1. DR. OSKAR SCHEIKL DIRECTOR OF INFORMATION MANAGEMENT KEVIN PERKINS SUPERVISOR OF TECHNOLOGY Digital “Textbooks” in RCPS July 8, 2013

2. Purpose Why go digital? How are other school divisions supplementing or replacing hard copy resources/curricula with digital ones? (CONTENT) How are other school divisions providing students with access to those digital resources/curricula? (DEVICES) Where are we with digital resources/curricula in RCPS? How should RCPS proceed with expanding use of and access to digital resources/curricula?

3. Why go digital? Digital materials are more easily kept up to date. Available anytime, anywhere. Digital materials are more easily modified and aligned to state/local standards and pacing guides than traditional textbooks. More engaging & appealing to multiple learning styles. Textbooks/resources can be accessed on lightweight devices rather than being stored in heavy backpacks full of books, papers, and binders.

4. State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) Over time and with good implementation, a shift to digital content will:  Increase student learning and engagement  Accommodate students’ learning needs  Facilitate search and discovery of resources  Support educators in personalizing learning State Educational Technology Directors Association. Out of Print: Reimagining the K-12 Textbook in a Digital Age. 2011. PDF file: 8. http://www.setda.org/c/document_library/get_file?folderId=321&name=D LFE-1598.pdf http://www.setda.org/c/document_library/get_file?folderId=321&name=D LFE-1598.pdf

5. How are other school divisions supplementing or replacing hard copy resources/curricula with digital ones? Textbooks FormatProsCons Home-grown digital “flexbooks” o Lower cost o Curriculum developed by local teachers o Limited amount of time for curriculum development o Need to train teachers how to convert materials to digital format Open-source textbooks http://www.ck12.org/stu dent/ http://www.ck12.org/stu dent/ o Lower cost o Collaborative effort of teachers/experts o Quality/alignment issues if not developed by Virginia educators Textbook company digital offerings o More robust resources o More quality control o More expensive o Contracts/annual licensing

6. Home-Grown Solution Henry County, GA  Adopting math “flexbooks” created by local teachers  $5,000 to develop curriculum  $101,000 to purchase devices for grades 6-10 classrooms http://www.henryherald.com/news/2013/jun/19/math-going-digital-henry/

7. Digital Content in Virginia Virtual Virginia (2004)  Online course delivery Flexbook: CK-12 Physics (2009)  Free open source textbook Beyond Textbooks (2010)  iPad pilot program – examine available content and device access Interactive Digital Textbooks (2012)  Economics & Personal Finance interactive digital textbooks for sale in Apple iBookstore  Pilot – interactive version available for iPads ONLY

8. Lan Neugent @ Brainstorm 2013 (JMU) Virginia DOE projects intended to pilot various approaches iPad-only version of Economics/Personal Finance mainly to keep the project simple Next 2 years will be important in determining long- term strategy Content drives device decisions SOL testing drives device decisions (Pearson is working on a testing engine re-design)

9. Which device? DeviceProsCons Traditional Laptop o Full-featured operating system o Keyboard for data entry o Tool for digital media consumption AND creation o Price o Often overkill for many tasks Tablet o Lower cost o Tool for digital media consumption o No keyboard o Content creation is inefficient Chromebook o Lower cost o Meets basic needs well – Internet research, word processing, photo editing, etc. o Questionable durability of some models o Limited local storage o Dependent upon an Internet connection

10. A National Model Mooresville (NC) Graded School District  1:1 MacBook Air initiative (5,000 devices in grades 4-12) via a lease from Apple  Somewhere around 3 percent of the district's total budget is devoted to computer hardware, software, training, and maintenance.  President Obama announced ConnectEd initiative at Mooresville Middle School on June 6, 2013 http://thejournal.com/Articles/2012/09/12/The-Winning-1-to-1- Strategy.aspx?Page=1

11. Early Adopter in Virginia Henry County, VA  RCPS Tech Staff visit in February, 2013  1:1 iPad initiative in grades 3-5  iPad labs in grades 6-12  Began with grant and stimulus funds  Upfront infrastructure upgrade (wireless access points in each classroom)  Expanding 1:1 to 6 th grade  Moving forward with a lease from Apple so that replacement cycles can be maintained with BUDGETED funds http://www.martinsvillebulletin.com/article.cfm?ID=32608

12. Success Factors Identified by SETDA Sustainable funding for devices Robust internet connectivity (school & home) Up-to-date policies Prepared educators Intellectual property and reuse rights Quality control and usability State and local leadership buy-in State Educational Technology Directors Association. Out of Print: Reimagining the K-12 Textbook in a Digital Age. 2011. PDF file: 28. http://www.setda.org/c/document_library/get_file?folderId=321&name=DLFE- 1598.pdf http://www.setda.org/c/document_library/get_file?folderId=321&name=DLFE- 1598.pdf

13. What NOT to do! – Hope for funding Lynchburg (VA) City Public Schools  Provide laptops for 4 th through 12 th graders by 2017  Overall cost is roughly $7 million by the end of the 2017-18 school year  Only about $350,000 of technology funds are available per year to fund the initiative  “finding new funding will be necessary. Board members and administrators hope to find grant money.” http://www.newsadvance.com/news/local/article_f76454c2-c28b-11e2-88ff- 001a4bcf6878.html

14. What NOT to do! – Laptops … now what? Richmond (VA) City Public Schools  Provide 1,700 laptops for rising 6 th graders  $200,000 from City Council … rest of $1.35 million from private-sector funding  would necessitate the hiring of at least 10 new employees  wasn’t sure how the laptops would be used, how they would support academic goals and what impact they might have on the school system budget http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/local/education/richmond-considers- laptop-program-for-th-graders/article_705f7b14-3761-594f-b962- 798de441d742.html

15. What to do! - Instructional Focus Solon Community (IA) School District http://www.schoolcio.com/Default.aspx?tabid=136&entryid=5814

16. Where are we with digital resources/curricula in RCPS? MacBook mobile labs iMac labs iPad labs BYOD in HS/MS Student devices at home

17. How should RCPS proceed with expanding use of and access to digital resources/curricula? Instructional focus to start … instructional leadership & teachers  What resources do we want access to?  How will we transform our teaching to accommodate those resources?  Provide professional development and support prior to device consideration/purchase Don’t want teachers/students to get devices and then ask, “Now what?”

18. How should RCPS proceed with expanding use of and access to digital resources/curricula? Google Summit – Charlottesville - March 16-17, 2013 Chromebook pilots in fall – Are these an option?  High school classroom lab (30)  Middle school mobile lab (30) Fall lab use survey $279

19. In Summary No “silver bullet” Limited evidence of best practices and/or effectiveness of 1:1 initiatives Initiative must begin with an instructional focus Device procurement, management, and replacement must be well-planned and budgeted for Student/parent responsibility must be addressed Device/resource equity must be addressed

20. A Golden Opportunity Awaits … New curriculum coordinators will be in place in 2013-14. Work on a new 5-year Technology Plan for RCPS will begin in Summer, 2014.