. Should schools be managed like busi- ness organizations? And to what extent? Now, three educator-researchers are sharing their findings on the topic as they wonder if classroom teachers can use successful, proven business strate- gies to run their classrooms better and increase both student happiness and engagement. Kelly Kosuga at Alpha Public Schools, Rebecca Weissman and Linda Rogers at Redwood Heights Elementary would do well to prepare students by For each of the seven steps, the play- School, and the advisory team at Khan resembling future workplaces more book offers highly-detailed descriptions Lab School, identified highly-regarded intentionally.” of what these mindsets and goals look business organizations and identified Turning theory into practice isn’t like in action, along with examples and strategies that successful managers in always easy. Each teacher used different best practices from respected educators those organizations use to create posi- approaches to simulate successful busi- and those in the business sector. tive cultures and productivity. ness practices in classrooms, but despite After the pilots, the educators all Three common strategies emerged: those different approaches, the educa- noted that one-on-one interaction empowering teams and avoiding micro- tors were able to identify seven com- between teachers and students served as management, being great coaches, and mon actions to turn those principles into one of the most effective ways for emphasizing accountability. practice: teachers to apply the new business man- The educators set out during the 1. Teach mindsets around agency, agement principles in the classroom. spring 2016 semester to figure out how creativity, growth, and passion for Weekly 30-minute one-on-one ses- those three strategies translate to the learning sions “Are powerful structures to build classroom. Each educator used different 2. Release control and offer content relationships between students and approaches in their research. and resources that students are advisers, keep students focused on and “If empowering teams, serving as free to use without direct accountable for reaching goals, and give good coaches, and emphasizing instruction academic, project, and mindset feed- accountability are top principles for 3. Encourage teaming, including back,” according to the playbook. successful managers in ‘best places to peer-to-peer learning and This, the playbook notes, has work’ environments, then similar prin- team-based collaboration important implications for personalized ciples could work for teachers tasked 4. Give feedback so students receive learning. It also offers an opportunity with motivating and guiding students,” personal and actionable responses for school leaders to invest in technolo- said Heather Staker, an adjunct 5. Build relationships of trust and gy that frees up teachers’ time so they researcher for the Clayton Christensen show interest and concern in can focus more on personalization for Institute, in a playbook illustrating the students as individuals students. eSN educators’ findings. “Furthermore, 6. Help students hold themselves many students will one day look for accountable Go to eSchool News Online for jobs in workplaces that embrace these 7. Hold yourself, as an educator, daily news, resources and updates. management principles. Classrooms accountable http://www.eschoolnews.com

This issue is sponsored by January—March 2017 • www.eSchoolNews.com 11 xirrus.com Classroom Innovations Results Google Classroom Google Slides really allowed stu- “I know it seems kind of crazy to dents to take ownership of their learning continued from page 1 attempt Google Classroom with kinder- and projects, Morgan said. She used “We had surprising outcomes from garteners, but when we started it mid- slides to create alphabet and reading students with special needs,” said Jamie year, we realized we wished we’d started journals, and students soon became Morgan, an elementary school teacher in it sooner,” Morgan said. Google adept at changing their themes, font and the Wichita Falls ISD in Texas. In her Classroom let Morgan push assignments colors. They used Ok Google to find classroom, she had students with ADHD, to her students while also giving them Google images of objects beginning ODD, autism, visual disabilities, intel- more control over their work–something with each letter of the alphabet. lectual delays, and gifted and talented educators hadn’t given the young stu- Because many of her students lacked students. “Chromebooks made it really, dents enough credit for, she added. strong math skills, Morgan used Google really easy to differentiate instruction–I Slides to create manipulatives and sim- can’t imagine doing the differentiation Ok Google ple math problems to help students get that needed to be done without having “The thing we found most beneficial back on track. Students used Google the Chromebooks,” she said. of anything was having Ok Google,” Classroom’s “turn in” button to send Because her class from the previous Morgan said. “The thing that helped our their assignment to Morgan, who grad- year was high-achieving, no one expect- kids the most was Ok Google.” All ed it and sent it back. ed this new class to achieve the same users have to do is click on the user icon test scores. And although Morgan’s new at the bottom right of the Chromebook, Screencastify class entered with “scary” test scores, select “Settings,” and click to enable. Screencastify lets users record their by the end of the year, their test scores screen, camera, microphone, and any- surpassed the high scores of her previ- thing else that happens on their comput- ous class. Much of that achievement is er screen. “If you’re going to be absent due to the Chromebooks, Morgan said. and you really want to teach something, “That was with Chromebooks in use Screencastify and record the whole every kid’s hand, all year long,” she lesson. All students have to do is hit said. “We used those Chromebooks play,” Morgan said. “If you need to give every single day, all day long.” an oral assessment to 5 different kids Morgan began the Chromebook initia- about 5 different things, you can record tive by hosting a “Meet the those different things and put all the stu- Chromebooks” information night for her dents on different devices. We all know kindergarten parents. Parents filled out how much time assessments take.” Google Forms with student information and also used the Forms tool to sign up Seesaw for parent-teacher conferences (Morgan’s Because kindergarten students are “If you aren’t using Seesaw now, you tip: Use Google’s Choice Eliminator so learning to read and reading levels can have to,” Morgan said. Seesaw lets stu- that time slots or other options disappear vary widely, Ok Google works for dents create digital portfolios and share as soon as a parent selects that option). everyone because it takes voice com- content with teachers and parents. For Morgan also uses autoCrat, a Google mands. It also helps students with their example, when Morgan’s class learned add-on, to take data from spreadsheets speech, Morgan added. “The determina- about the butterfly lifecycle, students and merge it into documents. tion you saw on their tiny little faces created videos and uploaded them to As the year progressed, Morgan said was just remarkable,” she said. Seesaw, then posted QR codes in the the kindergarten team discovered a hallway that brought up the correspon- number of tools and strategies that Google Tone ding videos. helped students best use the Morgan used Google Tone to send Chromebooks also offer many acces- Chromebooks to enhance their learning. sound-activated clickable pop-up links sibility features, including a screen Students’ Google Passwords were writ- to students’ Chromebooks at the same magnifier, and on-screen keyboard if ten on their name tags and each student time. students have trouble manipulating keys had their own Google account. or the touch pad with fingers, a large “Let kids explore the Chromebooks,” Google Share to Classroom cursor, a high contrast mode, and more. she said. “Don’t be afraid to let them Using this extension, Morgan could All of those featured are located under make mistakes–they’re not going to mess instantly push websites to her students’ accessibility settings in order to help something up that can’t be fixed.” Chromebooks. students if they have low vision, Following is a list of some of the tools delayed fine motor skills, or other Morgan and her fellow educators used: Google Slides needs. eSN

12 January—March 2017 • www.eSchoolNews.com This issue is sponsored by xirrus.com Awards Program Virtual inclusion helps this district commit to all students–no matter what The eSchool Media and Xirrus Innovate to Educate Grand Prize Winner offers lessons learned from a virtual inclusion pilot

By Laura Ascione be in quarantine is a challenging and Managing Editor, Content Services lonely process,” Kelly said. “With the 2016 Gone are the days of one-size-fits-all help of a robot, the student can engage education. Today, forward-thinking with their class through their computer. school leaders know that leveraging pow- Whether they are at home or in the hos- GRAND PRIZE WINNER erful learning technology can help all stu- pital, they can participate with their dents excel and learn to work collabora- teacher and classmates and feel a part of Anne Arundel tively with peers–even if that student is the school environment.” County Public homebound due to chronic illness. Piloting the robot In Maryland’s Anne Arundel County Schools Public Schools (AACPS), a team of edu- Along with Mary Tillar, the district’s cators worked to secure telepresence assistant superintendent for Advanced Sponsored by GRAND robots for sick and homebound students Studies and Programs Kelly attended a PRIZE after seeing the robots demonstrated at a state-level meeting for assistant super- conference. By turning to virtual inclusion, intendents and watched as robotics they hoped homebound students would company Double Robotics demonstrat- feel more engaged in both their learning ed how the company’s telepresence robot came to the rescue, and the educa- and their social relationships at school. robot was piloted to help homebound tor attended the all-day meeting using Traditionally, sick and homebound students have a more personalized dis- the robot’s platform. students in AACPS learn independently tance learning experience. Kelly and Malone reached out to with the help of a home and hospital The robot features a rolling base with Colleen Childs, who manages home and teacher, who meets with them approxi- a tablet on top, secured to a middle part hospital teaching for AACPS, to ask mately six hours a week. But this can be that the user can move up or down. Childs which students might want to use lonely and isolating, because students Kelly knew the robot could change the robot. Childs pointed them to Old don’t have the opportunity to talk and learning experiences for AACPS, and she Mill High School, and after sitting collaborate with their classmates. They asked to take one of the robots back to the down with Principal James Todd to also can’t participate in extracurricular district with her that day. After a few address concerns about logistics and activities such as clubs. phone calls, the company made it happen. teacher training, the plan was set in This is where the Double robot from Kelly and Patrick Malone, an motion to connect homebound student Double Robotics became invaluable for instructional technology online special- Peter Jauschnegg with the robot. a high school student battling cancer, ist, took the robot to Shady Side “Peter was at Johns Hopkins Hospital AACPS educators said. Elementary School to pilot it with a for a three-month stay at that time, and he “Using the robot allows a student to fifth-grade student who needed an ele- jumped on this very quickly when we interact with their classmates and be vated mathematics program. The stu- were asked if we would be interested,” included in activities that learning in dent could not physically attend a sixth- said Kathleen Jauschnegg, Peter’s mother. isolation at home cannot provide,” said grade math class and travel between the Marvin’s debut Stephanie Kelly, the district’s senior middle school and the elementary manager for instructional technology. school for one learning period each Malone gathered Patrick’s teachers And because the robot helps students day–but the robot made it possible, and and school counselors for training to get interact with peers, it benefits their the first pilot was a success. them comfortable speaking to and teach- mental and emotional well-being and Next, an educator in Kelly’s division ing in front of the robot. They developed makes the healing process less isolated. had a knee operation and was unable to a deployment plan to address concerns “Not being able to come to class, attend a professional development such as minute schedule adjustments that going through treatment, and having to opportunity in person. Once again, the Virtual Inclusion, page 14

This issue is sponsored by January—March 2017 • www.eSchoolNews.com 13 xirrus.com Awards Program Virtual Inclusion The full implementation went off school math class,” Malone said. without a hitch. “Network security was tested to ensure continued from page 13 “The process went very well because that security measures from Double would let Peter move the robot through the teachers he had were excellent Robotics were compatible with the dis- the hallways when they were least crowd- teachers,” Malone said. “That’s one trict’s own measures. As far as Peter ed, along with elevator access to travel to thing Old Mill has a reputation for–I’ve going through the hallways, there really classes on different floors. worked with some of his teachers and wasn’t ever an issue–the robot can run They also wanted the robot to have a they were right on board with it. They on as little as an LTE signal. We had it bit of personality. “I asked Peter to didn’t have to modify things too much.” fully connected to the wireless network. name the robot–it was going to be his,” Peter’s friends also helped ensure the With any wireless technology, unless Malone said. robot’s success. For instance, using the you have wireless boosters and trans- “I named it Marvin, after the robot elevator in the older school building mitters everywhere, there will be some from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the caused the robot to lose wireless con- dead spots, particularly in a building Galaxy,” Peter said. “It’s a funny charac- nectivity, so one of Peter’s friends car- constructed in the 1970s with more cin- ter, so I figured it’d be the right choice.” ried the robot up the steps to maintain derblock than you can imagine.” The name stuck. “Everyone refers to its connection. “We really want to thank AACPS,” Kathleen said. “This made a huge dif- ference–Peter will graduate on time. And sometimes, certain courses weren’t available online, and this way, Peter was able to keep up with certain Advanced Placement and Honors courses.” Supporting students’ social needs Peter’s mother said the robot did won- ders for Peter’s desire to see his friends. “It was so cool using it,” Peter said. “Even more, I was just looking forward to being back in class with my friends and having social interaction while still being in the protected environment of my home. At the time, because I had just received a bone marrow transplant, I had the immune system of a newborn “Using the robot allows a student to interact with baby. I could see maybe one friend at a time and I couldn’t go into big crowds.” their classmates and be included in activities that “Peter is a very social kid, and one of learning in isolation at home cannot provide,” said the problems we had due to his illness, which was over roughly a 3-year period, Stephanie Kelly, the district’s senior manager for was that he felt, and was, isolated. With Marvin, that changed,” Jauschnegg instructional technology. said. “The kids and the teachers started to see Marvin as just Peter. They forgot the robot as Marvin,” Malone said. The infrastructure to support the about the robot and just interacted with Next came a dry run through a typi- robot already existed, Malone said. Peter. It was amazing, because he cal day. Malone went to the Jauschnegg AACPS was already working to enjoyed going to school. When he was home to help Peter become familiar upgrade its infrastructure, and by the enrolled in online learning, it wasn’t with the robot’s controls and take the time Peter began using the robot, all of quite the same experience.” robot on a “driving test” through the the district’s high schools were on a “Two or three weeks into it, Kathleen district’s staff development center. fiber optic network with 10 gig speed told me that since Peter had been using “Peter’s a pretty big gamer, and he into each school. Marvin, she couldn’t remember the last understood the first-person environment “We tested the infrastructure and time he laughed or smiled as much,” really well,” Malone said. “He picked it wireless with the elementary school stu- Malone said. “When kids have the abil- up right away.” dent who used a robot for the middle Virtual Inclusion, page 15

14 January—March 2017 • www.eSchoolNews.com This issue is sponsored by xirrus.com Awards Program Virtual Inclusion “Moving from class to class gives a sense “The recognition of the individual and of normalcy to things,” Malone said. the added movement component made a continued from page 14 Before his illness rendered him huge difference, even though you might ity to work together, they learn better. homebound, Peter worked on the school not initially think it would,” Malone said. When they have the opportunity to yearbook and found a mentor in the “The robot was him, and that was the interact, they benefit.” club’s adviser. But once he was in the intent. That takes it to a level that typical Because the robot is mobile, students hospital and, later, required to stay video conferencing doesn’t reach.” aren’t restricted from group collabora- home, he was unable to participate– After word spread about Peter and tion like they might be with a traditional until the robot made it possible. Marvin, AACPS purchased additional and less flexible video conference. “One day, I surprised my friends and robots–the district now has four–with “I could still move around and join a the yearbook adviser by rolling into leftover funding and donations. Today, group. If I couldn’t see the screen from their classroom,” Peter said. Peter is in remission and is back in a certain position, I could move the “From watching him interact with the school. As class president, Peter hopes robot,” he said. “Another featured I people in his class, they seem to forget it’s to organize a fundraiser to generate used quite a bit is the ability to change a robot,” Jauschnegg said. “That made a funds for another robot. the robot’s height. I’d keep it at the low huge difference. In a video conference, At the end of the day, AACPS educa- height, and in order to ‘raise my hand’ you’re always aware of the video connec- tors didn’t select a telepresence robot in class, I’d raise its height.” tion, and you’re always aware of how for its cool factor or to make headlines. The mobility also makes for a more you’re looking at it. With the robot, stu- They did it for a simple reason–to help traditional high school experience. dents just treated it like it was Peter.” a student keep learning. eSN When virtual class time is innovative, student engagement soars

Innovation doesn’t simply involve appropriate,” Sprinkel said. “People throwing technology into a classroom. used to talk about developmentally- It requires unconventional ideas, fore- appropriate practices as though they sight, thoughtfulness, and dedication to weren’t good. But it simply means student learning. And as the world that if you teach kids the way they becomes more connected, schools are 2016 learn, they’re going to learn.” making every attempt to help students FLVS implemented a strategy develop the skills they’ll need to be a COMMUNITY CHOICE called ClassTime, which uses live part of that interconnected world. video lessons that require students In the Florida Virtual School Florida Virtual and teachers to work as a class in a (FLVS), students are learning in blended learning environment online unique ways while developing these School twice a week. Students work inde- much-needed skills through individu- pendently with their parents three alized and personalized learning Sponsored by times a week. methods, said Sarah Sprinkel, FLVS Students interact online by partici- elementary principal. pating in class discussions, sharing FLVS is one of two Community information, answering questions and Winners in the eSchool Media and Her past experience in child devel- working as a class with teachers. The Xirrus Innovate to Educate awards pro- opment involves using observations strategy keeps students engaged with gram, which recognizes the unique ways about how children learn to form stan- approaches such as voting tools, chat schools and districts are leveraging tech- dards and course requirements. FLVS boxes and breakout rooms. nology to improve student learning. leaders wanted to see if she could do In order to help students learn Sprinkel’s expertise spans 35 years that, and develop best practices, in the together and learn as much as possi- in education, and she retired more than virtual world. ble, FLVS leaders purchased cameras, once when she had what she described “I was always the go-to person writing tools, and other devices to as “a wonderful opportunity to learn who made sure the practices our make sure teachers could present what was going on in the virtual world.” teachers used were developmentally Engagement, page 16

This issue is sponsored by January—March 2017 • www.eSchoolNews.com 15 xirrus.com Awards Program

Engagement enhances the instruction students be provided for students who have receive, she said. outdated access to technology. continued from page 15 “A teacher cannot discover as For instance, if a student cannot things such as science experiments as quickly as a personalized system watch a video, alternatives are provid- well as deliver discussion-based when a child is ready to move to the ed. FLVS teachers always put the assessments online. next level,” Sprinkel said. “When the video link in the chat box for students Teachers make every effort to per- analytics allow that—wow!” to access at a later date, and it is sonalize learning for students, includ- Meeting virtual challenges included in students’ written assign- ing assignments that are individual- ments. But in case that does not work, ized and tailored to a student’s specif- As with every new initiative, teachers describe the video and/or ic needs, or breakout rooms where ClassTime didn’t come without chal- provide an alternative lesson that students gather online in smaller lenges. teaches the same concept. groups to work on assignments. Skeptics might wonder how an Ensuring success “We’ve taken the tools we have online learning program helps stu- through virtual delivery and we’ve dents work on interpersonal skills and When it comes to three components put a very high-quality teacher with develop relationships, but FLVS edu- that helped technology innovation suc- those tools, and we’ve gotten the best cators work hard to maintain those ceed at FLVS, Sprinkel said: of both worlds,” Sprinkel said. “It’s relationships with their students. • It is imperative that the attitude of amazing how the students believe the “Best practices in education, for teachers, staff, students and families teacher is talking just to them. They kindergarten, include developing rela- are that this approach will work. feel very individualized.” tionships first,” Sprinkel said. “We However, it will take adjustments Teachers also strive to incorporate know developing relationships is since it is a non-traditional delivery method. • Adequate hardware and software are also necessary so the technology used is actually available to the users. Showing a video that students are not able to view does not work. Many alternatives have to be provid- ed for students who have outdated access to technology. • We will benefit from continued innovation to better involve students in the process since many platforms do not provide enough interactives for young students. Adequate hardware and software are also Part of the initiative’s success is due to the “why” behind it, Sprinkel necessary so the technology used is actually said. “The popularity is because we available to the users. are doing what every teacher out there wants to do—we are meeting the as many modalities as possible in important. For every lesson, the first needs of students.” every lesson. “The more you can thing we do is have an engagement Establishing best practices for involve all your modalities—vision, activity—you have something to make classroom delivery at the elementary hearing, doing things in a kinesthetic sure relationships are developed.” level is an evolving process, she manner—our lessons involve many Adequate hardware and software added. modalities. That’s optimum learning,” are also necessary so the technology “We didn’t do anything with the Sprinkel said. used on the school’s end is actually idea that it was set in stone,” Sprinkel “We have some of the finest teach- available to the students. For instance, said. “Whatever our program looks like ers in the world,” she added. “They’re Sprinkel said, showing a video that in the next 10 years, it will continue to the difference makers. They’re the students can’t view due to outdated or evolve and change—but it will evolve ones who do this all the time.” absent technology on their end will and change with students, and that’s The data coming from online tools not work. Many alternatives have to what is so powerful about it.” eSN

16 January—March 2017 • www.eSchoolNews.com This issue is sponsored by xirrus.com Awards Program Looking inside classrooms can reveal surprising innovation As any educator will no doubt teachers reported that the program was agree, stepping outside of the tradi- helping them manage and troubleshoot 2016 tional classroom box can lead to inno- devices and introduce new apps and vations that result in extraordinary technology concepts to students. COMMUNITY CHOICE experiences. And sometimes, as In fact, 75 percent of teachers said Arizona’s Yuma Elementary School the program increased their comfort Yuma Elementary District One discovered, those inno- level when it comes to using available School vations are already sitting in the class- classroom technology with students. District One room, waiting to be discovered. And by the spring of 2016, iTEAM The technology-rich district has KiDS were directly supporting teach- Sponsored by always put an emphasis on ensuring ers’ Apple TV use, troubleshooting students have access to devices even Promethean interactive whiteboard before it rolled out a personalized one- and ActivInspire software issues, and to-one initiative. But educators wanted providing technology-related profes- that could directly benefit from the to take that richness to the next level. sional development. implementation of the iTEAM KiDS “The technology wasn’t always “We had a superintendent who Technology Ambassador Program. being used to its fullest potential— understood that our kids often knew We partnered them up and hit the there was a conversation about how to more [about technology] than our ground running.” ignite that change,” said Christa teachers,” said Duane Sheppard, the The first year of project funding Fairman, an educational technology district’s associate superintendent in came from 21st Century Community specialist in the district. charge of curriculum and instruction. Centers, Dodea Grants, Helios, and a “We would talk about the greatest “We had to get to this place of releas- partnership between the district, resource we have, and that’s our stu- ing that control so teachers would Yuma County, and Cisco, with all but dents,” she said. allow students to show them how to Helios continuing to fund the program The district is one of two use an app or a device. It’s a philoso- after the first year. Community Winners in the eSchool phy change. Most people got on board Students become the Media and Xirrus Innovate to Educate with it, but it’s hard to do.” teachers awards program, which recognizes Funding success the unique ways schools and districts As part of the program, students are leveraging technology to improve In addition to teacher buy-in, the participate in a district-wide PD day student learning. program needed something else to be where they lead sessions and work When educators thought about successful: funding. with teachers one-on-one. bringing technology use to a new Fairman consulted with Sheppard iTEAM KiDS members present level by tapping into the district’s and Lurinda Ward, director of learn- two 50-minute sessions that serve as biggest resource, a new idea was ing services, and then talked with a the culmination of their year training, born: the iTEAM KiDS Technology grant writer to see what could be done working with teachers and participat- Ambassador Program. to finance the program. ing in the program. The combination Through the program, elementary “We had this big, wonderful ideas of sharing information and working and middle school students help that required money,” Fairman said. directly with teachers in hands-on teachers and other students learn to “We took an inventory of grants in learning situations seems to appeal to effectively use different technology place at the time, thought about how the students, Fairman said. tools and integrate them into instruc- iTEAM KiDS could support those “Every year, kids come to me after tion, assignments and projects. The individual grant goals, and we part- they’ve completed their two sessions students work with a teacher at each nered with those grant programs to and they ask to do it again,” she said. school and build problem-solving and fund iTEAM KiDS. In the fall of Students also traveled to larger teamwork skills. 2014, the district had a series of conferences to share their program iTEAM KiDS launched in the fall of STEM grants and 21st Century and demonstrate how it works. 2014, and a year later, Fairman said Community Learning Center grants Innovation, page 18

This issue is sponsored by January—March 2017 • www.eSchoolNews.com 17 xirrus.com Awards Program

Innovation continued from page 17 “We took two of our student teams to a conference and they presented a fairly large session to teachers,” Ward said. “This is really a special thing, and it was great for them to get feed- back from other educators.” “We take tremendous pride in our iTEAM KiDS program,” Sheppard 10 Years said. “As the teachers participate in their PD, you can sense the students’ pride—it’s incredible. Our kids get to present to our school board, too, and In fact, 75 percent of teachers said the program of Innovation that experience is important.” increased their comfort level when it comes to Unexpected benefits using available classroom technology with students. 2004 In addition to helping teachers Founded by Dirk become more comfortable with tech- said. “It really helps them with their The iTEAM KiDS program was Xirrus built a company and nology and more willing to try new speaking and their self-esteem.” put into place in advance of the dis- Gates, Patrick Parker, staked its reputation on creating and Steve DeGennaro apps or tools, Fairman said the pro- Students’ soft skills are trict’s one-to-one initiative, and gram helps students develop work- because teachers reported increased a solution that supported the 2005 improving, too. place skills such as collaboration and comfort levels with technology, it also most challenging high-density Began marketing problem solving. It also helps some “They’re really learning communi- paved the way for an influx of support and selling High break out of their shells, she added. cation and leadership skills. This is an for the one-to-one initiative. Wi-Fi environments—large Density Wi-Fi “It has been a real confidence- opportunity for us to give our students “We’re on this journey together, and public venues. Today, that 2008 builder. Some of the best presenters that leadership ability and that experi- it helps perpetuate the feeling that we’re demanding and complex Presented new access point we have are our ELL students,” she ence,” Fairman said. a community of learners,” Fairman said. environment is your very own that provides up to 300Mbit/s data rate per radio enterprise, where users bring 2010 multiple devices and run almost Ranked as the 2nd Fastest Editor’s note: This story is part of the eSchool News any application imaginable. Growing Private Telecommunications 2 Innovate to Educate Awards program, sponsored by Xirrus. As the technology landscape Equipment Manufacturing Companies The awards program recognized the country’s finest evolves, Xirrus continues to 2011-13 ed-tech initiatives and offered schools and districts across pioneer powerful, versatile, Ranked #2 in Wall Street Journal’s Next Big Thing list of the Top 50 the U.S. the opportunity to showcase their groundbreaking Sponsored by forward-thinking solutions Venture-Backed companies approach to improving teaching and learning through the use of technology. that lead the industry. 2012 Made Business Insider's DIGITAL list of the 100 most valuable private tech companies About Xirrus, Inc. Xirrus is the leading provider of high-performance wireless networks. Xirrus solutions perform under the most Try us out 2012 demanding circumstances, offering consistent “wired-like” performance with superior coverage and security. Customers include Paul Hastings LLP’s 18 international offices and The Xirrus suite of Wi-Fi optimized solutions – high density access points, access points and cloud services – Get a free trial High Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospital, provide seamless connectivity and unified management across the network. Xirrus provides a vital strategic 2013 the largest acute care provider in business and IT infrastructure advantage to industries that depend on wireless to operate business-critical Performance AP and the world applications. With tens of thousands of customer solutions deployed globally, Xirrus maintains operations and Cloud Management Reached over 10,000 partnerships across the globe and is a privately held company, headquartered in Thousand Oaks, CA. customers, with products System and services sold internationally For more information, please visit: www.xirrus.com and follow us on Twitter: @Xirrus. 805-262-1600 2015 www.xirrus.com Red Herring Top 100 Hottest Technology Company Finalist 18 January—March 2017 • www.eSchoolNews.com This issue is sponsored by xirrus.com 25 10 Years of Innovation 2004 Founded by Dirk Xirrus built a company and Gates, Patrick Parker, staked its reputation on creating and Steve DeGennaro a solution that supported the 2005 most challenging high-density Began marketing and selling High Wi-Fi environments—large Density Wi-Fi public venues. Today, that 2008 demanding and complex Presented new access point environment is your very own that provides up to 300Mbit/s data rate per radio enterprise, where users bring 2010 multiple devices and run almost Ranked as the 2nd Fastest any application imaginable. Growing Private Telecommunications 2 As the technology landscape Equipment Manufacturing Companies evolves, Xirrus continues to 2011-13 pioneer powerful, versatile, Ranked #2 in Wall Street Journal’s Next Big Thing list of the Top 50 forward-thinking solutions Venture-Backed companies that lead the industry. 2012 Made Business Insider's DIGITAL list of the 100 most valuable private tech companies Try us out 2012 Customers include Paul Hastings LLP’s 18 international offices and Get a free trial High Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospital, 2013 the largest acute care provider in Performance AP and the world Reached over 10,000 Cloud Management customers, with products System and services sold internationally 2015 www.xirrus.com Red Herring Top 100 Hottest Technology Company Finalist

25 Classroom Innovations Libraries To personalize reading to the stu- for resources from a number of databas- dents, Whiting uses some of the es and get alerts for new sources. continued from page 1 library’s empty shelf space to create 6. Libraries can be makerspaces is often the best place to look for per- book displays based off themes of inter- Lastly, personalized learning is sonalizing instruction through assess- est like movies, sports, and history. She encouraged within school libraries ing, reading and making. also asked New Canaan’s teachers to through making. In the library’s maker- How Libraries are take pictures with their favorite books space, students have the ability to and hung the pictures around the library. choose what they want to create using a Personalized Learning That way, she explained, students could variety of resources; the students’ work Hotspots get book recommendations from their is then showcased on the library’s’ 1. Libraries can track unique student favorite teachers. Luhtala and Whiting Instagram as a way to demonstrate the data have also provided different spaces of effort that comes out of the makerspace. During Luhtala and Whiting’s webi- the library for different kinds of learn- Ultimately, personalizing instruction nar “Personalizing Instruction ing. “We really want them to be through the library is a “PR thing,” said Through the Library,” hosted by thoughtful about how they’re going to Luhtala. School libraries must empha- edWeb.net and sponsored by Mackin use their time in the space and choose a size with faculty and administrators the Educational Resources, the library space that suits their learning needs at crucial role that the library plays in this experts discussed how the New Canaan that moment,” said Luhtala. growing initiative. High School Library uses a database to 4. Libraries can host real-world Join the Community keep track of the work done with stu- communication dents, enabling educators to keep tabs New Canaan High School Library Emerging Tech is a free profession- on any students in need of extra help. also participates in monthly virtual al learning community (PLC) where 2. Libraries can help close learning book clubs in which students discuss school librarians can explore all the gaps books over a Google Hangout, and dif- ways to integrate technology and 21st The library also has a “text the ferent libraries take turns hosting the century learning into school library pro- library” service, which allows students chat and leading the conversation each grams. Members can post questions, to anonymously text questions to the month. start discussions, and get feedback from experts and peers on the issues and chal- lenges of building and advocating for a school library program that is a critical support for teaching and learning in your school and district. The recording of the webinar can be viewed by anyone at: http://home. edweb.net/webinar/personalizing- instruction-through-the-library/ About the Presenter Michelle Luhtala is the Library Department Chair at New Canaan High School in Connecticut and was one of five school librarians named as a “Mover and Shaker” by Library Journal in 2015. She is the winner of the 2011 “I library. The webinar presenters said 5. Libraries can harness personal- Love My Librarian” Award and the these questions help provide insight on ization through online tools Library Association’s 2010 Outstanding any instructional gaps within the class- According to the presenters, libraries Librarian Award. The New Canaan room, which the library can later give a can personalize learning for students High School Library won AASL’s lesson on. By encouraging the use of through the use of online tools. Using National School Library Program of the technology, the students can help take the free resource Mackin Classroom, year in 2010. Follow her on Twitter charge of their learning, as well as high- students can choose resources, highlight @mluhtala. eSN light what they would like to focus on sections, take notes, rate resources, and during their lessons. more. New Canaan High School also [Editor’s note: This piece is original 3. Libraries can encourage learning has a search feature on the library’s content produced by edWeb.net. View through personal interests home page where students can search more edWeb.net events here.]

20 January—March 2017 • www.eSchoolNews.com This issue is sponsored by xirrus.com Classroom Innovations iPads ignite furor in schools In Apple's backyard, a battle over digital learning tools-specifically iPads-is growing in one school district By Sharon Noguchi It’s common for districts to provide provide the devices. To ensure the pro- In the shadow of Apple Computer’s students computers or tablets for class gram’s success, they urged parents to 1 Infinite Loop headquarters, an initia- use. A small but growing number now buy the $563, 64-gigabyte iPads for tive requiring public middle schoolers require students to use those devices, or their children to use at home and at to use iPads in class and at home has their own, for homework as well. school. spawned a growing battle over educa- Few, however, specify a manufactur- In doing so, they tread carefully tion in the digital age. around state law mandating free public District officials and many teachers education and barring districts from tout the iPads as innovative learning making parents pay for required school tools. Students, it seems, are thrilled to supplies. The district hasn’t required have them. But many parents in the parents to buy them—it recommended affluent district—including some soft- that parents equip their kids. With much ware engineers, Apple employees and a negotiation, some parents have arranged brain researcher—question the benefit for their children to use laptops or even of the devices, and hundreds have paper. But parents say they feel school signed a petition to limit their use. and social pressure to go along with the They say the iPads have introduced iPad program. new worries, from privacy to video- “Nobody wants their kid to be the game distractions, sowing family dis- outlier,” said Berry. cord over screen time. And they resent About 60 percent of students at three being asked to pay hundreds of dollars middle schools use their own iPads. for school equipment that state law says Lawson Principal Kit Bragg said that no is the district’s responsibility. one is pressured into purchasing one. “iPads are entertainment devices,” er such as Apple, whose products tend But parents like Vaishnavi Sridhar, said Noemi Berry, a network engineer to cost more than devices like mother of a Lawson sixth-grader, said and mother of a Lawson Middle School Chromebooks, designed for use with Bragg indicated at a meeting that dis- seventh-grader and two other children. Google software. Bowman said they trict-owned devices were reserved for “They’re not designed for education, chose iPads because they considered needy students. and they’re very hard to restrict. I have them more durable and versatile and to “A lot of families that day went back a 12-year-old boy who has a horrible offer instructional advantages. home thinking they had to buy an iPad,” screen addiction problem.” Schools using iPads and providing Sridhar said. But so far, the iPad proponents are each student with one include Hillview Victor Leung of the American Civil winning, and soon hundreds more Middle in Menlo Park, some campuses Liberties Union’s Southern California Cupertino middle-schoolers will be in the Acalanes High School District in branch, which sued the state over expected to use iPads linking them to Lafayette, and private schools such as schools charging fees or requiring sup- their lessons, resources and the internet. Head-Royce in Oakland and plies, said that, technically, Cupertino Cupertino Union School District Archbishop Mitty in San Jose. complies with the law by offering to spokesman Jeff Bowman insists placing Cupertino’s one-to-one program has provide devices. But he added that, iPads in every middle-schooler’s hands cost the district at least $363,000 this legally, districts cannot pressure stu- has improved students’ quality of work, school year for hardware, software, dents to buy equipment and supplies. language ability, behavior and organiza- management, security and teacher train- The price tag is only a small part of tional skills, though the district has no ing. The program is in three middle some parents’ objections to the iPad quantifiable evidence of better learning. schools and expanding to two others program. Linda Wang saw her son’s He said principals talk to parents about early next year. Bond proceeds help pay grades plummet after he delightedly how to rein in excessive video- for a supply of loaner iPads for students received his own iPad. She takes the Apple Computer had no comment on whose parents do not provide them one. device with her when she leaves the Cupertino’s program, and Bowman said But school officials, who launched house, and hides it from him at night. the company didn’t influence the dis- the program three years ago at Lawson, “We cannot control his usage at all,” trict’s decision to use its product. implied it was families’ responsibility to iPads, page 25

This issue is sponsored by January—March 2017 • www.eSchoolNews.com 21 xirrus.com IT Leadership 7 signs of effective IT infrastructure Realizing full potential means making sure that employees, educators, programs, websites and applications have the best IT infrastructure possible. By Dr. Tim Harper accounts saw an immediate difference Seminole County Public Schools when response times diminished from (SCPS) ranks among the largest public over a minute to just seconds. education systems in the U.S., with Our new storage solution has afford- 67,000 students across 67 schools—and ed a number of benefits to help us con- we’re continuing to grow, adding nearly tinue to be an innovative driver in lever- 1,000 new students a year. While our aging technology in education. Some large size may seem daunting, we’ve signs of a successful storage infrastruc- been recognized at every level, from ture include: state governments all the way to the • Agile Operations and Seamless White House, for our leading role in Growth. Uniform management tools transforming education through tech- across models coupled with nondis- nology. ruptive maintenance and upgrades We’re using technology to give our have made it easy to support our ever- K-12 students greater choice in what, expanding environment. how, and where they learn by integrat- • Flexibility. A hybrid array equipped ing digital learning that supports their way, but it wasn’t enough, as our with both SSD and HDD drives helps interests. Such implementation has led resources were nearly exhausted. us leverage performance and value. to improved grades, test scores, and Complex, expensive and slow tape- Less costly, slower HDDs can be used graduation rates, and more of our stu- based backup and recovery systems also for less demanding clerical applica- dents are going on to attend college. proved difficult for our IT team to man- tions while still preserving SDDs to But our road to revolutionizing the age. It could take up to 32 hours to com- support a faster and more interactive way educators teach and how students plete full backups of our critical admin- learning environment. learn did not come without its set of istrative file server, and local restoration • Improved Application Performance. challenges. Our mission to give students required a day to clone from tape. A storage solution that optimizes appli- a leg up on the road to entering a highly Equally time-consuming were recovery cation performance has proven to be an educated workforce includes introduc- tests for off-site tapes—a plane ride was added boon. Proactively monitoring ing computer coding to kindergartners required to the contracted provider, cou- performance over time allows us to through play to providing high school pled with countless hours to simply find gauge behavior and adjust accordingly, students with impactful internships by and restore a single file. like expanding a database configura- partnering with local businesses. Without a more powerful, flexible, tion linked to a student application. Such a dedication to the growth of and efficient storage infrastructure, our • Ample Storage. A cloud-integrated student learning, across all grades and goal of furthering sustainable opera- storage appliance with the ability to ages, required an IT infrastructure that tions and scholastic excellence faced support up to 160TB of data in the could deliver the performance and significant hurdles. cloud has significantly improved our capacity needed by both physical and A Comprehensive Solution: tape backup and recovery challenges. virtual environments to drive this col- And easy integration with existing laboration and innovation. Responsiveness, backup software was key, thus Accessibility, Savings Aging IT Infrastructure Limits enabling the use of familiar tools for a A technology refresh was needed. We speedy ramp-up. Growth sought an IT storage solution that offered • Secure Backup of Data. Aligning An aging and inflexible storage area nonstop, secure data access and fast our cloud-integrated storage with our network (SAN) was holding us back application response. SCPS selected Microsoft Azure-based public cloud from realizing the full potential of digi- Greyson Technologies to implement a strategy, which currently includes tal learning and integration. District hybrid array storage platform and back- our Microsoft Office 365 business school websites were often slow, result- up-to-cloud solution from NetApp. The platform and Canvas Learning ing in frustrated users and triggering the positive impact was instantly felt. For Management System, was critical to need for support calls. We transitioned example, parents and students navigating improving data backup. Nightly e-mail to the cloud to allow some lee- the Dining Services website to fund lunch Infrastructure, page 23

22 January—March 2017 • www.eSchoolNews.com This issue is sponsored by xirrus.com IT Leadership Report: Broadband access making ‘dramatic’ progress New data reveals how schools are quickly upgrading broadband capacity, speed

By Laura Ascione teachers, every school needs a fiberop- Classroom wi-fi access increased as Managing Editor tic connection and every classroom well, Marwell noted. Eighty-eight percent of U.S. school needs a wi-fi access point,” according to “Eighty-three percent of schools districts have reached the minimum the report. “Today, estimates show 95 have what is termed ‘sufficient wi-fi,’ connectivity–100 kbps per student, as percent of schools are connected by which means they can support a one-to- recommended by the Federal fiber and 83 percent of schools report one initiative,” he said. “Back in 2013, Communications Commission–to help having sufficient wi-fi in their class- that number was only 24 percent, so students effectively use technology in rooms.” we’ve made tremendous strides putting the classroom. Internet service providers have been wi-fi in our classrooms. You have to The data comes from the second annu- crucial in upgrading K-12 schools, draw a straight line to the E-rate mod- al State of the States report from the Marwell said. By giving school districts ernization on that.” nonprofit EducationSuperHighway, more bandwidth for their budgets and Through great progress has been which analyzed 2016 FCC E-rate data extending their networks to underserved made, the report notes that more than 11 representing 10,499 school districts and schools, service providers have made million students still lack sufficient more than 38 million students. broadband significantly more afford- high-speed internet, including students According to the data, this mean that able and accessible across the country. in 3,723 schools in predominantly rural 88 percent of school districts–38 mil- In the last year, approximately 3,700 areas that lack high-speed fiber infra- lion students–are achieving the mini- school districts upgraded their band- structure. What’s more, over 15,000 mum connectivity goal. width and 40 percent of them did so at schools do not have sufficient wi-fi Thirty-four governors across the no additional cost. infrastructure in their classrooms to U.S. took bipartisan action to upgrade Broadband has become dramatically support the one-to-one initiatives. their schools in 2016, with 5 states con- more affordable for schools, with the Districts that do not meet the FCC’s necting 100 percent of their students to cost of internet access falling 40 per- 100 kbps per student minimum thresh- high-speed broadband. cent, from $11.78 per Mbps in 2015 to old pay 2.3 times more for their band- “It’s really a tribute to the gover- just $7 per Mbps nationally today. width than districts meeting the FCC nors–they recognize that this is a foun- Fifteen percent of school districts goal, while those meeting the 2018 goal dational issue for their schools,” said now have enough broadband–1 Mbps of 1 Mbps per student pay 60 percent Evan Marwell, CEO of per student–to support innovative digi- less than those at 100 kbps per student, EducationSuperHighway. “To deliver tal learning opportunities for all of their the report notes. eSN high-speed broadband to students and students. Infrastructure been able to achieve a 15-to-1 data does not happen overnight and requires reduction ratio in our backup-to-cloud both dedication and keeping up with continued from page 22 environment. Such resource conserva- and implementing the latest technologi- backups of critical data are automati- tion enables us to further stretch stor- cal advancements. Only a robust data cally synced to Azure at an 80% age resources and reduce monthly storage and backup-to-cloud solution faster rate than with tape, all the cloud storage costs, even as all envi- could keep our over 40 departments while keeping data encrypted both in ronments continue to grow. productive, ranging from Digital flight and at rest. And recovery times Our goal at SCPS is to help students Learning and Dining Services to Payroll for entire datasets to single files have realize their full potential. We can better and Security. And the benefits and sav- gone from days and hours to minutes achieve that by making sure that our ings generated from such a solution and seconds. over 10,000 employees and educators only paves the way for more IT • Reduced Risk. Removing the need across multiple departments, programs, enhancements, as SCPS is poised to for tape backups has improved recov- websites and applications have the best take our progressive academic strategy ery time and led to a reduced risk pro- technology at their disposal to support to the next level. eSN file; our risk factors have decreased that mission. between two-and tenfold. Becoming a premier educational sys- Dr. Tim Harper is the CIO at Seminole • Resources are Maximized. SCPS has tem and a national model of excellence County Public Schools.

This issue is sponsored by January—March 2017 • www.eSchoolNews.com 23 xirrus.com Classroom Innovations 5 questions to answer about OER use By Laura Ascione instruction inside a district. making it easy for the teacher,” Schad Managing Editor To achieve that culture change, each said. “Making it streamlined means they As open educational resources (OER) support department within a district have a lot of resources in the learning grow in popularity, school leaders are must understand its role in making that object repository at their disposal.” tasked with identifying the best way to change happen, which is something 4. What should districts keep in find, organize and use these resources. Schad said his district aspires to do. mind as they choose digital resources? But that process can be overwhelm- Technology departments should “Too much can be overwhelming for ing, to say the least. As a result, many focus on reliable, scalable networks; teachers and principals,” Lathan said. education leaders rely on best practices curriculum departments should ensure “We streamline content into a one-stop and success stories from other districts digital resources are aligned to and fit shop. We’re making sure it’s not over- to guide the process. into the district’s instructional strategy, whelming.” During a CoSN webinar focused on and school leaders should strive to “Always keep that end user in mind using effective OER use, a panel of edu- ensure the culture change is successful. when it comes to what you’re providing cators shared their experiences and 2. How do you break silos between and how they’re going to use it,” Schad offered insight on OER’s impact on the instructional and technology said. “Look at how content is going to education. Here, we’ve gathered their departments? be displayed in your object repository. responses to critical questions on OER Cross-departmental collaboration is Different providers will give you their use and implementation. key, said Grenita Lathan, chief academic content in different ways. It’s about 1. How does shifting to digital officer with Houston ISD. “We work coming up with what your expectations resources change teaching and together as a team, and as team members are for the content and how it will sit learning? we hold each other accountable. We meet inside your system and be used.” “It changes it dramatically,” said regularly and align our tasks,” she said. “One thing to keep in mind is that it’s Andrew Marcinek, chief information “There has to be a level of under- going to take time,” Marcinek said. officer at Worcester Academy. “I think standing around what can be done “We’re still in the infancy of this shift. the entire shift in pedagogy is something today, and then developing a roadmap We’re changing the medium by which we’re looking at here, in ways in which to the future,” Schad said. “We make we deliver content, we’re taking the we incorporate project-based learning, sure expectations are aligned. We will pedagogical framework and flipping it competency-based models and blended not be successful unless we work on its head. This is a mindset shift and a models.” Once those models and philoso- together. Communication really is the cultural shift.” phies are established, the next step is to key to this–it’s repurposing people’s 5. How do you combine digital shift to the digital resources that support responsibilities, changing roles, and resources from different sources, those models, he said. continually evaluating your processes.” especially combining OER and pro- “This is also a reexamination of what “Technology and instruction should prietary resources? a teacher is in a classroom. More of a never be disparate and should never be Having the right learning management facilitator of learning. OER really allow seen as different entities,” said Marcinek. system (LMS) can help educators manage. for that to happen, and also allow students “The focus should always be on learning. “Our LMS helps us search and rate to explore more resources that are rele- There’s never a way in which you make resources so teachers can sort through the vant and at their levels,” Marcinek said. technology the center of anything. We’re learning objects we have,” Lathan said. “The shift to digital resources by itself is looking at learning–period.” “Teachers want a good resource that’s not a strategy,” said Lenny Schad, chief 3. Who should be involved in aligned to standards,” Schad said. “The technology information officer in the selecting digital resources? integration of proprietary resources ver- Houston ISD. “This is a part of the jour- “Almost every stakeholder in a school sus OER can vary dramatically. I think ney, and so without the proper support, should be involved in this decision and in the focus has to be what the resources are both from a technology perspective, a the strategic planning for the curation, that you’re bringing into the system, and curriculum and leadership perspective, organization, and implementation of how they’ll be leveraged and used inside and also from the student side–how do OER,” Marcinek said. He added that the the ecosystem.” [these groups] get used to using and U.S. Department of Education’s Go Open “I think teachers want high-quality, learning with digital textbooks when they district launch packet offers resources efficient resources, and resources they can used to have paper textbooks?” and examples from other districts that are have autonomy to adapt and personalize to OER’s impact on teaching and learn- scaling up OER use and moving away how their students will learn,” Marcinek ing is part of a bigger issue, namely a from traditional textbooks. said. “That’s the key point–are we creating strategy for changing the culture of “At the end of the day, this is about new efficiencies for our educators?” eSN

24 January—March 2017 • www.eSchoolNews.com This issue is sponsored by xirrus.com iPads child’s iPad work. A third said it had Teaching improved their kids’ attitude toward continued from page 21 school. The district plans to form a task continued from page 6 Wang said. Her family, which moved force to review its educational technol- ing the semester.” into the district last year, is now con- ogy use; meanwhile, it’s expanding its By the end of the course, Malan’s stu- sidering leaving out of frustration over iPads-for-all program to Cupertino and dents who might never previously have the iPad. “I regret so much moving to Miller middle schools. seen a line of code become problem Cupertino,” she said. But a handful of parents, like Hua designers. Not only that, many are For some instructors, however, the Zhong at Lawson, have arranged for inspired to go beyond the curriculum. devices have transformed teaching. their children to use a district-owned “Every week, he would say: If you Andi Jackson, who teaches eighth- iPad while at school. Those devices get what we’re doing here, you can eas- grade English and social studies at don’t come home. An online petition is ily translate it to other things,” Dan says. Lawson, said iPads offer students mul- asking the Cupertino district to stan- “You can go out and learn anything tiple avenues to show what they’ve dardize that practice, providing iPads else.” learned. for students and keeping them in the I think that should be the goal of “Before the iPad,” Jackson said, classroom. It has attracted more than every teacher. Getting students to regur- “there was basically one way—write 650 signatures. gitate what the teacher says is easy. But an essay and turn it in.” Lawson parent Vidya Sundaresan teaching them how to think and con- Peter Chu, a software executive opted her son out of the iPad program struct new knowledge and design their whose 15-year-old daughter, Ashley is altogether. She and her husband, both own increasingly complex problems— a ninth-grader at Cupertino High scientists, have seen no proof that that’s what education should be. School, sees the iPad as a phenomenal iPads improve learning and worry the Perhaps we have underutilized a education tool that’s “creative, engag- devices could increase risk of very powerful idea that we have had for ing and appropriate for this day and ergonomic problems and eye strain. decades. Maybe we need more learning age.” Parent Carrie O’Leary shares their fairs across the curriculum. When stu- Ashley said her classes at Lawson, concern. dents present their work to the public, where teachers embraced the iPads “I’m not against Apple products at there is a different sense of excitement were her favorites. One of her memo- all,” added O’Leary, whose husband is and motivation than sitting for a final rable assignments was creating a video an Apple engineer. “I just want sensi- exam. eSN explaining how paleontology proves ble policy.” eSN evolution. Alan November is the founder of “Making a story about an event lets ©2016 the San Jose Mercury News edtech consulting firm November me better remember that,” she said. (San Jose, Calif.). Visit the San Jose Learning. Join Alan in Boston July 26-28 Of about 180 Lawson parents who Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.) at for his 2017 Building Learning responded to a district survey last year, www.mercurynews.com. Distributed by Communities edtech conference. just under half said they valued their Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

eSchool News covers the intersection of technology and innovation in education. We focus on how technology can help educators improve learning and deliver instruction more effectively, enhance the student experience, and transform their schools.

CEO Rob Morrow [email protected] eSchool News ISSN: 1098-0814 is produced 4 times a year. Vice President, Online Products & Services 7920 Norfolk Ave., Suite 900 • Bethesda, MD 20814 Nancy David [email protected] Phone: (301) 913-0115 • Fax: (301) 913-0119 eMail: [email protected] Editorial Director Meris Stansbury [email protected] Home Page: www.eschoolnews.com Managing Editor, Content Services All rights reserved; reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Opinions Laura Devaney [email protected] expressed in articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of eSchool News Creative Director Chris Hopson [email protected] or eSchool Media Inc. ©2017 by eSchool News. Education Marketing & Media Strategist The cost for a subscription in the U.S. is $120/year, Mexico or Canada $158/year, all other countries Stephanie Ciotola [email protected] $196/year. Please enclose a bank draft or international money order in U.S. dollars. Back issues of MF Harmon [email protected] eSchool News are available for $15 each. Marketing Services Manager For reprint permission contact: [email protected] Janice Budai [email protected] Periodical Postage paid at Bethesda, Md., and at additional mailing offices. Sales Administrator Lee Calloway [email protected] POSTMASTER SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO Director of IT Vincent Carlson [email protected] eSchool News, Circulation Department, 7920 Norfolk Ave., Suite 900 Bethesda, MD 20814 Web Comm. Specialist Jeffrey Festa [email protected] Co-Founder Larry Siegelman 1954–2002

This issue is sponsored by January—March 2017 • www.eSchoolNews.com 25 xirrus.com