Project: K-12 Technology Pilot
My Role
In my role as the Director of Digital Learning and Technology at Cohasset Public Schools (2020-2023), I designed and led a pilot of AV technologies in the district.
Approach
I adopted the EdTech Pilot Framework by Digital Promise to guide us through pilot planning and implementation.
Identify the Need
As part of a parallel exploration of the redesign of classrooms, I conducted a series of focus groups and discussions with faculty and students and collected data from surveys to uncover the top pain points in the existing classrooms.
A synthesis of the data revealed that the AV technology was the top pain point among teachers and students in the classroom:
- Audio/visual display systems needed to be upgraded to improve engagement and provide students with equitable, inclusive access to learning
- “Untether” the teacher from the front of the room and students from their desks to enable more student-student and teacher-student collaboration
The in-ceiling projectors across the district averaged over 13 years old and were failing fast. The IT team was investing more money and support time per year in their break/fix budget, and since it was an outdated technology, they faced increased difficulties in finding affordable and compatible replacements.
After an audit of classroom projectors was conducted, the middle school posed the most urgent need for an upgrade with 85% of its projectors dated over 10 years old. The high school and then elementary schools followed in priority.
The district needed to evaluate and select new AV technologies for the classrooms and justify the proposed investment.
The goals for the pilot were articulated as:
- Identify elements of a consistent, upgraded A/V model for the district that addressed teaching and learning needs
- Find solutions for the “untethered” teacher and student (enable collaboration)
Discover & Select
The AV technologies to pilot were selected based on market research, affordability, input from the IT team, recommendations from other school leaders in the South Shore school network, and recommendations of best-in-class solutions from four leading K-12 technology vendors in New England. I organized a “Tech Trade Show” and cycled teachers through some of these possible solutions to narrow down the selections based on teacher feedback and to recruit teachers to participate in the pilot.
Scenes from the on-campus “Tech Trade Show”
Plan, Train And Implement
Due to the urgency of the failure rate at the Middle and High Schools, the pilot was planned to begin in those buildings in the Fall of 2022, with a rotation of the technologies into Elementary schools in the Spring of 2023. A training plan was designed in partnership with each of the technology brands chosen to participate.
Two teachers from each grade level (grades 6-12) participated in the pilot and represented every subject. They created their own personalized learning goals to test relation to the larger pilot goals and were asked to collect evidence of impact on student learning and their own instructional practices. Over the course of 3 months, the teachers signed up for a period of two weeks with each of the 3 models in order to compare them. In addition to PD points earned, all participants were eligible to win one of the AV panels for their classroom in a raffle at the end of the pilot.
Collect Data, Analyze and Decide
Teachers gave their feedback in pre and post surveys, on a rubric I created for evaluating the technology, and in group discussions. They considered aspects such as mobile panels vs mounted wall units, the differences in the interactive software with each brand, the quality of the training and the impact on student engagement. A clear winner emerged as well as the conclusion that the size and quality of the screens, the clarity and volume of the sound, and the interactive touch screen capabilities, led to increased student engagement, which ultimately improves student outcomes.
Results
I presented my research and pilot plan to the Capital Committee and funding was approved for the purchase of the technology to kick off the pilot in SY 2022-2023.
The pilot’s findings were then used to form a 4 year upgrade plan of all AV units in the district along with a companion break/fix budget year over year and a comprehensive training plan. The proposal was approved and, as reported in the Cohasset Public Schools Achievements report 2020-2023 published on the CPS district web site Cohasset Public Schools Achievements report 2020-2023, the following achievements were made possible:
- Purchased and installed of furniture and AV technology as a model for the elementary school Special Education classroom, Fall 2022 (CEF grant and community member donation)
- Reimagined the separate spaces of the tech lab and library into the Deer Hill Innovation
Commons; expected completion, Fall 2023 (CEF grant and community member
donation) Re-designed STEM and robotics rooms in the Middle School, SY 2022-2023
Purchased and planned installation of interactive LCD panels in all Middle School classrooms SY 2023- 2024
- Purchased AV equipment for Elementary Computer Lab, SY 2022-2023 (CEF grant and community member donation)
- Purchased and installed collaborative furniture in upper and lower lobbies of Cohasset High School
- Continued technology pilot program and learning space creation
This page was last modified: February 22, 2024