This session will explore how we can deploy educational technology more quickly and efficiently, without placing our students in harms’ way, overwhelming our administrators, or undermining parent and community confidence. Our expert panelists will offer superintendents, CTOs and other school professionals a “new” approach to educational technology that eliminates our reliance on ineffective, inefficient, and often outdated opt-in and opt-out policies and ways of thinking, and replaces them with sound policies and practices which are more appropriate for the learning environment of both today and tomorrow. Session attendees will learn about and discuss: • Technology as an instructional material • The pros and cons of traditional opt-in, opt-out, and acceptable use policies • Existing policies related to instruction, and how they can be adapted for educational technologies • Improved practices for efficiently and effectively vetting new technology • Best practices for communicating with parents and the educational community By balancing the law with a love for learning, we will offer a “new” way of looking at education technology and will discuss how to create effective policies and practices for selecting, discussing and rolling out technological tools that protect students and districts and engage school communities in the selection and rollout process. In this way, we can better protect students and their data, promote learning, and provide the educational community with the information needed to be informed and to feel comfortable with the digital learning tools being offered.
