Dive Brief:

• Philip Hickman became superintendent of the Columbus Municipal School District in 2014, which, at the time, had only old, slow desktop computers for students, and one of his first moves was to return $900,000 worth of textbooks and use that money to buy iPads and laptops for students.
• The Hechinger Report writes every high school student got a device and every elementary and middle school student had access to one in their classrooms, but parents initially were concerned their children weren’t learning without the traditional textbooks.
• Hickman championed the idea that students need to use technology in schools to prepare for their futures, and now they spend about three-quarters of their day on devices getting personalized lessons, which he says has improved academic performance, increased attendance and decreased behavioral problems.

Dive Insight:

Classroom materials are expensive, and textbooks in some subjects go out of date relatively quickly, requiring regular massive investments. Many districts have turned to this expenditure as a place to save money. There are a range of digital resources that require subscriptions and a growing pool of open educational resources that are completely free.

Districts all over the country have tapped into the EngageNY materials, and teachers have found curated resources created by their peers on websites like TeachersPayTeachers. The Obama administration announced its #GoOpen campaign in 2015 to encourage the creation and distribution of openly licensed content. Critics, however, say the switch to OER may be short-lived.