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Traci's session was jam-packed with information. The session wasn't as "fun" as some of the other workshops because we weren't learning about exciting new tools to use with our students, but the topic is incredibly important, and I hope that I will be in a leadership role within my district at some point to help make some of these decisions.
- What did you think was valuable? Why
I enjoyed the assignment that Traci gave us. There was not a whole lot of guidance. We were tasked with researching a district's decision to go 1:1 and outline a recommendation considering budget, student use, technology requirements (WiFi / configuration), implementation and deployment. Our cohort produced a slide deck stating the problem and then we pooled resources on separate tabs with the questions: What to consider? How will we execute? What will it cost? Who should we talk to? I thought our group did a great job reading through the material Traci provided and making sense of it. I also loved the pedagogy she was modeling with this format of instruction. While she was there to confer, provide guidance and point out things we overlooked, it was not direct instruction. I know I felt a bit uncomfortable at the beginning , as did some of my peers, but this is what we are moving towards in our own classrooms. I thought it was valuable to put ourselves in our students shoes with this activity. The resources curated on the slide will be helpful as I continue to promote technology in my district and encourage other teachers to innovate their teaching practice.
- Will the discussion change any of your teaching practices? How?
Even though I don't understand it all, I am more aware of big picture challenges that technology departments face when it comes to security, privacy, maintenance, support, and managing programs/apps. Perhaps I will be more patient... even though I still want what is best for my students in their hands yesterday!
- What do you think is worth sharing with colleagues?
I will be sharing the list of apps that Traci provided from the Cupertino Union School District with my peers and principal: LINK HERE
It is great that someone has already created a list of popular classroom apps and vetted their privacy policies and provided links to their privacy policies. They also have a parent authorization template if particular apps require parent authorization.
- What are you inspired to do, think, etc..
This session has provided me with an overview of how decisions like technology purchasing and deployment are made at the district level. It is easy to think at the classroom level about what would work and how tools can be best utilized to enhance student learning, but this workshop gave me the big picture and forced me to think at a higher level about the logistics and considerations when making big decisions for a school site or district, like deciding to go 1:1.
I also realize that in my eagerness to get students online to create and collaborate, I have not thought as much about policies, privacy and consent as I should have. I thought this was a valuable video with some tips on how to proceed when you have a new app you want to try with students.
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