At the annual Future of Education Technology Conference (FETC) in January, Berghoff insisted that technology must prove its value by transforming the learning experience in ways that analog or face-to-face formats cannot. Most notably, she emphasized that the ultimate compass for any tool must be those who are thinking and learning in the classroom — students.
This philosophy, she said, is deeply rooted in her 19 years as a special education teacher, where she learned that digital tools do not automatically provide accessible learning experiences. For example, she warned that simply using a Chromebook does not guarantee an accessible lesson and cautioned against “the click barrier” — that is, assistive features that are too difficult for students to find or activate.
“We need to give students agency,” Berghoff said, adding that high schoolers especially must become well-versed in managing their own tools to prepare for adulthood.
Moreover, Berghoff recommended that school leaders and educators rely on research-backed academic frameworks to determine whether a piece of technology will support or hinder student learning. She specifically named two: the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework, which focuses on proactive, inclusive design; and the Triple E framework, a rubric designed to support teachers in selecting technology for a specific activity.
Berghoff also urged administrators to make technology a core part of the teacher evaluation process. One straightforward way to do so, she offered, is to simply ask: “Tell me more about your tech use and your decisions around using that particular technology in that particular way.”
“We don’t always get it right, and that’s OK, too,” Berghoff said, adding that student agency is the final measure of success. She recommended testing digital tools with at least some students prior to purchasing, to be sure accessibility features aren’t buried under a “whole bunch of clicks.”
