3.2 Managing Digital Tools and Resources
Candidates effectively manage digital tools and resources within the context of student learning experiences. (PSC 3.2/ISTE 3b)
Candidates effectively manage digital tools and resources within the context of student learning experiences. (PSC 3.2/ISTE 3b)
Reflection
As the instructional technology coach, the management of school-purchased devices was a large part of my job. This document reflects our decision to empower grade-levels with the management of their devices. Instead of spending a large amount of money to purchase management software and relying on one person to manage the devices, the devices were assigned to grade levels. This device signup sheet is a Google spreadsheet that I helped the fourth grade team develop after they received twenty Google Nexus tablets.
This document represents a concerted effort to empower teachers to use mobile devices to best support student learning. Classroom teachers shouldn’t have to wait to download an app if they need it for their lesson. The sign-up sheet helps maintain equitable access instead of a situation where the tablets seem to always be located in one teacher’s classroom. This effective management of digital tools ensures that students will have access to technology when they need it most for their learning.
When designing this document, we initially decided to leave the sign-up sheet open to any fourth-grade teacher to sign up for as many spots as possible. In retrospect, this decision led to a few teachers signing up well in advance for several time slots for the devices, leaving other teachers who only planned a week in advance unable to access the mobile devices for learning. In the future, I would only open the sign-up sheet for a few weeks at a time or limit the number of weekly slots that a teacher could sign up for.
This document served as a way to model for other grade levels that developed less-equitable sharing plans. The fourth-grade team presented their sign-up method at a school leadership team, resulting in two other grade-level teams adopting similar methods. The effectiveness of this artifact could be assessed through student and teacher surveys focusing on access to technology, as well as through tabulating the time slots to calculate the percentage of time that devices were in use.
This document represents a concerted effort to empower teachers to use mobile devices to best support student learning. Classroom teachers shouldn’t have to wait to download an app if they need it for their lesson. The sign-up sheet helps maintain equitable access instead of a situation where the tablets seem to always be located in one teacher’s classroom. This effective management of digital tools ensures that students will have access to technology when they need it most for their learning.
When designing this document, we initially decided to leave the sign-up sheet open to any fourth-grade teacher to sign up for as many spots as possible. In retrospect, this decision led to a few teachers signing up well in advance for several time slots for the devices, leaving other teachers who only planned a week in advance unable to access the mobile devices for learning. In the future, I would only open the sign-up sheet for a few weeks at a time or limit the number of weekly slots that a teacher could sign up for.
This document served as a way to model for other grade levels that developed less-equitable sharing plans. The fourth-grade team presented their sign-up method at a school leadership team, resulting in two other grade-level teams adopting similar methods. The effectiveness of this artifact could be assessed through student and teacher surveys focusing on access to technology, as well as through tabulating the time slots to calculate the percentage of time that devices were in use.