Education Law

Choosing the best ed tech tools

BoardBuzz was struck by a recent posting on the Conversation Edge-ucation blog by Brett Collingwood examining the difference between content consumption and content creation. It is essential that school districts recognize the distinction ? especially as we all struggle to do more with less in these days of tight budgets.

Collingwood points out that there are many devices being used by students that are fine for consuming content ?getting assignments, reviewing classroom notes, basic online research, for example. Many cell phones can fulfill these tasks. The next step in the learning process however, often requires a different type of technology. For a student to complete an assignment, he or she usually has to write a paper, create a spreadsheet, or put together a presentation, and this is where content creation comes into play.

Collingwood makes the point that some devices being promoted heavily these days, such as the new tablet computer models, may not come equipped with the capabilities needed to successfully complete content creation. When compared to a laptop PC for example, many tablets do not have the necessary ports to allow connection with external devices such as external CD/DVD drives. The lack of an external drive can cause problems with software installations, and ? this really caught BoardBuzz?s attention?drive up costs when schools need to purchase additional hardware. In many cases tablets also do not allow external keyboards to be connected, causing even more difficulties for students attempting to create content.

With limited budgets, it?s more important than ever that school leaders educate themselves about which education technology tools work best ?and most cost-effectively. The 2010 T+L Conference will be focused on these issues, including sessions on how to do more with less, how to most effectively integrate digital content into classrooms, and best practices involving open source and other tools.

Full post as published by BoardBuzz: NSBA's Daily Weblog on August 05, 2010 (boomark / email).