Dive Brief:
- Wearable devices like heart-rate monitors and virtual reality headsets are expected to become mainstream in the education space within four to five years, and schools should be thinking now about how to prepare to handle them.
- Ed Tech: Focus on K-12 reports network upgrades are a key first step, and while some districts have expanded bandwidth enough to support wearable technology in their efforts to increase digital device use, equipment will need upgrades in the years to come.
- Wearable technology brings the promise of data aggregation, but schools must consider student privacy in deciding how to collect and store data, and successful rollouts will require thorough planning, testing and training.
Dive Insight:
School districts across the country have adapted to the uniqueness of the digital age, adding opportunities for students through bring-your-own-device programs or other one-to-one initiatives. Chromebooks and tablets now enjoy widespread use in classrooms as teachers take an increasing amount of instruction out of the world of paper.
The most successful districts have approached this shift methodically, starting with planning and infrastructure preparation, moving into a pilot phase and then doing a full rollout. The public schools in St. Clair, MO, gave a small group of master teachers first crack at new devices in 2013, allowing their excitement to spread to other, more hesitant, adopters, who could learn from the challenges faced by the earlier group. Instructional leaders attribute the success of the program, in part, to this measured rollout.
