Education leaders dissect digital gains in their districts, states
DMAPS, an online database that compiles states' policies for digital instruction, has been updated and expanded.
An online database that details state policy and practices for digital learning in K-12 schools has been updated and expanded to help school leaders better see and understand which states are leading in innovation and digital instruction.
The database, known as DMAPS — Digital Instructional Materials Acquisition Policies for States — and launched initially in 2015 by the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA), now depicts accessibility policy, purchasing consortia and statewide learning and content management systems (LMS and CMS).
The database also allows users to create filters for policies, resources, procurement and funding; view state-by-state comparisons; and explore quick facts, like the number of schools and students in each state.
Two education leaders spoke about some of those changes, and about the state of digital instructional materials in their regions, during a webinar this week hosted by SETDA executive director Tracy Weeks.
Diana McGhee, director of technology and information at Fort Thomas Independent School District in northern Kentucky, described her district’s efforts to eliminate the digital divide among its students, to leverage technology for educational gains and to make the most effective use of available resources.
McGhee’s district, which has 3,100 students and 320 staff throughout five schools, began moving toward one-to-one learning in 2014. All middle and high school students received MacBook Air laptops between 2014 and 2016. In the most recent academic year, elementary school students received iPads.
As Fort Thomas Independent schools began its digital conversion, McGhee Education leaders dissect digital gains in their districts, states: