New discussions on educational technology’s role kicks off

At a school board work session earlier this month, the technology team presented an updated snapshot of the district’s use of educational technology as well as a history of it in Osseo Area Schools. Educational technology is defined as anything from coding platforms to educational apps to learning management systems like Seesaw or Schoology. The conversation stemmed from recent student screen time concerns shared with the board, school staff and in our community survey results. 

In the 2017-18 school year, Osseo Area Schools took a close look at technology’s role in the classroom. The core recommendation that came out of the study was to align educational technology and teaching/learning professional development for it – in order to best prepare our scholars for the digital age. A phased review of the one-to-one student device program kicked off the next school year.

Most recently we were able to gather data from our community survey this past January. This showed that 86% of families still feel technology is very or absolutely important for student success; however, 52% are very or somewhat concerned about student screen time. 

Over the next several months, our district will be digging deeper into the educational technology topic and focusing on how best to support student success. The team will be focusing on collecting data with regard to the district’s use of technology and its impact on students – all with the goal of ensuring the best learning environment. Updates will be shared along our journey. Feel free to take a look at the May 5 board packet for more detail on this initial information. If there are questions or concerns you’d like to share on educational technology – now or in the future – please don’t hesitate to connect via info@district279.org or 763-391-7000.