Measuring the value of education technologies

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Measuring the value of education technologies

• Kathryn Moyle University of Canberra, Australia
• Rich Kaestner CoSN
• Robert Gravina Poway Unified School District
• Vanessa Pittard BECTA, UK
• March 11 2008

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Background
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Research project

• Exploratory and small to
• To investigate approaches to measuring the value
  of educational technologies in schools
• To undertake an international meta-analysis of
  the findings

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Premises

• Value not just cost
• Value of technologies in learning
• Complexities of measuring value
• Role of intangibles in value measurements
• Inter-relationships between teaching and learning
  with technologies, school infrastructure and
  financial models

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Partners

• USA
• Consortium for School Networking (CoSN)
• Australia
• University of Canberra
• education.au ltd
• Department for Education Childrens Services
• (South Australia)
• UK
• The British Educational Communications and
  Technology Agency (BECTA)

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Objectives

• Explore nature of the tangibles and
  intangibles
• Examine the inter-relationships between
  teaching/learning with technologies, school
  infrastructure and financial models
• Investigate practices in Australia, US and UK
• Identify research methods/costs appropriate to
  make international comparisons

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Potential outcomes

• Enable data-driven decision making by leaders
  about the value, costs and benefits of deploying
  technologies in schools
• Inform planning processes about the nature and
  extent of education technologies deployments over
  time
• Assist in the provision of accountability
  requirements to central or regional departments
  of school education
• Inform approaches for strategic planning and
  improvements in school education that includes
  technologies

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Research 2007

• Three case studies
• California, USA
• South Australia, Australia
• Lincolnshire, UK
• Selection and characteristics of the three
  schools
• Role of in-country people and partner
  organisations

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Data collection

• Online survey of teacher capabilities
• Total cost of ownership
• Interviews
• vertical cross-section of staff
• students
• Review of documents

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Data analysis

• Case studies being prepared
• Findings being analysed
• Value statements
• Human capital
• Organisation capital
• Information capital

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Initial findings
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Value statements

• Poway
• Foster skill acquisition
• Develop higher order thinking
• Improve student performance
• Vary teaching and learning methods
• Ensure students access to technologies
• Use technologies for recording, monitoring,
  tracking and reporting students achievements
• Communication

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Common Value Statements

• Communication
• Higher order thinking and problem solving with
  technologies including the Internet
• Initial introduction of concepts
• Skills practice
• Recording and monitoring achievements

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Alignment
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Recording reporting
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Commonalities

• All three schools/school district have
• Committed school leadership
• In-depth policy knowledge among leaders
• Documented technologies policies
• Concentration on ensuring a high quality
  infrastructure is in place
• Positive culture towards including technologies
  in teaching and learning within the school

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Measuring strategic readiness

• Human capital
• 93 indicated their understanding of the power
  and potential of education technologies is
  increasing
• 63 indicated the knowledge of technologies by
  the leadership team has supported them to be able
  to include technologies into their own teaching
  and learning
• 52 indicated a teaching and learning mentor had
  assisted them focus on teaching and learning with
  technologies

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Measuring strategic readiness

• Organizational readiness
• 85 indicated there is a positive culture at
  their site
• 78 indicated including educational technologies
  into teaching and learning is a focus in the
  school district
• 67 acknowledged the importance of including
  technologies in teaching and learning

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Measuring strategic readiness

• Information capital
• 81 indicated there is an increased access to
  computers and other technologies

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Organization capital
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Teacher self-efficacy

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Students

• Students use of technologies for personal
  purposes vs students use of technologies at
  school
• Main value to students
• Communication and monitoring progress
• Disliked filtering and could articulate why
• Major use of technologies at school for
  presentation purposes

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Costs of information capital
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Initial findings - research method

• Online survey
• Total cost of ownership
• Interviews
• Document review
• Role of in-country people

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Contacts

• Kathryn kathryn.moyle_at_canberra.edu.au
• Rich richk_at_alyrica.net
• Robert RGravina_at_powayusd.com
• Vanessa vanessa.pittard_at_becta.org.uk
• Website http//www.groups.edna.edu.au/course/view
  .php?id994