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SALT LAKE CITY — In 2014, a $300 million education technology initiative by the late Speaker Becky Lockhart failed. But even though that bill did not pass, the conversation around technology in classrooms has continued.
After the 2014 session, an education task force headed by Sen. Wayne Niederhauser continued to have meetings on the subject. Then in 2015, Sen. Howard Stephenson proposed SB222. The bill called for $75 million for schools to cover the cost of infrastructure to push a digital teaching and learning program. Like the earlier education technology initiative, the high price tag wasn't approved, but the concept was.
SB222 will be debated in this year's legislative session. If it passes, the Utah State Office of Education would provide support as schools create their plans for funding.
In 2015, SB222 was scaled down and passed with $5 million in appropriations to the state office of education and Utah Education and Telehealth Network. This funding was to create a taskforce to develop a comprehensive master plan and funding forecast for a state wide education technology initiative.
Utah's master plan is called "Essential Elements." Angela Stallings, Associate Superintendent of Policy and Communication at the USEO said the essential elements of the plan refer to the "components for a school to be successful using technology." She said the "master plan was created through figuring out what went wrong and what went well in other technology plans."
Rick Gainsford, education technology specialist at USOE, further described some of the technology implementations that failed.
"It's due to a lack of planning… you have to address leadership and change management if you want buy in," he said. "We want leaders in every school and every district that that are highly motivated to guide and understand… that's how you make substantive change."
Essential Elements also addresses infrastructure. Gainsford said that UETN has a key role in the infrastructure process. They received funding through SB222 to complete an engineering study of the broadband network and an inventory of technology in all the schools.
USOE hopes to implement Essential Elements as a qualifying grant program. The allocated funds would be available to every public school in Utah. School districts would develop an education technology plan based on the recommendations and guidelines set forth from USOE when they apply for funding. Both Gainsford and Stallings stressed that USOE wanted schools to have autonomy.
"It's not a one-to-one program," Gainsford said. "For some it may mean a device for every student… That's up to the local school to make those determinations."
To witness an education technology initiative first-hand, you need to look no further than Heber. Wasatch School District implemented their program three years ago. Terry Shoemaker, Wasatch School District superintendent and a member of SB222's taskforce, said the conversation started about 5 years ago. At first they went about it like most school districts — they handed out devices.
Paul Sweat, Wasatch School District's curriculum director over technology, said "what we very quickly came to realize is that the program was sputtering and inadequate. We decided that if we were going to do this, we were going to do it well."
Wasatch District created a small leadership group that researched educational device programs for a full calendar year all around the country. Through that research they developed a comprehensive program that they call "digital conversion" based on a model from a North Carolina school. It has four components:
1. Good interactive curriculum
2. Job embedded professional development 3. Fast device with a full keyboard 4. Digital friendly classroom
Devices are currently in all of Wasatch School District classrooms, and beginning in fifth grade the students have their own personal device they can take home with them.
"We're trying to get to an area where students understand the why, not just the how," Shoemaker said. "They need to understand the concept, not just the formula. That's what a good digital conversion program is about."
Along with SB222, another technology bill was passed in the 2015 legislative session: HB 213 which also addresses educational technology. Rep. Keven J. Stratton, who sponsored the bill, said "as we look at putting in place the infrastructure resulting from SB222, we need to ensure effective collaboration takes place with the principles reflected in HB213 related to digital citizenship."
Mark Besendorfer, a fifth-grade teacher in Canyons School District also wants more effective collaboration.
"I think that these ideas they have are great, but they need to listen more to the teachers and the individual district people," he said. "They need to listen more and do a little more from the bottom up instead of the top down."
Besendorfer is not the only one expressing concern about an education technology initiative. Mike Kelley, the Utah Education Association's Director of Communications, said on behalf of UEA that "technology is a great tool to have in the classroom, and it should be left up to the individual school districts and elected school board members to make those decisions."
He added that "some schools have already implemented plans and this would almost punish those school districts who have made an investment."
Besendorfer agreed with UEA that technology is a "great tool," but went on to say that technology is the "frosting of the cake, and we haven't finished baking the cake yet." He would trade the technology he has in his classroom for a smaller class size or additional aides.
The 2016 legislative debates for SB222 are quickly approaching. Gainsford said that USOE hopes that in 2017, the infrastructure will be in place to implement the plans. USOE would also work with manufacturers and vendors to help drive the cost down for schools.
One issue that will not be debated, is the role of technology in student's lives.
"You can't be around children today and not have technology part of your conversation," Shoemaker said.
To learn more about the Essential Elements plan, use this link. To contact your local government official about SB222 or any other bill, use this link.
Carrie Rogers-Whitehead teaches on digital literacy at Salt Lake Community College and has used both technology, and a dry erase board, to educate others. She can be reached at rogers-whitehead@hotmail.com
