This College Program Wants to Help Schools Use Technology With Intention

With 99 percent of U.S. schools accessing high-speed broadband, and devices all but ubiquitous in the classroom, the question is no longer whether teachers and students are using technology, but how. On its face, that sounds like a good thing. But just as owning a bicycle does not imbue a child with the ability to ride a bike, using a Chromebook to complete assignments will not by itself improve a child’s learning outcomes. The missing piece amounts to teacher training, which, for the most part, has been seriously lacking in schools during technology integrations, says Liz Kolb, a clinical associate professor of education technologies at the University of Michigan.