Evaluating Current State

Evaluating Current State of Virtual Instruction and Educational Technology

at Black River Middle School

Start

By: Sean McQueeney

Technology can be a powerful tool for transforming learning. It can help affirm and advance relationships between educators and students, reinvent our approaches to learning and collaboration, shrink long-standing equity and accessibility gaps, and adapt learning experiences to meet the needs of all learners.

U.S. Department of Education - National Education Technology Plan

National Education Technology Plan

2017

National Education Technology Plan

Goal

Set a national vision and plan for learning enabled by technology through building on the work of leading education researchers; district, school, and higher education leaders; classroom teachers; developers; entrepreneurs; and nonprofit organizations.

Key Areas

Leadership

Assessment

Infrastructure

Learning

Teaching

Teaching with Technology

Creating a Culture and Conditions for Innovation and Change

Measuring for Learning

Enabling Access and Effective Use

Engaging and Empowering Learning Through Technology

Virtual Instruction and Educational Technology at Black River Middle School

Five Key Criteria

Learning

1. Blended Learning
2. Project-Based Learning
3. Agency in Learning
4. Building Non-Cognitive Competencies
5. Fostering Growth Mindset

Blended Learning Techniques at BRMS

• Flipped classrooms
• Station rotation/jigsawing
• Fishbowl discussions/debates
• Flipgrid discussions
• Google Expeditions
• Breakout rooms/puzzles

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Project-Based Learning at BRMS

• Digital comic strips/cartoons
• Adobe Spark videos
• Google Sites
• Sutori timelines
• Creation of e-books
• Creation of skits/movies
• Creation of podcasts and song parodies

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Five Key Criteria

Teaching

1. Authentic Learning
2. Teach to Lead: Developing Teachers as Leaders
3. Deepening Student Understanding
4. Technology-Enabled Environments
5. Embracing the Unconference: Going to Edcamp

Deepening Student Understanding at BRMS

• Pear Deck
• NearPod
• EdPuzzle
• Google Expeditions
• Breakout EDU
• GimKit

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Technology Enabled Environments at BRMS

• 1:1 chromebooks
• SMART Panels
• Okio Cameras
• VR Headsets
• Q-Ball
• Flight simulator
• Technology coaches

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Five Key Criteria

Leadership

1. Collaborative Leadership
2. Personalized Student Learning
3. Robust Infrastructure
4. Personalized Professional Learning
5. Budgeting and Funding for the Transition to Digital Learning

Collaborative Leadership at BRMS

• Teacher created curriculum
• Principal-Student Roundtable
• Parent Roundtable
• Input on technology purchases
• Technology classes for parents
• Community grants

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Budgeting and Funding for the Transition to Digital Learning at BRMS

• District-wide technology subscriptions
• Teacher requested technology subscriptions
• Digital textbooks
• Digital magazine subsciptions
• 1:1 Chromebooks
• Upgraded SMART Panels
• Okio Cameras

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Five Key Criteria

Assessment

1. Enable Enhanced Question Types
2. Provide Real-Time Feedback
3. Embedded with the Learning Process
4. Assess for Ongoing Learning
5. Continuous Improvement of Assessments

"As technology gives us the capability to improve on long-standing assessment approaches, our public education system has a responsibility to use the information we collect during assessment in ways that can have the greatest impact on learning. This means using assessments that ask students to demonstrate what they have learned in meaningful ways. And students and parents know there is more to a sound education than picking the right answer on a multiple-choice question or answering an extended-response question outside of the context of students’ daily lives. All learners deserve assessments that better reflect what they know and are able to do with that knowledge.

NETP 2017 (U.S. Department of Education, 2017, p. 55)

Providing Real-Time Feedback at BRMS

• Google Workspace for Education
• Google Forms
• GoFormative
• GoGuardian
• Socrative

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Continuous Improvement of Assessments at BRMS

G-Suite applications, Go Formative, and Socrative all allow for teachers to easily update and improve their assessments based on data and student needs.

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Five Key Criteria

Infrastructure

1. Connectivity at School
2. Connectivity at Home
3. Powerful Learning Devices
4. High-Quality Digital Learning Content
5. Device and Network Management

Connectivity at BRMS

All students receive a Chromebook in grades K, 3, and 6 that they can use during school. Each school has high-speed internet access and technicians on site.

Connectivity at Home

All students at Black River Middle School are encouraged to bring their Chromebooks home at the end of each day. If a student does not have internet access at home, the district will provide that student with a high-speed hot spot.

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Best Practice Recommendations

Learning

Teaching

Leadership

Building Nonprofit Partnerships: Code in the Schools Helps Schools Build Computer Science Capacity

Helping Parents Navigate a Technological World: A Resource for Making Informed Technology Decisions

Building Digital Literacy in Teaching: University of Rhode Island (URI)

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Assessment

Infrastructure

Recognizing Digital Literacy Skills: Assigning Micro-Credentials

Taking Service Everywhere: Texas Library Goes All Digital

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Conclusion

Black River Middle School

Overall Rating

Overall, the Chester School District and Black River Middle School are ahead of the curve when it comes to the National Education Technology Plan. Although the district and school rank well in all criteria two areas they can improve are personalized professional development and giving students more agency in their learning.

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References:U.S. Department of Education. (2017, January). Reimagining the Role of Technology in Education: 2017 National Education Technology Plan Update. https://tech.ed.gov/netp/