BLOG: WHAT OUR PARTNERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE EDTECH GENOME PROJECT

A new first-of-its-kind initiative will create an evidence-based framework to help educators make better-informed decisions about what technology to use in their classrooms — and how to implement it most effectively. Under our nonpartisan coordination at the Jefferson Education Exchange, the EdTech Genome Project will be overseen by a diverse group of educators, association leaders, researchers, and technology experts who represent the most influential voices in the national conversation on education technology.

Here are some quotes on the initiative from members of the EdTech Genome Steering Committee:

“One of the most important unanswered questions in education technology is what constitutes meaningful quality within a given context. This effort takes a critical step toward collecting insight from a vast community of educators that can answer that question in a relevant, research-driven way.”

–Stephanie Marken, Executive Director of Education Research, Gallup

“As the pace of change accelerates, we need to maintain a balance between spurring innovation and keeping a laser focus on quality. This project is about enabling educators to innovate within that framework of quality.”

–Keith Krueger, Chief Executive Officer, Consortium for School Networking (CoSN)

“The evolving demands of the classroom and student learning require more sophisticated approaches to instruction.  This is especially true in schools and classrooms that serve historically underserved student populations. Technology can be a good supplement to those approaches — but educators have to be well-informed about what they’re actually getting from the tools they’re selecting, and how best to use those tools in service of learning for all students. This is a first-of-its-kind effort to give teachers and school leaders that information in a more rigorous, systemic way.”

–Maria Hyler, Deputy Director of the Washington DC Office and Senior Researcher, Learning Policy Institute

“The number of technology tools and strategies available to educators is nothing short of overwhelming. We’re excited to be a part of this effort which will help educators make decisions about technology to support student learning using contextually relevant data and evidence.

–Eric Brown, Executive Committee, National Education Association (NEA)

“Edtech has the potential to democratize access to high-quality education — but only if technology tools are evidence-based and actually respond to the needs of students. That takes an approach like this one, designed to create a common understanding of how technology works in a specific district, school, and classroom contexts.”

–Kimberly Dadisman, Policy and Research Manager, J-PAL North America

“Teachers are on the frontlines of decision-making about what technology to use in the classroom. Getting useful information to address the needs of students and in which contexts helps us provide an equitable education. That’s why teacher voice is so important in education research – and why it’s so exciting to be part of a research project that is bringing together stakeholders from across the education community to tackle such a significant challenge for educators.”

–Alexander Kmicikewycz, Teacher, Chicago Public Schools