Helping Teachers Manage a 1:1 Computing Environment

GL121 2011Michael Vaseymvasey@dyknow.com  

Compliments of DyKnow

So Who Are You?

• Work for DyKnow software• Technology created by a teacher• In touch with teachers and students

– 98% of our business is in education– 85% customer retention rate

• Have 200 1:1 school customers• Selected local customers

– Hartford Union– Waukesha – DePere– Twin City Catholic– Northside College Prep (CPS)

1:1? “Oh No!”

• Typical teacher has two big concerns– 1) Will I lose control?– 2) Will I have to change?

• Teachers need a bridge– From pencil/paper or even from IWB “sage” to

a “guide” or learning facilitator– 1:1 is too expensive for students NOT to be

leading some of their own learning

From “Sage” to “Guide”

• Remind teachers to set clear expectations – This applies regardless of tech or no tech– Be familiar with district discipline guidelines

• Discuss research on student-centric approach– O2O Institute / Project RED / State of Maine 1:1

• It’s all about culture– 1:1 amplifies existing pedagogy/tendencies– Give teachers an incentive to practice

From “Sage” to “Guide”

• Support structure– Reminder: goal is not to replace teachers with

computers!– Reevaluate staff headcount

• Reduce teaching load and add instructional tech responsibilities

• Helpdesk – how available are they?

– Can students play a role?

Using Technology Helps

• Get teachers away from the front– May have to re-think IWBs, esp in high school– Make projectors wireless– Do training where teachers are in student role

• Break up lecture with bursts of interaction• See how many learner styles you can hit

– Auditory, visual, kinesthetic, etc

• Ask students questions in different ways– Digital poll, anonymous submissions, chat, after

class comments on LMS, etc

DyKnow Monitor?

• Once devices are out there• Gives teachers a bird’s eye view of student

computer screens• Allows teachers to limit student apps or

browsers or specific sites• Reclaims student attention and instructional time• End goal: allow teacher to push their teaching

strategy to the next level…then let DyKnow Monitor fade into the background

Case Study: Alvarado ISD

• 750 student netbooks – middle school• 40% teacher adoption first semester• 90% adoption after DyKnow Monitor deployed• “DyKnow really removed that barrier many of our

teachers were having with the computers.”• “All of the software we tested failed miserably in

our wireless environment except for DyKnow Monitor. It scaled the way we needed it to and it didn’t eat up bandwidth.

Let’s back up…bonus!

• What about general 1:1 best practices?– Some for teachers– Superintendents– IT– Community– Academic administration – Finance

1:1 Results are Real• Really can affect learning/student outcomes• Project RED

– 1:1 schools with good implementation* outperform all other schools in test scores, grad rates, dropout reduction, discipline reduction, paper reduction

– Lots more* at www.projectred.org

• https://sites.google.com/site/iowa1to1/about/why• www.aalf.org • www.laptopinstitute.com• 6 current US states have statewide initiatives

Planning a 1:1

• Ask the hardware question LAST1. “What learning outcomes do we want?”

2. “What can we afford?”

3. “In light of this, which technologies are best?”

• Don’t rush it!– The best programs plan for 6+ months– They have infrastructure ready– Then have teacher laptops ONLY for 6+ months– Then bring on student devices in waves

• Engage a professional (ask for references)

Teacher and PD Tips

• Greatest factor of 1:1 success is teacher buy-in• Go to vocal teachers and make it their idea• Send them to Laptop Institute in Memphis• Dangle a carrot to get them to attend training• Let them try laptop teaching in similar

environment (carts/labs/curricular software) before students get laptops

• Give them 1-on-1 in class ongoing support after all laptops are deployed

Community Buy-In

• Do a community laptop survey• Many parents buy kids a laptop anyway so just

need to get to them early• Hold parent nights (let them ask all their questions)• Be clear on your learning objectives and how they

require a certain type of technology• Ask vendors and other 1:1 schools to help with

rationale and messaging

Standard vs. BYOD• Standardized laptop = less risk, more research

– Instructional consistency for teachers, greater adoption– Negotiate more from vendors– Eliminates social factor “haves and have nots”– Fast support turnaround with self-funding helpdesk

• BYOD considerations– Less $$ out of district pocketbook– Ensure that the mixed technology environment doesn’t

work against instructional goals– Define teacher expectations in light of 15 different

laptops/OS in the classroom– Decide on the acceptable laptop “uptime” / support

IT• Get a professional to do wireless site survey• Increase bandwidth (i.e. 25 MB+ for 500 devices)• Upgrade security / content filter• Consider your helpdesk model

– If BYO, can we touch student-owned devices?– What is the acceptable repair turnaround time?– Students = free resource and “cool IT certification”

School Administration• Central IT shouldn’t undermine authority of

building level academic administration• Practice what you preach

– Expect your Asst Principals to teach a laptop class– Have your Head/Super go through training

• Make technology integration, NETS standards, etc part of teacher evaluation

• Set aside regular school calendar time for teacher discussion and reflection or PD

• Hire teachers that get it

Finance• Invest in IT infrastructure before laptops hit• Hire staff for laptop repair and instructional tech• Who owns the laptops?

– Sometimes less politics if school owns– Either way, must enforce a good AUP

• Consider leasing to control cashflow– Idea #1: do lease, spread fee over x yrs in tuition,

offer laptop buyout for $1 at end of lease– Idea #2: do lease, self-fund program by asking public

school parents to opt into an optional “rental fee”

• Creative funding: drop textbooks, use EETT, Title I, bonds/levies, new construction

Remember…• …deep classroom integration of laptops

should be the overarching goal.• This eliminates bad press, nagging parents,

“saboteur” teachers, and frustrated students• This results in less questions from board and

CFO about why “so much money” is being spent• This makes laptop maintenance issues go away

• Without deep integration, a “laptop program” is just that: a marketing initiative.

In Review

• Set your learning goals BEFORE picking the device

• It’s still all about the teachers, esp in the beginning

• Don’t expect a cultural shift overnight

• Ongoing PD

• Software and other technology can bridge the cultural shift for teachers

More on DyKnow

• Why DyKnow? http://www.dyknow.com/why-dyknow/

• Product videos: http://www.dyknow.com/educational-software-products/

• Customer stories: http://www.dyknow.com/why-dyknow/success-

stories/

• Educator profiles: http://www.dyknow.com/category/educator-of-the-

month/

• Technical benefits: http://www.dyknow.com/educational-software-

products/classroom-management-software/dyknow-monitor/