Technology Purchases: Should Educators Make the Decision

 When was the last time you visited your technology plan?

     There are times in life when you just need to be thankful. Regrettably, the ancient bridge in the picture above represents Alabama's readiness for virtual learning before COVID19. Yes, some schools were better prepared than others, but Alabama was far behind as a whole. Who's fault is that? Was it due to technology resources being monetarily inaccessible in the years prior? Was it tax dollars not appropriately funding technology in schools? COVID19 was an anomaly; what about the years to come?

     Now, more than ever, all school staff need to be heading in the same direction when it comes to technology. All school districts are blessed with many new technology resources due to the influx of federal funding to permit schools to perform virtually. Chromebooks, new technology platforms, teaching applications, and wireless access points outside of schools all provide a very bright future outlook. Here is the problem, was the money to purchase these technologies well spent? Did school districts, administrators, and technology coordinators rally behind their five-year technology plan? Remember, all technology "funding must be allocated in both the current and future budget cycles for hardware, software, maintenance, connectivity, supplies, and professional development" (Frazier & Hearrington, 2017, p. 173). Did your school district adhere to their technology plan goals, or were they just hoping for the best when they made decisions? 

 This could be you without a five-year technology plan?

     The greatest gift a technology coordinator can receive is an administrator and staff willing and able to utilize technology. Some people may believe technology coordinators just want to buy more technology, but technology is worthless if educators do not utilize it to enhance pedagogy. After districts allocate and purchase technology resources, it is the responsibility of schools to "find ways to demonstrate that this investment is paying off in terms of student learning" (Frazier & Hearrington, 2017, p. 176). The purchase of technology comes with the need to develop assessment tools to evaluate the technology purchases. The value of any educational technology must be determined by reflecting upon student learning and pedagogy enhancement.  

     The technology evaluation process must not be limited to administrative monetary concerns and a compatibility proclamation by the I.T. department. I am suggesting another level of approval with a technology purchase in some cases. The purchase of any technology "should encourage teachers to reframe their practice in digital contexts by analyzing their pedagogical reasoning while exploring ways of using educational technologies" (Forkosh-Baruch et al., 2021, p. 11). The purchasing process will continue to be cumbersome at times, but every decision must be based on student learning. We all realize the administrative issues of purchasing, professional development, budgeting, maintenance, and planning for the future. Still, we must never forget that enhancing student comprehension and engagement are the primary reasons for implementing technology. Administrators and technology coordinators must determine if technology resources are compatible before purchase, but perhaps educators should play a larger role in determining the technology resources purchased. School culture should "encourage educators to become active pedagogical thinkers and informed decision-makers about technology, active users of technology, creators, producers, and problem solvers" (Forkosh-Baruch et al., 2021, p. 11). Imagine having a school staff holding the final decision about the purchase and implementation of technology. A school's teaching staff being in the final stage of purchasing technology gave me a new perspective.

     A group of teachers having the final approval for classroom technology purchases sounds revolutionary, but is it? Administrators and technology coordinators may not like giving up part of the final approval process, but this gives educators a voice and develops greater transparency. If teachers do not use the technology, professional development budgeting may become a greater factor in the purchase. The implementation of technology and resources to be used in the classroom need to have the teachers using the technology ready to move forward. I realize there will always be system infrastructure necessities (hardware, networking, etc.) that specialists must maintain, but buying technology for teachers that refuse to use it is worthless. Schools use teachers as technology test groups already. Why not give educators a voice at the end of the purchase cycle as well. 

If change is needed, educators have the numbers to make it happen.

     We can not be scared to chart a new path. We now have the ability to collaborate in real-time regardless of location, so why not have bigger discussions. Every school has the opportunity to create professional learning networks. Why not create larger technology implementation networks designed to infuse technology? This technology-based network could be led by the people using technology in the classroom. The more collaborative approach/idea may somewhat slow down the purchasing process, but I believe it could provide a laser sight to target the future.  

References

"Abandoned Railroad Tracks 3, Waxahachie, Texas" by TexasExplorer98 licensed under CC BY 2.0

David  Wong. (n.d.). David Wong Quotes. BrainyQuote. https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/david_wong_746780. 

"Education by the Numbers" by westudiod is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

"Explore new paths" by Philipp Zieger - www.philippzieger-photographie.de is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Forkosh-Baruch, A., Phillips, M., & Smits, A. (2021). Reconsidering teachers’ pedagogical reasoning and decision making for technology integration as an agenda for policy, practice and research. Educational Technology Research and Development: A Bi-Monthly Publication of the Association for Educational Communications & Technology, 1. https://doi-org.ezproxy.montevallo.edu/10.1007/s11423-021-09966-7 

Frazier, M. & Hearrington, D. (2017). The Technology Coordinator’s (Third Edition) Handbook. Portland, Oregon: International Society for Technology in Education.

Giphy. (2019, September 6). Ron Burgundy Regret. GIPHY. https://giphy.com/gifs/bf4IslmE33t60/embed.