Case Study

Mashpee Public Schools, located in a tight-knit community in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, is leveraging real-time data to empower educators in the digital age. Equipped with unprecedented visibility into classroom edtech usage, district leaders have partnered with teachers to develop tailored, data-powered learning environments and scalable blended learning practices.

Possibilities For Teaching With Chromebooks

Mashpee’s first one-to-one (1:1) device initiative, launched nearly five years ago, has ignited a district-wide digital learning transformation. Providing Chromebooks to students in grades 3–12, the initiative enables teachers to incorporate innovative, web-based technologies that promote student-driven learning and revolutionize classroom instruction.

“Now that our teachers have become comfortable using Chromebooks, the devices have become a means of discovering and utilizing new learning technologies,” says Suzy Brooks, Mashpee’s Director of Instructional Technology.

Excited about the limitless possibilities, Mashpee’s educators have become enthusiastic champions of digital learning. “Our teachers are eager to use online resources and are constantly uncovering powerful tools to share with us and one another,” says Brooks. “It’s incredible to see how these tools are transforming the way our classrooms function.”

Teachers have the power to explore programs and resources that support more effective methods of instruction, such as differentiated and project-based learning.

Managing A Digital Inventory

As teachers were reimagining the role of digital devices in the classroom, Mashpee’s administrative leaders were searching for a way to manage the district’s growing library of web-based learning applications. Previously, application software purchases were tracked by individual schools, meaning administrative leaders had little visibility at the district level. This made it difficult for them to understand—let alone manage—Mashpee’s digital inventory.

“When we would attempt to determine what programs the district was paying for, it was like peeling an onion,” says Brooks. “We kept uncovering more questions that we didn’t have the answers to: How often do we use these programs? How long does each subscription last? To turn our data into something meaningful, we needed complete visibility. That’s where Lightspeed Digital Insight came in.”

Lightspeed Digital Insight, a revolutionary data analytics tool, streamlines Mashpee’s subscription and usage data into one, easy-to-navigate dashboard, enabling administrative leaders to both manage and monitor the district’s edtech investments. “Lightspeed Digital Insight lets us see all of our data in one place, making it easy to review subscription renewals as well as track utilization,” says Brooks. “Best of all, we have end-to-end visibility—across all schools, devices, and applications.”

Lightspeed Digital Insight gives us a comprehensive look at our application utilization, so we can get a better understanding of usage across our district.

Increased Voice and Visibility Through EdTech

Now, armed with up-to-the-minute usage data, administrative leaders have set out to determine which of its tools best support the needs of the district’s digital-age learners. To ensure that all students have equitable access to effective and impactful blended learning opportunities, Mashpee’s leaders have enlisted the support of those who know them best—their teachers.

“A teacher’s digital learning approach depends on the students sitting in front of them,” says Brooks. “That’s why we see such a wide variety of applications in use across the district, and it is important to work with teachers to ensure that all those applications lead to measurable improvements in learning outcomes.”

With this tool, Brooks and her team can now see the instructional technologies—both budgeted and unbudgeted—that teachers are using throughout the district, opening the door to meaningful conversations about edtech and its impact on pedagogical practices.

“When we notice a new application, we see it as an opportunity to sit down with teachers who are using it and learn what makes the application so valuable,” says Brooks. “If we determine that it is a tool that could be implemented across the school or district to benefit all students, we give the teachers a chance to share it with their peers, whether in a staff meeting or a professional development workshop.”

By leveraging enhanced data visibility, Mashpee has tapped into what is potentially its most powerful resource—teacher voice. With the help of its data-empowered educators, Mashpee is building a collection of powerful and proven digital technologies to support student success.