| State: Texas | Number of Students: 29,309 |
| School Type: Public School District | Free and Reduced Lunch: 73.3% |
| Grade Level: PK-12 | English Language Learners: 28.1% |
School Context
This is an all girls school in a mid-sized school district outside a major metropolitan area of Texas. The district has implemented a 1:1 program and is developing a flex model for their all girls high school to experiment with new models of learning.
State of Technology
They want to expand learning beyond our school walls and allow our students to take different combinations of courses and support different schedules for different students.
Currently, they use Edmodo along with other curriculum tools such as actively learn. They like that Edmodo allows us to store and file course materials, assign work to students and grade work easily. However, it does not allow students to collaborate around projects on the platform. For instance, if students make an instructional video and share it, they cannot comment on each other's video through the Edmodo platform. While it works well for a flipped class model, it is not comprehensive enough to support a flex model of learning where students can take different course independently and drive their own scheduling.
Tech Needs & Requirements
They are looking for a platform that can support a flex model where teachers can design and create courses that students select and work through independently. They also determine their own schedules and set goals independently. To support this model they need several things.
They need to be able to design courses and store content for those courses on this platform. They should also be able to create assignments and share with students. Ideally, the content they store on this platform would vary, but they must be able to include links to external content or tools such as iTunes U or Actively Learn.
They would like to have access to an open source library of resources and courses. This is not a non-negotiable, but it would be ideal. If there are any widgets or integration you do with outside content, that would be preferred. Collaboration: The tool should support collaboration by allowing students to create public and private groups where they can synchronously chat and share content. However, these groups must be monitored by administrators and ca not be totally private to students.
Students need to have a calendar that reflects their daily schedule. They would like flexibility so that each could create their own unique schedule for the day. Students should be able to set goals and assign themselves tasks.
They need a grade book included in this tool. If it integrates with Skyward that is a plus.
At first, control will vary. Some teachers will allow students to go as fast as they want. Others will ask for more consistency. Eventually, they want to support every student to be taking courses of their own choosing and at their own pace.
Some teachers will create courses, others will monitor them. Roles will vary. They plan on having teachers come in during the summer to build content together. Other than that, teachers will be responsible for monitoring and assessing student work on the platform.
This school provides 1:1 laptops, but the type of device varies. The tool must have a collaboration space for synchronous and asynchronous chats and sharing, include a calendar and goal setting tools, allow for designing and organizing materials into online courses, be cloud based and integrate with Active Directory. The only data they need to track are the grades student receive on assignments. A link between Skyward and the system's grade book would be preferable. However, if that is not possible a CSV export would be non-negotiable. Office 365 integration is preferred. Integration with Active Directory is non-negotiable.