They say it is always sunny in Philadelphia, and that was the case the first morning of ISTE for me. There were also plenty of sunny and shiny new things on the expo floor. The International Society for Technology in Education’s annual conference had once again brought together educators, industry leaders, investors and EdTech enthusiasts from around the world. The energy this year was palpable. ISTE was back! I wanted to take some time to reflect on the event, one that I have been coming to pretty consistently since 2007 as an educator and now an EdTech leader.
One thing I do remember about ISTE 2007 in Atlanta was a “reboot” of the ISTE Standards for Students as their focus shifted to using technology to learn. This was a big deal! Before this, technology access was relatively limited to computer labs and the primary focus was on productivity – like learning how to use word processors and spreadsheets. The big buzz in 2007 was Web 2.0, this year the big buzz was artificial intelligence. Which gets me to a few of my takeaways from this year’s event. Here we go!
1. None of this matters without teachers
It does not matter how cool the technology is without an awesome teacher in the classroom. Teachers today have more tools than ever at their fingertips, but in order to improve student outcomes and impact student learning, you need a great teacher. The power of ISTE is in its people, their collaboration, their vision for educational technology and their commitment to students.
My hope is that attendees made connections at ISTE and that they will go back to their schools and spread their newfound knowledge far and wide. In today’s world, there is no excuse for not sharing what you learn at conferences, so I challenge each attendee to make it a priority to share more as the new school year is upon us after the summer.
The other critical part of leveraging technology appropriately is professional development. If you are a ParentSquare user, check out our Summer Camp! Summer Camp is our most comprehensive ParentSquare training experience for both admin and teachers, and it’s free to attend. It is a fun and exciting week filled with opportunities to learn, network, engage and grow with ParentSquare – all at your own pace!
2. EdTech tools should focus on efficacy
Does the technology you purchase do what it says? As budgets tighten, it is becoming critical that you invest in tools that can show their efficacy.
Usage data is important, but by grounding ourselves in evidence-based practices, we can ensure that every dollar spent on EdTech is maximized for student success.
One question I would ask is – do you have a process for strategic abandonment in your school district? In your strategic planning process, are you actively abandoning items that have proved ineffective or inefficient? If school leaders have a process for abandoning what is not working and adding tools with proven track records of success, students win! I challenge you to find three things in your school district to strategically abandon – you probably already know what they are.
At ParentSquare, we are investing in evidence. Be on the lookout for some great research related to improving the relationship between schools and families coming soon!
3. Family engagement is not talked about enough
There has been over five decades of research about how family engagement drives meaningful outcomes for students. In fact, there is real research that says, “The level of parent-school involvement is a better predictor of grades than are standardized test scores.” Think about that for a minute!
Despite this data, there were virtually no sessions on family engagement in Philadelphia, other than our amazing friends from Cherokee County Schools in Georgia and our super cool collaboration with Canva.
As educational technology continues to make the shift from communications to true family engagement, I think we will see an increase in presentations and research in this area. Do you have a true family engagement platform in your school district? Can you measure its efficacy? Is it a solution giving you a suite of tools that drive a better family experience?
If you are looking to move beyond a website and communication tool working in silos, you can reach out here. If you are a customer, we want to hear your success stories! I am sure we will hear many at the upcoming NSPRA conference in St. Louis. See you there!
