Keep these tips top of mind during your edtech search: Just because tools are pretty doesn’t mean they correlate to academic achievement. Student engagement with a product does not equal learning. Research should inform any edtech selection.
Presented by Maya Gat, Former Educator, Current Co-Founder and CEO, Branching Minds; Vic Vuchic, Chief Strategy Officer, Digital Promise; Dr. Ann White, Associate Superintendent for Student Services, Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District (NC); and Dr. Eva Dundas, Chief Product Officer, Branching Minds
As highlighted in the EmpowerED Superintendent Toolkit, there are three essential focus points of smart IT decision making: total cost of ownership (TCO), student outcomes and budgeting management, and the value of the investment. In “Leadership Strategies for Scaling, Sustaining, and Budgeting for Education Technology Innovations,” three education leaders discuss critical strategic technology planning and investments implemented in their districts to scale and sustain long-term innovation effectively.
As school districts continue to amass large amounts of data about students, teachers, and educational resources each year, using the data in ways that lead to effective decisions and inform stakeholders has become increasingly important.
Presented by Jim Larimore, Chief Officer for Equity in Learning, Riiid Labs; Madison Jacobs, Co-Founder, The EdTech Equity Project; and Vic Vuchic, Chief Innovation Officer, Digital Promise Global, and Executive Director, Digital Promise Learner Variability Project (LVP)
Moderated by Barbara A. Pape, Director of Policy and Communications, Learner Variability Project, Digital Promise
Presented by Dr. Julie A. Evans, Chief Executive Officer, Project Tomorrow; and Monica Cougan, Manager, Strategic Relationships and Initiatives, ENA and CatchOn
Presented by Erin Mote, Co-founder and Executive Director, InnovateEDU; Dan Cogan-Drew, Co-founder and Chief Academic Officer, Newsela; Diane W. Doersch, Director of Technology, Verizon Innovative Learning Schools Program, Digital Promise; and Dr. Courtney Teague, Director of Professional Learning Content and Learner Experience, Verizon Innovative Learning Schools Program, Digital Promise Global
Moderated by Sierra Noakes, Research Project Director, Lifelong Learning Pathways, Digital Promise
While educators and school district administrators have grown used to reviewing assessment results and other forms of student data, they may not yet be looking at newer and increasingly important metrics such as online engagement, trending use of apps, and the return on investments in software.
Schools and districts can continue to benefit from the federal government’s stimulus dollars through the American Rescue Plan (ARP) of 2021, the third iteration of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER). These monies could drive the design of transformational initiatives with the potential for long-term impact.
Presented by Carl Hooker, Educator and Author, HookerTech, LLC; Doug Mesecar, Former EdTech Senior Executive and U.S. Department of Education Deputy Chief of Staff; and Harrison Parker, Vice President of Operations, NetRef