Dive Brief:
- While 1:1 device programs are becoming more commonplace, there are still plenty of questions that schools and districts looking to catch up must keep in mind, according to EdTech: Focus on K-12.
- Among the most important considerations are ensuring that a school's broadband infrastructure can handle the device load and that educators have enough training to know how to embed that technology into curriculum.
- Additionally, schools must consider factors around home use of devices, including who's responsible in the event of damage to the hardware and how assignments work for students whose families might not have reliable home access to broadband.
Dive Insight:
Over half of classrooms today are estimated to be 1:1, according to research. And despite the amount of things that must be considered, schools and districts getting into the 1:1 device game today have plenty more examples of best practices — as well as what not to do — to give them a leg up when it comes to launching a new program. In addition to the factors listed by EdTech, it can also be especially important to keep parents in the loop, as they might also not all be familiar with some of the technology being used and could have questions about how it works, data gathered and so on.
The "homework gap," or the disadvantage created by disparate access to reliable broadband across socioeconomic demographics, presents perhaps one of the biggest challenges in these scenarios today. After all, if students' success is dependent upon completing digital assignments, those lacking that access are immediately fighting an uphill battle. It's an issue that FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel previously suggested in 2015 the agency could potentially take on through E-rate or another initiative, though the probability of that happening under the current administration is likely low.
Ultimately, the more robust your plan, the higher the likelihood will be for success.
