Becoming a Future Ready School District should begin with access to technology for every student and teacher. Without access to technology, Future Ready is abstract and theoretical.
The price tag for classroom technology has significantly decreased over time as schools can now provide devices for students for as little as $50 per student, per year. Today, providing access to technology in schools is less about money and more about vision and leadership.
I recently attended a workshop where I overheard a school leader brag about his teachers needing to “apply” for classroom technology before being considered for it. I’m curious to what that application would look like. Would it read something like this?
Please find it in your heart to provide my classroom with technology so I can help my students become relevant in our global and connected society.
I'm curious to know who sits on the application review committee? I’m also interested in how the rejection letter reads, maybe…
Thank you for your application for classroom technology, unfortunately, your students will remain unconnected and disenfranchised for another year.
If schools agree that today’s students must be prepared to thrive in a constantly evolving technological landscape by becoming empowered learners, digital citizens, knowledge constructors, innovator designers, conceptual thinkers, creative communicators, and global collaborators as laid out in the ISTE Student Standards, then how can they expect students to meet those standards without access to technology?
Furthermore, how can teachers personalize student learning as visible in the Future Ready Framework without access to technology that will allow them to connect the curriculum to students’ interests, provide students with tools to monitor their progress, create more flexible learning environments, and connect learning to real-world applications?
Access to technology does not guarantee a fundamental shift in the teaching and learning process as other variables, including curricula and parent involvement have a large impact as well. But technology cannot have an impact if students and teachers do not have access to it in the first place.