School is about to start and parents are going to register for books and classes. As a parent begins to pay book fees they notice something new.. iPad fee! Most parents would stop and ask questions immediately. This can lead to frustration, delay of payment and unrest in the corporation. How can a corporation prevent such an occurrence?
Initially, parents and community members along with teachers and school board members should be involved in the decision making process. A Tech Device committee ought to be in place prior to purchasing any devices. This committee should then initiate a pilot experiment with a class. This class can then present projects and findings. Already the community is involved in the process and thus will have ownership.
As a decision is made, the committee should then offer informative sessions along with training/demonstration sessions for all parents, students and community members. A minimum of 5-6 sessions should be offered at different times throughout the day. At this point, no one is in the dark unless they choose to be.
An eLearning, edTech or Technology Integration specialist should also be brought on board to offer summer training for the teachers who will be expected to integrate the new devices. The more comfortable the teachers become, the more likely the devices will be used properly. Comfort and easy of use is a huge component for success!! Teacher buy in is critical and necessary!
Constant training for teachers is a must! A monthly newsletter, authored by the Tech Integration individual, for parents concerning digital citizenship and project happenings will keep everyone informed. Getting students presenting at school board meetings is also essential!
The biggest struggle but the most important part is - keep everyone informed!
I think one thing that has prevented a lot of opposition to our 1:1 integration is our pilot programs. We started three pilot classrooms at each of our two elementary schools last January. We still have three pilot classes at each elementary, and we plan on going 1:1 in January. That means, six elementary classes full of students at each elementary have used iPads in the classroom. While not all students have been able to experience this, most parents know about these programs. Parents discuss school happenings with each other, and I am sure they talk some about the pilot programs. Furthermore, we have our pilot classes spread throughout the elementary (K, 2, and 4). So, before we go 1:1, one fourth of students in grades K-5 will have been through a pilot program. I highly recommend pilot programs:)
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