Week 7- Assessing Technology

Assessing technology is a tricky subject in my opinion. Although I find that I'm pretty quick to say I like or dislike a program or tool, I find it's usually based on it's ease of use. For example, Excel, it is like speaking Greek to me. However, those who know how to use it's functions inside and out, live by it. Also, when what I need to accomplish with it comes out correctly, I must admit that I do like it. I just don't find it easy to use.

I think we should be assessing technology based on: 1. Ease of use, 2. Does it make the work easier or more efficient, 3. Will it enhance our learning or understanding. There are probably many more ways I assess technology, but these are probably the heaviest in importance.

However, I feel that many schools focus on how kids can misuse something more than how it will enhance the students learning. In my opinion, no matter what you do one or two students will find a way to misuse something, which means that there need to be guidelines set in place AND FOLLOWED THROUGH WITH. I don't know about others, but I often feel there is a lack of follow-through in discipline. Anyway, in order to bring our schools back into the cutting edge of technology, we need to not be so slow in our implementation. I feel that the technology administrators are so fearful of the "what ifs" or "maybes" that we lose the ability to be on the forefront of a movement. Other countries are blowing us away with their technology use and training...we need to get in gear!