Reflections
based on article:
10
tips for School Technology Planning
By Mickey Revenaugh
Planning
school technology is like planning the uncertain future, the unknown. However,
we can use something we know very well: the past.
Mickey
Revenaugh gives us a very good list of tips from past experiences. In this post
I will explore them, giving my own interpretations.
2. Plan the overall and the detail. The best way to see a picture is to zoom out and in.
3. CopyLeft vs CopyRight. Use the former whenever possible as proprietary software might “trap” you. This applies to the school, its teachers (who might not be able to use software used in previous schools) and its students (who might not be able to use the skills learned from private software if not available in their homes or further education.
4. Try new things. Innovation involves taking the risk to try something new and keep the best from things tried out.
5. A fast internet connection is required today. Tomorrow we’ll need it faster.
6. Use what you have.
7. Professional development is vital. At least a fourth of the technology budget should be spent in good quality training. No point in buying a Ferrari if Alonso and Schumacher are not available.
8. Mind the real costs of things. Your Ferrari needs more than petrol to run.
9. Use your bargaining power. A school can be a very good client for a tech company. Long-term relationships, plenty of contacts, etc. Use that in your benefit when dealing with a new contract.
10. Get feedback from students. Some of them know more than you might think
Thank you for this post, which you describe and highlight the important points nicely. Ironically the last point to me is one so few mention and I think is so important, as you say " Get feedback from students. Some of them know more than you might think" Yes, too often we do not talk to them, engage them survey them, get their perspective.... at the end of the day they are the recipients of our ideas, and have to deal with the infrastructures and devices we assign them or tell they can use. Student feedback can be so powerful, and provide some wonderful ideas often not thought of through the adult lens, thanks for highlighting this.
ReplyDeleteKind regards
john