Hutto ISD Purposeful Use of Technology
From personalized learning with instant feedback to virtual reality field trips and simulations, technology has provided experiences in the classroom that were once unimaginable or incredibly difficult to achieve.
While technology brings numerous benefits to education, technology is only as effective as its use in the classroom. Technology use should be used at the right time, in the right way, and for the right purpose.
By following educational theory and practice, technology can have more purpose and help generate more positive outcomes (Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning, 2020).
Purposeful Use of Technology...
is used for rigorous activities and practice NOT rote drills or general entertainment.
is aligned with TEKS and educational best practices
balances consumption, creativity, and critical thinking
makes thinking visible by allowing students to show what they know
enables student ownership of their learning
helps shift the cognitive load - The person doing the work is the person doing the learning.
How Much Screen Time is Too Much?
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have helpful guidelines for limiting screen time for young kids, but the reality is, there's no magic number that's just right for every child. What's important is the quality of kids' content, how your kids engage with it, and balancing their time with and without screens in ways that are healthy and support their development.
Simply calling all device use "screen time" can miss some important differences. Common Sense research studies identify four main categories of screen time:
Passive: mindlessly watching videos or shows, scrolling, on autopilot
Interactive: playing games, problem-solving
Communication: video-chatting, using social media ​
Content creation: making digital art or music, coding
Clearly, there are a lot of differences between these activities. And as valuable as many of them can be, it's still important for kids' overall healthy development to balance their lives with enriching experiences away from screens.
Technology in the
Hutto ISD Common Instructional Framework
Hutto ISD Common Instructional Framework
Three planning questions to consider before adding technology to a lesson:
How does the technology tool support student understanding of the core standard(s)?
How will you ensure that the technology tool does not overshadow, mask, or otherwise draw the focus away from core standard(s)?
How does the technology tool allow students to do their work in better or different ways that would otherwise be impossible?
Hutto ISD LMS
To help keep digital activities and assignments in one consistent place for students, the district expectation is to use the designated district Learning Management System (LMS) for all applicable digital assignments and activities.
