#274 - Managing Your School's Digital Transformation
Dec 6, 2023
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Three education experts, James Symons, Katie Novak, and Assoc. Prof. Jane Hunter, discuss digital transformation in schools. Topics include futureproofing classrooms, EdTech maker-user reciprocity, teacher professional education, and integrating technology effectively for improved educational outcomes.
Teacher professional development is crucial for effective tech integration.
Ongoing support and updates are essential for sustainable tech usage in education.
Data-driven insights and customer success strategies can tailor tech products to educator needs.
Deep dives
Importance of Teacher Professional Learning and Development
Teacher professional learning and development are crucial for effective technology integration. Providing ongoing training and support that is pedagogically focused can enhance teaching practices and student learning outcomes. Initiatives like the Digital Education Revolution emphasized the need for sustained teacher education to drive impactful tech use in classrooms.
Sustainability and Adaptability of Technology in Education
Ensuring sustainability and adaptability of technology in education goes beyond initial hardware purchases. Companies need to focus on providing ongoing support, updates, and customer success initiatives to maximize the longevity and effectiveness of tech solutions. This approach can lead to improved outcomes, reduced downtime, and enhanced usage of technology in educational settings.
Power of Data-Driven Insights and Customer Success
Utilizing data-driven insights and customer success strategies can help tech companies tailor their products to meet the specific needs of educators and students. By collecting usage data, identifying engagement levels, and offering continuous support and training, companies can enhance the overall user experience and ensure the effective utilization of technology in education.
Integration of Pedagogy and Technology for Effective Teaching
Successful technology integration in education requires a strong emphasis on pedagogy and alignment with teaching practices. Educational technology should support teachers in their existing methods and enhance student learning experiences. Teacher education programs should focus on connecting technology to teaching practices and providing continuous professional development.
Educational technology initiatives should be centered around value-driven goals, ease of use, and sustainability. Encouraging collaboration, recognizing efforts through rewards, and linking technology to pedagogical practices can lead to positive outcomes for educators and students. The focus on long-term impact, continuous training, and alignment with educational goals can drive successful technology integration in learning environments.
Digital Transformation! Digital Strategy! Professional Education! What do they mean, and how do we implement them in a school? In today's episode we’re very lucky to have on three wonderful guests who operate at the intersection of educational practice and the leveraging of technology for a better learning experience. They are:
Associate Professor Jane Hunter, School of International Studies and Education, University of Technology, Sydney
Each of these guests has a long history of working within the education space, from engineering and installing the hardware and catering to the evolving demands of schools, to leveraging the technology as a communal bridge between parents, teachers and students, and finally to researching and understanding the added value such technologies provide for teachers and learners and how they might successfully incorporate their use into daily practice.
Talking points and questions include:
The evolving demands of the classroom – what futureproofing and future planning exists in each of your spaces to accommodate new trends and developments? For those catering to the hardware, does the school or college determine what you make, or are they, and the ways their teachers and learners perform, conditioned by you? What space is there for reciprocity between the EdTech maker and the EdTech user?
Teacher professional education – how important is this? Surely a learning tool lives and dies by the amount of training and ‘after-sales support’ is provided to practitioners? What is the extent of the refusal by a teacher or department to adopt the technology and how is this overcome? Is it just waving statistics about time-saving and cost-saving in their faces or is there a form of trust that must be engendered?
Digital strategy – this means different things to different stakeholders. What are the commonalities that should be agreed upon for successful rollout of technology? Obviously contextual factors are key to each school, but what are the non-negotiables? And with regard to developments like generative AI and other future trends we can’t even predict yet, what kinds of guardrails need to be in place with teachers, leaders, and the developers of the tech to ensure ongoing supportive relationships with stakeholders. What foundations should be in place to support digital transformation no matter the bumps in the road ahead?
