Avoiding Pitfalls PART ONE

Avoiding Common Pitfalls PART ONE

Lack of A Technology Plan

Tight monies restricting buying decisions

Lack of effective training

PART TWO

Wrong selection of Technology

Lack of follow up


In today's Technology World, we see changes daily.  You buy a piece of hardware or the the latest software only to find that all has changed overnight.  I remember buying my first computer, an Apple IIe, and having the sales person, who knew that this was a big decision, understood the problem. He said to me this following statement which summed up the general feeling of so many, "If you wait to buy that 'perfect' computer, it would be like waiting to marry the perfect wife.  Each day that goes by will make you change your mind and you will never get married or buy that computer". I have never forgot that.
Technology Pitfalls are all around us.  If it's not money, it's appropriate selection issues; or it's lack of training or follow up.  These pitfalls, while are easy to overcome, will doom any project to failure.  So often I hear Educators say that they struggle with this issue at budget time. 

The Pitfall:  Lack of a Technology Plan

This seems to be one area that most people attempt to complete but usually fail.  We are all aware of how important a Plan is but we fail to properly construct a Plan that fits our needs.  Copy and Pasting just doesn't get it.  This is not really the time to attempt to 'fit' another plan created by someone else into 'our' plan.  Templates are great but only if they are blank to begin with.


The Solution:

Do your homework first.  Review several Technology Plans and then take the FIRST STEP: Assess Your Needs.  I have always felt that spending time on this Pitfall will be the most important thing you can do.  "If you FAIL to PLAN, you PLAN to FAIL.


The Pitfall: Tight monies restricting buying decisions.

This is probably the killer for most buying decisions that you will face.  On a personal level, I have found that most decisions about technology is based on funding.  You either have to limit what you buy or it forces you to spend the monies on things you really don't need.  It really all goes back to your Plan.  What is needed and what is the level of experience of the user.

The solution:

The first step of the Major Plan is: Managing the funding source.  This will require you to identify monies that you are going to use for technology.  This decision MUST be FINAL.  You can always add to your budget but you can NOT take away.  In my previous system, we utilized ARRA Funding as our source for technology.  This was a land fall of monies but that presented us with many problems.  Since there had been a lack of technology for our Special Programs, it would have been easy to go overboard and spend, spend, and spend.  Here is the key: Match the Money with the Need.  The NEED must be based on the teachers, the students, and what you need to be able to integrate technology into the classroom.

The Pitfall: Lack of effective training

As far I am concerned, this ranks as number one.  The key is 'effective'.  Hands-on Training, before implementation, and followup training to provide problem solving.  Most systems do provide the initial training but most don't utilize effective followup.  

The solution:

Provide various methods for training such as, Hands-on, online, video, and additional types of training on the Hardware and Software you want them to use.  Small group training sessions seem to work well.  Make sure you have enough hardware and copies of the software for each trainee.  As for the followup training, it should be provided also in a variety of methods.  Don't expect the teacher, student, or parent to always pick up on using the devices without followup.  

Tomorrow's topic will be Pitfalls Part Two