Other countries share common U.S. ed-tech concerns.

U.S. educators spend much time touting the benefits of taking a global look at classroom technology, but many countries struggle with the same ed-tech challenges facing the U.S., including dwindling funds, accessibility issues, and adequate teacher support.

“This is a challenging time today in education technology,” said Robert Martellacci, president and publisher of MindShare Learning, a Canadian ed-tech consulting, news, and events firm. “We sometimes refer to it as the Wild West. We realized there is a pent-up demand to understand what’s really working in the classroom.”

There are 15,500 K-12 schools and 5.1 million K-12 students across Canada, with 85 to 90 percent of the country’s population living within 100 miles of the U.S border. There is no national department of education, but control is segmented among 10 provinces and three territories. On average, the country maintains a one-to-five computer-to-student ratio, and Martellacci said mobile computing and BYOD initiatives are “gaining serious traction” as they are in the U.S. Also similar to U.S. schools is a strain on financial systems.

(Next page: What a Canadian survey revealed about classroom technology)

“This is a great asset that I would highly recommend to anyone in a computer lab situation,” one teacher said.

NetSupport School is a classroom management software program that gives teachers the ability to instruct and visually or audibly monitor, as well as interact with, their students—either individually, as a pre-defined group, or with the whole class.

Rising to the challenges and requirements of today’s modern classroom, NetSupport School enables teachers to deliver lesson content, simultaneously monitor all student PCs, and work collaboratively, ensuring that complete student attention and focus is maintained at all times.

There are no hidden extras; all features are included as standard benefits, including a customized testing suite, dedicated technician console, digital student revision aids, lesson planning tools, and the option for teachers to reward students for good effort.

“Since using NetSupport School, we are able to keep the students more focused on their task during the short time frame that we have them each week. When they come in, I have the computers locked down so that I have their full attention while giving them instructions for their daily lessons. Then when I unlock them, I can monitor them from one central location without the fear of [students] going off track. 

“NetSupport has also been a great resource for being able to demonstrate new lessons and activities from my computer to theirs. This also helps in time management when the students don’t even have to look away from their monitors to get instruction. One of the most valuable assets, I feel, is the ability to control each student’s computer. This is great for individual help with a student or to be able to control that off-task student. There are many other great features, such as the test module and lesson plan module. This is a great asset that I would highly recommend to anyone in a computer lab situation.”

—A teacher at Stanford Elementary School in Kentucky

(Next page: How the latest version helps teachers with assessment)

As schools implement the new standards, two multi-state consortia—the Partnership for the Assessment of College and Career Readiness (PARCC) and the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium—are developing next-generation assessment systems aligned with the Common Core. Schools in participating states can expect to administer these new tests beginning in the 2014-15 school year. One important feature shared by both the PARCC and Smarter Balanced assessment systems is that the tests will be technology-delivered.

At least 33 states currently administer one or more state tests online; however, for many schools and districts, the shift to computer-based assessment will be new.

“Policy makers and education leaders must undertake a proactive, systems [-based] approach to addressing school technology needs for the long term,” said Douglas Levin, SETDA’s executive director. “To meet present and future technology needs, any realistic approach must consider curricular, instructional, assessment, professional development, and school operations goals.”

To download the new guidance as a PDF, click here. The file is also available on the “Assessment Readiness” page of SETDA’s website, which contains additional information about the new online tests.

Schools are seeking insurance policies for electronic devices issued to students and employees.

Covering textbooks with paper grocery bags isn’t going to cut it anymore when it comes to protecting learning materials in public schools.

Districts across the country are putting expensive technology in students’ hands to replace textbooks, workbooks, and even paper and pencils. Devices worth hundreds of dollars now often leave school buildings and go home with students.

“We need to protect those investments,” said Carl Colmark, finance director in Farmington, Minn., schools, a district planning to put an Apple iPad tablet computer in the hands of every student by the end of the school year.

Farmington is one of a growing number of districts, colleges, and universities turning to insurance policies from companies like the Stillwater, Okla.-based Worth Ave. Group for electronic devices issued to students and employees.

Insurance for expensive personal technology such as smart phones and tablets is a growing business, and many of Worth Ave.’s clients are school districts, said Quang Ha, sales director. The company has more than 1,000 clients in the education field, making it the nation’s largest provider of this type of insurance.

“We have to think of students differently,” Brooks said—“as creators, researchers, investigators, and even designers.”

As blended learning programs grow in popularity, proponents of the approach—which involves a combination of computer-based learning and face-to-face instruction—say there are a few key considerations school leaders should keep in mind as they set up blended learning models.

Alabama’s Mountain Brook Schools is in its third year of a blended learning program.

“Education is really changing, and we’ve got to change with it—and in order to do that, we’ve really been working hard to … customize the learning of each one of our students,” said Missy Brooks, the district’s director of instruction, during a Consortium for School Networking webinar.

“Blended learning is not all about the technology—it really is a blend of technology and instruction, so that the two work hand-in-hand so that we can meet the needs of our students,” she said. The district’s leaders bear in mind that blended learning is facilitated by an effective and intentional combination of face-to-face classroom methods and computer-based activities.

For blended learning to be successful, Brooks said, teachers must be mindful of their intentions and should be purposeful about the work they design for students: They should be able to articulate exactly why they are using blended learning in a particular instance. And the more teachers come to know their students, the better they are able to tailor instruction to students’ needs and interests.

For many parents, this year’s Christmas list is coming with an educational twist.

At Hawk Ridge Elementary School in North Carolina, a teacher recently introduced a historical novel by asking students to research one-room schoolhouses on their digital devices. And for many parents, this year’s Christmas list is coming with an educational twist.

“I’m getting the eMails and the questions: ‘Christmas is coming up. What do you think and what would you suggest?’” says Hawk Ridge Principal Troy Moore. His response: A tablet is better than a phone or iPod, because the larger screen is more useful in class.

Hawk Ridge is among 21 schools piloting the “bring your own device” (BYOD) approach for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, with more expected to jump in after the first of the year. It’s a trend that is catching on in schools nationwide.

At a book fair at Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s Bailey Middle School last week, students and parents walked the halls brandishing tablets and smart phones, scanning Quick Response codes on the walls for a BYOD scavenger hunt.

The scavenger hunt required participants to log onto the district’s Wi-Fi network and scan QR codes, which took them to such sites as the district’s BYOD Q&A page and the Gaggle accounts students use for eMail, blogging, and document sharing. It wasn’t uncommon to see students zipping ahead while parents struggled to make the Wi-Fi connection.

For more information about BYOD in schools, see:

How to make BYOD work for your schools

Why a Scalable BYOD Access Strategy is Critical for K-12 Districts

BYOD and Beyond: How to Turn BYOD into Productivity

Using digital textbooks, making educational videos, creating blogs, and communicating online are fast becoming part of the school routine. BYOD steps up the pace of student access.

“It’s the future. It’s either be on board or be left behind,” said Melanie Manning, who did the scavenger hunt with her daughters.

Haves and have-nots

Stephanie Keel, a Bailey mom and a technology executive with Bank of America, says her initial reaction to BYOD was wariness.

“I was worried it would make a group of haves and have-nots,” she said.

That’s a common concern, according to parents and educators. The answer, they say, is that schools already have laptops, classroom desktops, and often iPads. When some students bring their own devices, the school technology is freed up for others.

“It kind of ends up with every kid having something, without you having to supply it all,” said Keel, who says she and 11-year-old daughter Emory are both fans now.

Leia Forgay, a biology teacher at West Mecklenburg High, says schools have always had to deal with the potential for clashes over symbols of affluence, whether that’s clothes and shoes or smart phones and tablets. It’s up to the adults to set a tone that diminishes such rivalry, she said.

And while West Meck is considered a high-poverty school, there aren’t many technology have-nots, she said. “These kids, they’ve got it all in their backpack.”

Students as leaders

Teachers are finding that BYOD allows them to implement more student-directed learning.

“It’s the way that our society communicates now,” Riegle said. “And if we want to be current and be able to communicate with our students, then that’s one tool that we can use.”

At a time when many school districts are crafting stricter regulations about teachers text messaging with students, the Franklin Local Schools district in Ohio is embracing texting as an effective means of engaging students.

District officials sent permission slips home to parents of Franklin students this year asking if they would allow teachers to text message directly with their child on matters pertaining to class assignments, sports, or other extracurricular activities. Franklin High School principal Dave Riegle said the district wanted to give teachers a way to reach their students if they needed to, while allowing for transparency with the students’ parents.

“Most of the situations involve extracurriculars, coaching situations, the fall play or somewhere along those lines,” Riegle said. “We wanted there to be full transparency when a student and an adult need to communicate in that way, so that the parents were aware that they communication was going on, and there wouldn’t be any questions raised about the conduct of our staff members.”

School districts and lawmakers around the country have been developing policies on social media interaction and text messaging. Because of a number of scandals where teachers have committed or been accused of misconduct with a student using electronic communications, many school districts have erred on the side of caution.

With school districts in Butler and Warren counties, it’s a mixed bag. Some Ohio districts—such as Middletown City Schools and Fenwick—don’t allow teachers to interact with students through social media or text messaging. Meanwhile, others—such as Hamilton, Edgewood, and Madison—have policies similar to Franklin’s, where parents must first sign a permission form.

Text messaging has become the mode of communication many teens feel most comfortable with. A 2011 study done by the Pew Research Center showed teens send an average of 60 text messages per day. That number was up from 50 texts per day in 2009.

“It’s not just young people, I think it’s the way that our society communicates now,” Riegle said. “And if we want to be current and be able to communicate with our students, then that’s one tool that we can use.”

Byron McCauley, a senior director of public relations with Cincinnati-based Knowledge Works, said anytime technology can enhance the student-teacher experience, it’s a good thing.

Unfettered access to technology can be frightening, Sheninger says—but ‘find a way to make it work.’

Technology can be intimidating, and even frightening—but Eric Sheninger, principal of New Jersey’s New Milford High School (NMHS), says that educators must overcome their fear of putting technology into students’ hands.

Through efforts to create a paperless environment, a bring-your-own-device initiative, and the use of social media, NMHS teachers and administrators are integrating technology into all aspects of the school day—and these efforts are paying off. For these reasons and others, we’ve chosen NMHS as our “eSchool of the Month” for November/December.

Here, Sheninger describes the school’s ed-tech accomplishments and the keys to its success. (Editor’s note: To nominate your school or district for this award, and to read about past winners, go to http://www.eschoolnews.com/eschool-of-the-month.)

How does your school use technology to advance learning?

Technology has been embraced as an essential tool in enhancing the learning experience. Teachers have enjoyed the resources, flexibility, autonomy, and professional development to effectively integrate a variety of tools.

With the support of central office and the IT department, the entire district has recently adopted Google Apps to improve collaboration and communication between all stakeholder groups. In math, document cameras record the teacher solving equations. Those mini-lessons are then uploaded to YouTube or Google Sites, where students can refer to them. Students in graphic arts use iMacs and Adobe software tools to create digital magazines, newsletters, and edit photos taken during our newly formed and extremely popular Digital Photography course.

Our Holocaust/Genocide Studies students routinely Skype with Holocaust survivors from around the world and with historians in Israel. When the students participate in the 10-day European Holocaust Study Tour, they actively reflect and share their experiences through a daily blog.

Our teachers in all disciplines regularly integrate a variety of Web 2.0 tools, such as Voicethread, Glogster, Poll Everywhere, Edmodo, Wordle, and Animoto. Over the past two years, we have moved from limited access to interactive whiteboards in classrooms to 15. The latest addition is a wireless IWB solution consisting of Apple TV, an HDMI projector, and an iPad.

Have you noticed an increase in student performance and/or motivation as a result?

New Milford High has become a role model for schools across the country on how to innovate with technology. We routinely host visitors who want to learn more about our use of social media, as well as our Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) initiative.

Since beginning to transform our school, we have experienced steady gains in standardized test scores (although they dropped a bit this year). Student motivation to learn has greatly increased, and students have referred to our BYOD initiative and our use of social media in the teaching and learning process as a privilege. Unleashing student creativity increases motivation.

NMHS students are afforded the opportunity to demonstrate conceptual understanding and apply what they have learned through the use of an array of tools. In essence, we are creating a learning culture that is more closely aligned with the 21^st-century workforce than that of an industrial-aged school house. Achievement can be measured quantitatively, and we have seen gains in state and national testing results such as the SAT and AP test scores. But our commitment to improving access to technology for faculty and students also makes for a better working and learning environment. That improves climate and culture, and that improves the world.

How do you use technology to streamline school administration and aid in decision-making? What have been the results?