The Secrets of Tech-Savvy Schools

Juliana Finegan

Every student deserves an education that is personalized, informed by data, and based on mastery. Blended learning, or strategically integrating technology with in-person instruction, is a key mechanism for making this vision possible. Research shows that blended learning can enable small-group differentiated instruction and facilitate student agency at scale. The key steps to becoming a successful "tech-savvy" school means embracing blended learning to achieve learning goals.

In my role as a partner at the nonprofit organization The Learning Accelerator (TLA), I've visited more than 50 innovative schools across the nation (including in Chicago, New Orleans, New York City, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.) to capture and share their best practices for blended learning. As a former classroom teacher, I look for several things in these school visits: strong instructional practices, strategies that support successful implementation of innovation, and tactics that teachers use to build student agency.

My goal during these blended-learning tours is to identify common practices that allow teachers and leaders to successfully integrate new technologies that deepen learning. Three key practices consistently rise to the top:

• Be strategic and specific about why to implement new technology.
• Map out a clear plan for how to blend technology and in-person learning.
• Don't be afraid to try, fail, and adjust school and classroom models as needed (i.e. "failing fast and failing forward").

These strategies help school leaders avoid the too-common pitfall of adding technology just for the sake of current trends and instead focus on making sure the technology has a meaningful effect on instruction.

Name the "Why"

Schools integrate education technology in all kinds of ways. Some may use adaptive software like IXL, introduce a station rotation model, or even use individual online content playlists. The first question I ask when visiting a school is, "What is your instructional challenge?" I follow up with, "How are you leveraging technology to address that challenge?"

As I go from school to school, I have seen teachers using technology to meet similar sets of challenges. Some of the most common challenges (and their solutions) include the following:

• How to provide more small group instruction to help deliver targeted support. At Valor Collegiate Academy in Tennessee, students began using "exit tickets," a formative assessment tool, to monitor their progress in math. The ticket data help sort students into small groups based on their ability and track improvement, giving math teachers more time for one-on-one pairing with struggling students. They also use self-paced online playlists in Google Docs, which track math goals and progress and allow students targeted practice with specific concepts.
• How to find time for one-on-one conferencing to monitor progress and student ownership of learning. The Bronx Arena High School in New York uses a learning management system—including an online data tracker and a daily to-do list for students—to keep them organized. Each student meets with a teacher or counselor, weekly or monthly, to map out their annual and graduation plans using the tracker.
• How to address a large range of student abilities with differentiated content and tasks. Lovett Elementary in Illinois used the LEAP Learning Framework to create skill-based classes alongside age-based homerooms. They use Chromebooks and iPads to further differentiate learning based on ability and preference.
• How to engage students in their own learning by offering more choices based on student interest. CICS West Belden in Chicago uses Google Apps for Education and surveys students at the beginning of the year to learn more about their interests and engagement. This information goes into an online learner profile.

By clearly defining the problem the district is solving through technology, leaders can build a cohesive plan with input from teachers, students, and parents. Without buy-in at all levels, innovation has little chance to succeed.

Mapping Out the "How"

Once school leadership has identified the "why" for new technology, it is important to be transparent about goals for implementation with a step-by-step launch plan. That plan should include strategies for consistency and creativity, as well as specifics for addressing the instructional challenge and articulating the competencies that both teachers and students will need to get there. 

For example, when Dallas Independent School District in Texas implemented blended learning, they created a toolbox that each educator could personalize, which included multiple phases and highlighted "Look Fors" to consider when working with students, such as during data-driven instruction.

Adjusting in the "Now"

Innovation requires a lot of moving pieces: devices, students, teachers, parents, communities, school infrastructure, and time. Once you have begun implementation, remember to try out options one at a time. Trailblazer Elementary School in Colorado follows a short-cycle innovation approach where they pilot new models and strategies with a small group of teachers. This allows groups to pinpoint opportunities for improvement and adjust before implementing an initiative schoolwide. Leaders at Trailblazer stress that these adjustments are not "failures," but instead opportunities to learn and improve.

Leaders and teachers need to be flexible and understand that they will not always get tech integration right the first time. The most successful innovative schools will tell you that they have failed many times in their pursuit of excellence. Let them inspire you to use failure as a bridge to success, and remember that being "tech-savvy" is important primarily to support student learning.

Juliana Finegan (@JulianaFinegan), a former Title I educator, is a partner at The Learning Accelerator (TLA), a nonprofit working to catalyze blended and personalized learning in K–12 schools. She leads TLA's human capital work by building and supporting a pipeline of blended educators and leaders.

ASCD Express, Vol. 14, No. 17. Copyright 2019 by ASCD. All rights reserved. Visit www.ascd.org/ascdexpress.