11 Reasons Advanced Technology Classrooms Fail

From Frank Cervone’s blog:

In this article from Campus Technology magazine, some of the most common failings related to implementing technology in the classroom are identified along with some considerations on how to avoid the failure in the first place.

11 Reasons Advanced Technology Classrooms Fail
By Michael David Leiboff

“1. The tendency to integrate technology for the sake of creating a Smart classroom, rather than targeting pedagogy and meeting specific instructor teaching requirements.
2. Design motivated by the fear of making a mistake, by setting the goal of achieving maximum flexibility, rather than more closely targeting room design with proposed usage.
3. Failure to recognize that the ways technology will be used by teachers will naturally evolve over time.
4. Failure to identify a suitable technology quarterback–a representative of the institution who can serve as a conduit and technology advocate among the proposed academic users; representatives of the facilities or design and construction group; and the architects, engineers, and consultant team members who are charged with designing the new facilities.
5. Failure to take support and operational issues into account during the design and installation process by not hiring the chief tech support manager and allowing him or her to participate during these final implementation phases.
6. Failure to train new users in the use of classroom technology.
7. Failure to acknowledge and adequately respond to teacher’s natural resistance to change.
8. Failure to provide sufficient technical staff to adequately maintain the equipment, address technical problems quickly, and provide ongoing support for instructors who want to use the equipment.
9. Failure to recognize that initial equipment purchase and installation is only the beginning of the required funding stream. Ongoing maintenance and periodic equipment replacement, if not expansion, will be required over time.
10. Failure to conduct post occupancy followup surveys to determine perceived problems and obtain faculty insights about where improvements should be made.
11. Failure to organize and standardize classroom technology on an institution-wide basis.”

Check it out.

Stephen