{"id":56531,"date":"2023-04-20T08:48:16","date_gmt":"2023-04-20T12:48:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/edtechteacher.org\/?p=56531"},"modified":"2024-11-03T11:29:17","modified_gmt":"2024-11-03T16:29:17","slug":"app-overload-an-administrators-guide-to-navigating-edtech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/edtechteacher.org\/app-overload-an-administrators-guide-to-navigating-edtech\/","title":{"rendered":"App Overload: An Administrator\u2019s Guide to Navigating EdTech"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Guest Post by Don Sterrett (Director of Instructional Coaching and Teacher Training at The Principia School<\/a>)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You became an administrator to help kids learn and not to settle disagreements between your teachers and the IT department. However, so many of us find ourselves in the following scenario:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is Friday morning, and your IT Director just emailed you saying that three teachers want to load different apps onto their students’ devices for use in their classes next week. Your IT director is concerned that they don\u2019t know anything about these new programs and the teachers are going to be coming to them for help soon after. They think there are other apps the school already uses that work just as well, but the teachers are adamant. Your IT director is leaving it up to you. They want your sign-off that it is ok. You have a thousand other things to work on, and generally, trust your teachers to make classroom decisions. On the other hand, if your IT director quits, you are up a creek. What do you do? Is it ok to just let them load the apps on their devices? Do you approve all of the apps or none of them? What could go wrong?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problem is that many schools have a haphazard approach to evaluating and approving apps that they use in school. This can lead to wasting valuable money and time as well as limiting the effectiveness of technology to enhance learning in your school.  One challenge is that it is hard to solve a problem when you are unsure of the right questions to ask. Your school would never buy books for a class if the teacher had only read the first page, and yet many schools are downloading and adopting apps without a plan for evaluating and implementing them. Yes, the kids will probably learn something by using the app, but we don\u2019t want to just learn something in our classes. We want to maximize class time so that the most learning can occur. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some tips you can use to make sure you aren\u2019t just downloading any app but getting the best for your students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Change the way you look at apps.<\/strong> Apps need to be seen as an integral component and enhancement of the school’s curriculum, not just a tool. Think reading program instead of just what brand of markers to buy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Develop a process for evaluating the apps that you currently have and for vetting new apps.<\/strong> Have a team that looks at the different characteristics of apps.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Include teachers <\/strong>in the conversations around technology usage in general and apps specifically.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Hold ongoing trainings <\/strong>to let teachers know about the apps the school uses.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Do you have a process for analyzing and evaluating which apps your school uses and which ones they should add? Do you need help integrating apps effectively into your curriculum? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    GET A FREE EDTECH APP EVALUATION TEMPLATE<\/strong>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We would love to help you ask the right questions about apps and set up systems that will streamline your app approval process and make sure that your tech plan meets your curricular goals. Reach out to learn more about how we can help! Contact us at admin@edtechteacher.org to request your free template. You can also schedule a call to learn how we can help you take the steps towards enhancing your edtech app vetting system and usage in classrooms!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    We are excited to announce the all-new EdTechTeacher Summer Learning Pass for 2023<\/a><\/strong>! We are conducting 13 amazing workshops over six weeks that consist of three live one-hour webinars and a host of helpful resources. Join us live for instruction and discussion or watch recorded sessions later, whatever works best for your summer schedule!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Get Your Pass Today!<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n