Week 5 Blog
While working on my Technology Integration Plan, It's became clear that funding is one of the most important pieces. It’s one thing to have great ideas about using technology in the classroom, but actually making it happen depends on access, resources, and continuous support.
As I am making my TIP, one of my biggest focuses is ensuring all students have access to internet connection and devices at home. In Lincoln Public Schools, a lot of students are fortunate enough to have this, but not all. There are still students who struggle with having access to these resources at home, which makes it harder for them to work on assignments at home or continue learning outside of the school day. Having a stronger internet access nationwide, would make a big difference in closing that gap and making technology for equitable.
The ISTE standards, along with the Crossland article, really reiterated something that I have thought about throughout the making of my plan. Technology isn't helpful unless it is being used purposefully. Simply giving students a device is not going to in turn mean more learning. It's about how teachers model those tools and how they let students use them to enhance their learning. This connects a lot to UDL and personalized learning, two major parts of my plan. Technology can help support students to be able to learn in a way that works best for them.
Something that stood out to me is that only around 15% of certain federal funds can go toward devices or software, while most of the funding has to go toward professional development. At first that surprised me, but it actually makes a lot of sense. If teachers don’t feel confident using technology in the classroom, then it’s not going to be effective. No matter how many devices a school has for students, both teachers and students have to know how to use them properly. This connects to one of my goals about increasing teacher understanding of purposeful technology integration. When I looked into funding options, Title IV (Part A) funds from ESSA seem like a really good fit for my plan. They support things like student learning, digital literacy, and teacher training, which are all things I’m focusing on in my plan. The E-Rate program is another important option because it helps schools afford internet access and infrastructure, which ties into the equity issues I talked about earlier.
When putting this plan into action, my next steps would be working with school administrators or district leaders to figure out what funding is available, and then aligning my plan with those fundings. I would also use data from the needs assessments to show where the biggest gaps are, which would help support any funding requests I might have. Looking at school budgets, technology is usually included in a bigger overall budget, rather than being its own. Schools typically spend money on devices, software, and tech support, but professional development doesn’t always get as much attention. Since April is when budgets are being reviewed, this would be a really good time to ask for funding that supports not just buying technology, but actually using it in an impactful way.
Citations
Crossland, A., Gray, T., & Reynold, J. (2018). ESSA and digital learning: Closing the digital accessibility gap. American Institutes for Research.
Federal Communications Commission. (2024). E-rate: Universal service program for schools and libraries. https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/universal-service-program-schools-and-libraries-e-rate
Fittes, E. K. (2026). 3 ways state ESSA waivers may change the K–12 market—and 3 ways they don’t. EdWeek Market Brief. https://marketbrief.edweek.org/regulation-policy/3-ways-state-essa-waivers-may-change-the-k-12-market-and-3-ways-they-dont/2026/04
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (2018). Using ESSA to fund EdTech: Getting the most out of Title IV-A.
Hi Ella! You did a good job pointing out that just having devices isn't enough if students don't have access to reliable internet at home. I completely agree that this is still a major barrier for many districts. I appreciated your emphasis on using technology with a purpose. Like you said, it's not about the tools themselves, but how teachers and students use them to enhance learning. I also had a similar thought to the 15% funding cap at first, but I agree that it actually highlights how important professional development is.
ReplyDeleteThose were some interesting facts about funding. I knew that I felt the same thing about the funding, but to have actually numbers helps see it clearly. What I don't understand is how that much can be put into professional development for the teachers but every PD I've done to learn new systems or apps is only an hour or two long and is given 2 days before school starts. Sorry, don't mean to start ranting. I feel like we have great tools at our disposal but the execution is not good.
ReplyDeleteHello, Ella. One thing that stood out to me in your blog entry was the concept that technology isn't helpful unless it's being used purposefully. I feel like many districts focus so intently on providing access to devices and programs that they fail to follow through and ensure there is purposeful use of the provided technology. Incorporating additional training for teachers to increase meaningful technology implementation is the foundation of many of our TIPs, and I believe that is because teacher confidence with technology usage is an urgent and widespread problem.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, especially about access at home being a big piece of the problem. It’s easy to assume most students have what they need, but even a small gap makes a big impact on learning outside of school. I also liked your point about funding for professional development actually making sense. If teachers don’t feel comfortable using the technology, then the devices don’t really matter. The connection you made to UDL and purposeful use stood out too, because that’s where technology actually starts to make a difference. Your plan feels realistic since you’re thinking about both access and how it’s used, not just one or the other.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! Thank you for sharing. Access at home is such a huge issue to tackle. Solving this issue will go a long way in creating a more equitable educational experience for all students. The discussion about budgets and funding this week were really eye opening for me. I work for an organization that has child care services and they provide abundantly for students and teachers. I have not been able to access any information about my budget to create my TIP. I have just been reassured that the proposed costs are fine.
ReplyDelete