4. Integration of tools is critical: Freeland Fisher highlighted how important it is for schools to be wary of the cost of poor or absent data integration. “By far, the best-kept secret in edtech today is how tools do not talk to one another,” she said. Tools should be well integrated with each other in order to get an accurate picture of student performance. When choosing an edtech product, work with a provider to make sure the tool will integrate well with your other tools, and be prepared to absorb costs if data is not integrating well.
5. Evaluate software by use case: Freeland Fisher recommended assessing what works best for what students in what circumstances. For example, the average does not necessarily speak to what worked best for every single student. Schools must delve deeper to figure out what worked well, and what didn’t work well, for each student in order to effectively serve student needs.
About the Presenter
Julia Freeland Fisher is the Director of Education at the Clayton Christensen Institute, where she leads a team researching the effects of disruptive innovation on the public and private education landscape. Freeland Fisher has published and spoken extensively on topics including the edtech market, new school models, and competency-based education policies and practices. Most recently, her research focuses on emerging tools and practices that leverage technology to expand students’ social capital by enhancing their access to new networks and their ability to navigate those networks. Follow Freeland Fisher on Twitter @juliaffreeland.
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The recording of the webinar can be viewed by anyone at: http://home.edweb.net/webinar/five-tips-getting-blended-learning-right/
[Editor’s note: This piece is original content produced by edWeb.net. View more edWeb.net events here.]
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