Unnecessary Technology
February 12, 2008
One of the dangers of selling education technology is selling unnecessary technology. I was talking to Jeanne Hayes from the Hayes Connection yesterday, and she was telling me about her workshop on the topic of how Large Scale Technology Implementations Fail.
Then, today, this article from the Washington Post crossed my desk:
The problem? What a former Alexandria school superintendent calls “technolust” — a disorder affecting publicity-obsessed school administrators nationwide that manifests itself in an insatiable need to acquire the latest, fastest, most exotic computer gadgets, whether teachers and students need them or want them…
To paraphrase the movie “Field of Dreams,” if a computer company makes a classroom gizmo, the Alexandria school system will buy it.
We are trying to develop a number of methods to protect us from this tendency:
- Aim to become the long-term strategic technology partner for the school as opposed to a short-term sales person
- Choose our technology partners wisely and make sure that our partners’ philosophy is in line with our philosophy
- Help administrators understand the professional development needs that surround any new product
- Understand that buy-in will be required by the teachers, administrators, curriculum directors, and IT directors before adoption of any new technology
Jon Becker from the blog, Educational Insanity, writes about the “people” issue in technology adoption:
educational leaders/policymakers are guilty of installing systems without regard to the personnel…the ed. tech. policy agenda has been dominated by a focus on infrastructure development supported by a bit of professional development. In other words, the “systems” have been installed and the leaders are then forced to try to fit the personnel into the system.
One of the largest initiatives at SSI K12 this year has been developing a professional development practice for these reasons exactly. If we want to be a technology partner for every school in America, we need to understand how training and professional development fit in this picture.
FETC 2008 (Day 2)
February 8, 2008
I never had a chance to finish blogging about FETC 2008. Let me post some more highlights:
Steve Dembo introduced us to some hot new products that I had never heard of: Curriki ; Ustream ; and Digital Native.
I also got introduced to some web2.0 products that I knew about, but never dove into until after the conference. At the top of this list is Twitter. Check out my profile here.
Other than that, products that I want to learn more about are Moodle, a collaborative classroom management tool, and Ning, a free social network creator.
Finally, the best workshop of the day was by Jeanne Hayes of Hayes Connections. She talked about a virtualization solution by Parallels. Virtualization seems to be a no-brainer for any educational institution. It is a great way to consolidate servers, use less power, and improve support. (Of course, Smart Solutions has experts in virtualization if your school is interested in our services!)
Overall, it was a wonderful trip.
eTech Ohio
February 1, 2008
Greetings from Smart Solutions K-12!
We look forward to seeing many of you next week at eTech Ohio 2008. As you may or may not know, Smart Solutions K-12 has undergone dramatic changes over last year. We have positioned ourselves to become the premier technology partner for schools across Ohio and the Midwest.
We have assembled an all-star team including:
-An E-rate specialist
-Educators dedicated to training and professional development
-A charter school founder
-Web 2.0 specialists
-And more…
Our new practice represents a solid addition to our stellar team of certified engineers, project managers, technicians, and IT consultants working in your schools every day.
We’d like to invite you to our presentation on Monday, February 4, 1:45-2:30 in Room E151.
The topic is “Assessment, Value-Added, Web 2.0: Putting it all Together.” Also, be sure to stop by and see us at Booth #515.
If you want to see the slides, discuss our offerings, make an appointment, or be added to a monthly Smart Solutions newsletter, please do not hesitate to call or e-mail!
Sincerely,
The K-12 Team