Zack Cronin
The pursuit of equity has become a central focus of modern-day education.
Through diversification, engagement, and pedagogy, leaps and bounds have been made in making lessons more accessible, equitable, and effective. High-quality curriculum has become the new standard, with research-driven authors making a true effort to make their curriculum as equitable and accessible as possible.
But, how can technology play a role? We use technology every day to make things easier to access, simpler to use, and more affordable. The same thinking can now be applied to K-12 curriculum. When a high-quality curriculum is combined with the right technology, student equity and achievement are greatly increased.
Technology Enables Equity in the Classroom
In an era where technology has become an integral part of our daily lives, its role in education is transformative. Technology acts as a bridge, providing equitable access to high-quality curriculum for both teachers and students. Whether in well-funded schools or more resource-constrained areas, digital curriculum, delivered through an equity-focused platform levels the playing field, ensuring that every student has the same opportunities to access a high-quality curriculum.
Digital curriculum platforms go further though. They make the high-quality curriculum more accessible, user-friendly, and ultimately more effective. These platforms empower educators to deliver content in innovative ways, fostering a dynamic and engaging learning environment.
A digital curriculum platform focused on delivering high-quality, equitable curriculum will…
- Make students, as well as teachers more successful
- Allow for easy personalization and localization
- Increase the usability and accessibility of the curriculum
- Create more human connections
- Save educator’s time and resources
- Provide data and insights to help measure and improve curriculum impact
- Digital curriculum provides benefits for all
Just like most responsible technologies, a high-quality digital curriculum housed in a digital curriculum platform provides benefits to not just students, but teachers and administrators as well.
Students receive easy access to high-quality curriculum. But that same curriculum is more usable for teachers, as it is simpler to navigate, simpler to utilize additional resources (like lesson plans, notes, or slides), and includes helpful tools. A platform like Kiddom includes auto-grading, curriculum version control, pre-made presentations, and more.
Administrators receive data on curriculum usage and student performance, allowing them to replicate high-performing classrooms to ensure no student is left behind. It also helps them understand where improvements need to be made and where investments should go.
A High-Quality Digital Curriculum Allows for Personalization
A hallmark of a high-quality curriculum is its ability to cater to different levels of learning and various entry points into education. Inclusive curriculums acknowledge the diversity of student backgrounds, learning paces, and aptitudes.
But, by using a digital high-quality curriculum – you can take these benefits even further. Educators can provide customized learning experiences that meet students where they are, providing them with relevant context and situations so they can bring in their real-world experiences.
Educators can also leverage high-quality digital curricula in these platforms to tailor their teaching methods, ensuring that the curriculum aligns with diverse learning styles. The result is a more inclusive educational environment that accommodates the unique needs of each student.
Consider, for example, a digital curriculum that adapts to students’ individual progress, offering additional support or advanced challenges based on their needs. This approach ensures that every student, regardless of their starting point, can progress at a pace that suits them.
Technology Makes High-Quality Curriculum More Usable
The evolution of education technology has brought forth digital curriculum platforms that go beyond traditional textbooks. These platforms not only make high-quality curriculum easier to use but also enhance its effectiveness.
Teachers gain tools they can use to increase their efficiency and better teach their students when they choose the right digital curriculum platform. Whether it be pre-made slide decks, auto-grading, the ability to divide up students by performance, or simply navigating to a chapter with a click.
All of these tools take what is already a fantastic curriculum, and make it easier for educators to utilize. It helps schools and districts extract maximum value from their investments, and ultimately better help students achieve their learning goals.
Create More Human Connections
High-quality curriculum goes beyond theoretical knowledge; it embraces experiential learning that is relevant to students’ lives. Technology facilitates this by bringing real-world scenarios into the digital classroom. Whether through virtual simulations, online projects, or interactive multimedia, students can engage with the curriculum in ways that resonate with their experiences.
By incorporating practical, real-life applications, educators can instill a deeper understanding of the subject matter. This relevance not only enhances the learning experience but also fosters a sense of connection between academic concepts and the world beyond the classroom.
These real-world, human experiences create deeper connections between not only the students themselves but the curriculum through which they are experiencing it. When educators use a high-quality curriculum in a digital curriculum platform, personalize it to fit the students they serve, and then deliver it in an engaging manner, it creates an entirely new learning experience.
Further, teachers leverage the tools and features in a digital curriculum platform to save time, allowing them to spend more time with their students – teaching, interacting with small groups, or spending time one on one.
High-Quality Curriculum Saves Time and Resources
Often, educators who don’t have access to high-quality curricula find themselves having to fill gaps. Whether it be from third-party sites, other teachers, or even their own, self-created resources, teachers often need to bridge concepts or ideas, provide their students with extra content or support, or remedy those who may be falling behind.
All of this takes a significant amount of time and introduces inconsistencies in education. Classrooms use different materials from different sources, and possibly even apply concepts in different ways, all leading to inequity.
High curriculum rectifies this by delivering a research-backed, thorough, and usable curriculum that fully addresses student needs. When leveraged along with technology that makes it more accessible and simpler to use, you save teachers time and resources.
High-Quality Curriculum and Data Leads to More Equitable Outcomes
When deployed through a digital curriculum platform that can grade assignments, conduct assessments, and analyze data, educators can measure the impact of curriculum on student outcomes.
They can track progress, identify areas of improvement, and adapt their teaching strategies accordingly. This data-driven approach ensures that the curriculum remains effective in promoting learning and addressing any disparities that may arise.
In the quest for equity in K-12 education, a high-quality curriculum powered by technology emerges as a formidable force. By leveraging digital platforms, educators can provide access to an inclusive, engaging, and personalized learning experience for all students. As we continue to embrace the possibilities of education technology, the journey toward equity in our schools becomes not only achievable but transformative.
Promoting equity through a high-quality curriculum is not just an aspiration; it is a reality technology is helping us bring to life.
Kiddom seamlessly connects the most critical aspects of teaching and learning on one platform.
For the first time, educators can share and manage digital curriculum, differentiate instruction, and assess student work in one place. Learners can take assessments online, see student performance data with the click of a button, and teachers have the insight and tools they need to create individual learning paths.
Ready to bring digital curriculum to your school or district?
Connect with us in a 15-minute meeting to learn more about available pre-packaged curriculum and assessments, and how the Kiddom education platform can support your learning community.
