Education Week - June 4, 2020 - 18

digital textbooks and "give assignments through Schoology," a learning management system, Vitti said.
Even though there's a sense of urgency to roll the devices into the mix faster, waiting will enhance "buy in and
implementation," he said.

'Spray and Pray' Approach Doesn't Work
Back about 20 years ago, when Wilson, the co-founder
of the nonprofit One-to-One Institute, started evangelizing for the idea of putting a laptop in the hands of every
student, she said superintendents and district officials
were loath to spend money on technology for the classroom.
But as districts warmed to technology, Wilson said they
started buying laptops with no idea how to effectively use
them. She called it the "spray and pray" model: "They
spray every kid some type of device and pray that some

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Make sure your district's
computer networks are
fully prepared to support
new devices. That could
mean increasing
bandwidth or access
points in school
buildings.
To maximize what
mobile devices can
provide district officials
from a data-mining
perspective, consider
investing in dashboards
or software that track
and provide metrics on
student progress.
A school district's chief
academic officer and
chief technology officer
should be in constant
communication. This
way there's cohesiveness
between tech purchases
and classroom
curriculum.
Buying devices requires
more than upfront
money. Consider and
project future budget
costs appropriately for
device maintenance and
upgrades.
Try leveraging ideas
about device usage
from a working group
of district officials,
principals, teachers, and
even students that can
provide continual input
on what is and what is
not working.
Teacher training is
paramount. Professional
development must
emphasize using tech
tools that allow teachers
and students to unlock
the learning power of
mobile devices. It is best
if this training happens
well in advance of a
device rollout.

Getty

18 |

meaningful learning happens."
That approach, for instance, was taken in the Los Angeles schools several years ago and resulted in a colossal
failure and a huge waste of money and time.
To avoid that kind of mess, districts need to plan ahead
before moving to 1-to-1, she said-everything from network infrastructure to device selection to finances for
maintenance and upgrades to teacher training. Failing to
do so, Wilson warns, will result in a "randomized roll out
that can cause a myriad of problems."
On the flipside of a 1-to-1 computing district, there are
school districts still without enough devices for students
to do tech-driven, remote learning. Those districts are
relying on packets and worksheets, but that doesn't necessarily mean students are falling behind, Wilson said.
Elizabeth Keren-Kolb, a clinical associate professor
of education technology at the University of Michigan,
agrees, saying that students in districts lacking devices
aren't in an ideal situation but can still make the most of
what's available without losing ground.
"Packets and workbooks aren't necessarily less than
digital devices. Half the applications online are just doing
things from workbooks," said Keren-Kolb, who is currently surveying K-12 teachers, parents, and students
about their experiences with remote learning.

Helping 'Students in Need'
Coming up with the cash to pay for new devices has
been one of the biggest challenges. The school district in
Detroit is able to accelerate its 1-to-1 ambitions based on
a $23 million philanthropic gift. At the San Antonio Independent School District, officials are hoping to recoup the
$6.1 million cost of its acquisition of 30,000 laptops by
floating a bond election in November.
But in Pittsburgh, more than 7,000 of the district's
23,000 students did not have access to a device when distance learning started in mid-April. So the district took to
raising money online. About a month later, the shortage
still was about 4,000 devices, said Ted Dwyer, the district's chief accountability officer and interim CTO.
"This is not a 1-to-1 approach. If we can secure funds,
we're going to do that as soon as possible," said Dwyer,
noting that the district had purchased about 5,000 devices following school closures but was still waiting for
the bulk of that order to arrive. "Right now, we are trying
to get devices in the hands of students in need," he said.
Aleesia Johnson, superintendent of the Indianapolis
school district, said her district is planning to use federal
stimulus money mostly to pay for 21,000 new devices and
up to 9,000 WiFi hotspots that will bring the district up
to a 1-to-1 computing ratio. But those devices won't arrive until July, leaving the district short on tech tools for
the time being. Johnson said IPS also resorted to online
fundraising to help cover some device and hotspot costs.
"When I look at Twitter or what I hear from calls with
other superintendents," she said, "it's clear folks are trying to leverage community resources or any resources
possible to any extent to pay for devices." n

Education Week - June 4, 2020

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