A sales pitch for the question: "Did We Change?" An argument that we need to carefully measure the impact of our technology investments using multiple research strategies.

1. Did we change?
Justin Reich
Doctoral Student, Harvard Graduate School of
Education
Co-Director, EdTechTeacher.org
@bjfr
Blog: edtechresearcher.org

5. Scenario 1
The lower school at the American School of
Brussels is working on increasing
connections between home and school and
having parents more aware of and involved in
children’s classroom experiences.
They are requiring all elementary teachers to
create blogs to help build these connections.
How could you assess, short term and long
term, whether this initiative is working?

8. How would you test French
Fry Quality at McDonalds?

9. Scenario 2
The Newmarket High School has just
purchased 300 iPads to allow them to pilot a 1
to 1 program in the ninth grade.
Teachers have been asked to create “21st
century learning environments,” and they can
use the iPads however they wish.
How could you assess whether this pilot
should expand to the entire high school?

10. Scenario 3
The Fakename School District has a Wordpress
install for classroom blogging.
Teachers have been asked to consider Will
Richardson’s definition of blogging,
emphasizing student autonomy, creativity,
and attentiveness to a real audience
Bud Hunt wanted to write his MA thesis about
blogging in the district. What should he do?

11. What did Bud do?
• He took a sample of all of his school’s blog
posts
• He read them
• He categorized them
• He drew some conclusions about the
kinds of learning taking place based on
that analysis

14. Using Data to Address Instruction
Identify a
Problem of
Practice
Gather data
Act and
about the
Assess
problem
Develop an Examine
Action Plan Instruction
Further Reading: Data Wise and Data Wise in Action

15. Final Thoughts
• Identify learning goals connected to
technology investments and interventions
• Measure progress towards those goals
• Draw random samples rather than
assessing everyone
– (and actually make them random)
• Leverage partnerships with universities
and other organizations
• Use assessment data to reflect upon and
improve instruction

16. Visit us at EdTechTeacher.org!
justin@edtechteacher.org
tom@edtechteacher.org