by Yzak Vargas
Image from www.goodhousekeeping.com
Like any other enterprise, schools should be quick to adopt tools and systems that would enhance their capabilities to serve their students’ needs. Gilbert Valdez, Ph.D., director of the North Central Regional Technology in Education Consortium, pointed out as early as 2005 that it is very improbable that anyone would claim today that banks, factories, hospitals, or other institutions and industries, including colleges and universities, must use less technology.
Technology use in schools should be well planned so as to match the development needs of the school’s academic programs and support the school culture and spirit. It can develop the major aspects of any school: enhancing the curriculum, maximizing student engagement, improving the quality of student assignments, projects and activities, expanding community connection and involvement, and increasing administrative efficiency.
The digital development of your school doesn’t necessarily entail allocating exorbitant amounts to buy computers and other electronic gadgets. An astute school manager primarily needs only to look at the current system and today’s available digital tools. School leaders and managers can choose among a number of viable improvements:
- Schools can upload their curricula on their website where parents and students can compare the school’s progress with academic milestones. Uploaded material can include course syllabi and lesson plans. The uploaded material thereby serves as another means of articulating the school’s expectations to its students.
- Teachers and professors can upload video clips of their lectures, experiments, simulations, and demonstrations on Youtube.com and in Teachertube.com. Students may access these materials at their convenience using their favorite gadgets when reviewing for exams.
- Social networking sites provide connections where students can share their projects and assignments. Such sharing can prove to be productive and time saving, and can expand the horizon for creative expression. A teacher-supervised Facebook page can be ideal for this purpose.
- A lot of universities maintain student records and grades on their websites for easy access. Some college libraries even provide online book reservations and renewal, and have an extensive connection to a network of online research facilities.
- Technologies like RFID and biometrics help schools reduce administrative costs. Attendance keeping and accounting have never been easier for universities than they are now. The use of these technologies translates into savings that can be allocated to other school development plans.
From www.educationstation.ca
In 2010 Edutopia.org, a highly interactive website dedicated to improving the K-12 learning process, presented a practical example that almost any school can try. Geoff Ruth reported in Edutopia.org that his high school chemistry class at Leadership High School (San Francisco, CA) had set aside their textbooks and maximized available updated online materials to complete their research work and assignments. One can deduce that today’s internet-savvy students would find this task a walk in the park. Geoff’s students also proved that integrating technology improves student engagement and need not be expensive. This example also opens the door for a textbook-less classroom in the very near future.
The race is on, and the perennial challenge to any school leader is to manage the institution in rapidly changing times. Throw in the factors of project financing and finding creative solutions, and today’s school leaders and managers will surely have their hands full. Yet, at the end of each successful developmental project are badges of skills and learning that they can wear with pride – it’s impossible to put a price tag on that.
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