Dive Brief:

• When teachers do not have access to technology for their classrooms through their districts and little money is available to purchase new equipment, they have to get creative.
• Elaine Plybon, an educational technology leader in Texas, writes for eSchool News that teachers can repurpose televisions into projectors for single classroom computers, incorporate center-based learning to cycle students through ed tech stations and collect used resources others plan to throw out.
• Teachers can also apply for grants, make do with free apps and subscriptions and turn cellphones into clickers for interactive quizzes instead of purchasing classroom response systems.

Dive Insight:

Some teachers have access to all the money they need for classroom technology, but the reality is, most do not. But even when teachers figure out how to get ed tech to their students, the more important question is how to use it. The Obama administration has asked schools to focus on creating equity with the way technology tools are used in classrooms — closing the “digital use divide.”

High-poverty districts tend to bring iPads or Chromebooks into the classroom and then ask students to do worksheet-like activities, changing the delivery method, but not the task. Active tech use, though, gives students tools for real-world problem solving, hands-on creative work, and collaboration. The key is moving students from consumers, while using technology, to creators.