Report: Leadership, Transparent Procurement, Flexible Budgeting Key to Digital Materials Acquisition
As states and districts increasingly adopt digital instructional materials,
educators, administrators, policy makers and providers need a strategy to
support the successful acquisition and implementation of those materials,
according to a new report from the State
Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA).
The report, "Navigating
the Digital Shift: Mapping the Acquisition of Digital Instructional
Materials," provides information and guidance on the process of acquiring
and implementing digital instructional materials. It is based on SETDA's 2015
Digital Instructional Materials Survey, as well as independent research and
interviews with educators from educational and government organizations.
Key findings from the report include:
- States and districts need to increase the transparency of the procurement
process;
- States and districts also need to provide specific procedures to help
educators and the private sector through the procurement process;
- States, districts and schools need strategic short and long-term
budgeting to plan for bandwidth, devices and digital instructional
materials;
- States should provide districts and schools with guidance related to best
practices for adopting digital instructional materials;
- States should provide professional development opportunities for teachers
to learn how to implement digital instructional materials successfully in
the classroom; and
- States should provide recommended vetting practices for all instructional
materials.
According to the report, successful digital learning initiatives also
require support for state and local leadership, equity of access to broadband
and devices both in and out of school, accessibility for all students,
interoperability with complementary systems and protection of student data and
privacy.
SETDA recently created the Digital
Instructional Materials Acquisition Policies for States (DMAPS) portal, a
free, online directory for information about each state's education technology
standards, plans and planning requirements, and policies and procedures related
to the acquisition of digital instructional materials.
The full report, "Navigating the Digital Shift: Mapping the Acquisition of
Digital Instructional Materials," is available as a free, downloadable PDF from SETDA's
site.
About the Author
Leila Meyer is a technology writer based in British Columbia. She can be reached at [email protected].