Dive Brief:

• The quality of technology-focused professional development varies across districts that have different funding and time constraints, but key to any successful ed tech rollout is training.
• Ed Tech Magazine reports Calcasieu Parish Public Schools in Lake Charles, LA, has a long history of choosing technology to support learning goals (rather than the other way around), offering hands-on training for teachers and providing long-term support.
• Other schools have found success by scheduling professional development during the school day, rather than asking teachers to develop their skills on their own time, and hiring full-time instructional technology specialists who can not only provide training but follow up with teachers in their classrooms.

Dive Insight:

Schools across the country are incorporating more technology in classrooms, but just having additional gadgets does not mean they are being used to improve the learning environment. Districts must work to ensure proper skill-building precedes any new ed tech initiatives, giving teachers the chance to develop the technology skills they need as well as the pedagogical leaps necessary to use that technology well.

A new focus for digital technology evangelists is the digital use divide. Black and Latino students as well as students in high-poverty districts are more likely to use technology in ways that mimic paper and pencil assignments while their wealthier, white peers get a fundamentally different learning experience. Better teacher training and support in all schools can help limit this gap.