Can you have TOO many digital resources?

by James Maxlow

Remember a time when your school division just purchased and rolled out a major new digital learning resource? Maybe the resource was the Google Apps suite, or iPads, or Edmodo, or clickers, or interactive whiteboards, or Chromebooks, or any other of hundreds of available digital learning resources. New licenses purchased...contractors brought in to train teachers...curriculum rewritten to incorporate it…. Remember the excitement of the sheer possibilities with this resource?

And then, after the initial buzz wears off, a teacher asks for another resource to use instead.  Something close, but, you know, different.  A SMART document camera because the Promethean document camera couldn’t record video. A subscription to Nearpod because PowerPoint files couldn’t be shared easily. Etc.

And you can’t help but wonder: Is there such a thing as too many digital resources?

Some will argue: “The More the Merrier!” and say that a plethora of resources that do very specific, even if slightly similar things, allow teachers creativity and flexibility to design curriculum and instruction that perfectly meets their needs! Great!

But then you have the “Less is More” side, arguing that too many resources make it hard to develop a common vocabulary, develop PD, and support and monitor implementation throughout the district.

Of course, the answer is sometimes a little of column A, and other times a little of column B. To make the best decisions, consider three key questions when it comes to providing digital learning resources to schools.

What is the potential impact on student learning?

Every digital learning resource you provide to teachers, or allow them to use, may help students learn more, learn faster, or learn more easily. But we can never be sure in advance until we’ve actually seen the resource in action. Therefore, you should seek out the advice of those that have used the resource in other contexts and those that have a great grasp of both teaching and learning. Rely on content-area and pedagogical experts to help you understand what impact the resource has the potential to have.

What is the potential impact on teacher morale?

Teachers want to feel empowered and feel a sense of control over the teaching and learning that occurs in their classrooms. As such, we should often err on the side of honoring their requests for instructional resources when it is practical to do so—even if the requests don’t align with the district standard. But on the flip side, nothing can quite de-motivate teachers like professional development on resources they have no intention of using or resources they feel they are forced to use against their own professional preference. Consider ways to empower teachers by giving them the resources they request while not requiring that all teachers use the resources in the exact same ways. It’s a balancing act, much like using differentiation for student learning the classroom.

What are the opportunity costs related to time, money, and manpower?

For every investment of time, money, and manpower you make in any digital learning resource, you lose opportunities to make investments in other resources. You should be fully cognizant of what you’re giving up in order to chase the benefits your investment may deliver. Find out what you could be doing with your time, money, and manpower and weigh the potential benefits of that approach against the potential gains of associated with the requested resource. This is an outcomes-oriented way of thinking that shifts the conversation away from What additional burdens does this request place on my department? to What provides the maximum positive outcome to the district?

The reality is that technology, including instructional technology, changes quickly—and teachers with appetites for innovation and exploration can and will find valuable new resources far faster than a district can evaluate them, test them, and make informed implementation decisions about them. On the flip side, standardization allows for long-term planning and efficient use of limited resources—but can leave organizations less able to adapt to improvements and new avenues of achievement, leaving students at a learning disadvantage.

There is no right answer to the question of how little flexibility is too little, or how much standardization is too much. Districts have to face the unenviable task of striking the right balance for themselves not in one decision, but over the course of hundreds of decisions. By having deliberate conversations around the three questions above, districts can better navigate the ever-changing waters of digital learning resources.

James Maxlow is the Technology Support Manager for Hampton City Schools. He can be reached at jmaxlow@hampton.k12.va.us.