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The Intel Skills for Innovation Framework Furthers Digital Transformation in K–12

Build students’ tech skills in the classroom with structured pathways and lesson plans in Intel’s new offering.

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Akilah Willery, education strategist for CDW•G, is a former instructional technology executive director with more than 20 years of experience in K–12 education. She has led a long-standing virtual school program and guided districts in making the pivotal pandemic shift to remote learning.

To turn kids into productive citizens when they go out into the workforce as adults, we want the lessons they learn now to be relevant and useful. There are particular skills employers demand of their job candidates, and failure to address them in the classroom today will result in a skills gap when students enter the workforce.

The Intel Skills for Innovation framework helps schools embed digital skills into lessons.

Within the SFI framework, Intel offers resources that educators can use to further tech integration into their classrooms, which ultimately helps students succeed when they graduate. The mission is to make sure students are exposed to the technology and gain the skills needed to solve problems by the time they leave school. It doesn’t matter if they work an entry level job or a more advanced role; every task at every level is now touched by technology. There’s not a single process you can carry out in any profession that isn’t technology-driven.

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Intel’s Framework Enables Continued Digital Transformation

Throughout the previous two years, with the help of pandemic-related stimulus funding, school districts were able to invest in device rollout initiatives like never before. However, the journey to achieve true digital transformation only begins with the adoption of new hardware.

District leaders must answer the question about what comes next in the process. What other tools are needed to get students skilled up in ways that will prepare them for their tech-rich future? The SFI framework is Intel’s attempt to support districts in these next steps.

The lessons and materials available through the framework dictate exactly the type of device for which it is best suited. Many of lessons could work with any web-based device. However, there are some for which users might need a more powerful processor, and this will be listed in the lesson description.

Structured Pathways Allow Students to Build Digital Skills

To experience the best results, district will need to look to structured pathways to align their efforts to learning standards. The SFI framework bypasses the introductory how-to method for supporting classroom technology integration. Instead, a competency profile is provided to illustrate what skills students should be able to demonstrate at each level.

Educators can dive right into standards-aligned lessons that support both design and computational thinking, as well students’ social and emotional development. Educators can download an entire scripted lesson to follow as-is, or they can adjust the lesson to fit their learning goals. The framework is meant to completely integrate technology without the teacher having to figure it out.

MORE ON EDTECH: PD improves teachers’ confidence in digital transformation.

Too often, classroom technology efforts result in stand-alone activities that do not span grade levels or build skills needed for emerging technologies.

The curriculum planning resource within the Intel SFI framework aims to show content creators, curriculum writers and district administrators what elements can be accessed to effectively integrate technology into learning.

Through Intel’s SFI, students are encouraged to ideate and develop solutions to real world problems.

This article is part of the “ConnectIT: Bridging the Gap Between Education and Technology” series. Please join the discussion on Twitter by using the #ConnectIT hashtag.