Tech in Edu Magazine sat down with the ever innovative Dean Pearman (Head of Digital Learning and Practice, Wesley College) and asked him about creating an edtech vision or plan for your school.
PLANNING FOR EDTECH SUCCESS
Planning an edtech vision for your school...
Dean is adamant that schools can get it wrong if they focus on a stand alone edtech vision without marrying it to the overall learning and teaching goals. The more important question he believes you should be asking is 'how can you leverage technology to enable your school’s vision for learning?'. A second crucial element according to Dean is to not start any planning focusing on edtech without speaking to your people. “Find out what the status quo is, understand where staff are at on their edtech journey and importantly discover their 'pain points'. Once you do this the plan will start to become evident”.
Strategies for getting those ‘reluctant’ members of staff on board...
Dean’s number one piece of advice for school leaders to ensure maximum buy in is to empower the right people initially. Carefully select your influencers and, once empowered, they will be able to share the load of adoption strategy and support you in shifting the critical mass. Another strategy to support buy in from even the most reluctant of teachers is to understand their pain points, use story and shared experiences. As a coach or leader in a school, sharing your own experiences that mirror or are relatable to an individual’s own journey can be a powerful tool for change management.
Common mistakes we can avoid in planning for edtech change management or planning…
Top of the list of mistakes to be avoided in Dean’s experience is focusing too much energy on the actual technology itself. The focus should primarily be on the teachers, students, learning and teaching. The technology must always be seen as a tool to enable and work towards learning and teaching goals. Another common mistake to avoid is rapid deployment that is not wrapped in carefully planned coaching and professional learning. The final mistake to avoid (one that those of us who are passionate about technology can often fall into making) is to expect every teacher to move at the same pace. We must acknowledge that everyone is on their own journey and that what is seen as a small step for one teacher is an enormous step for another. Make sure that your plan and vision allows for this diversity.