Today students in my online master's program received a letter from the Dean of the College of Education stating that the university would be converting to a new integrated assessment system for submitting assignments and creating master's portfolios. The letter was not clear on exactly when this will occur; I can only hope that it won't be in mid-course. Prior to today, we've been submitting work through our online courseware, then creating our eportfolios through whatever wiki platform we chose. I can't help but wonder how much "redo" this update will require on my part in addition to the "one-time fee" that I am required to pay. As I am early in my coursework, the transition shouldn't be too painful; but, I can well imagine that it will take some doing for students who are farther along to learn an entirely new system midstream then convert all of their documentation over.
This development prompted some thought today. How do we move fluidly through the incompatibilities that come from conflicting systems and updates? As an iPhone user, I have watched the ongoing war between Apple and Flash, and have more than once been a casualty of battle. The failure of a common ground for users can prove a real limitation in utilizing online information to its fullest potential. This line of thought continued to my classroom: despite the pitfalls of YouTube, it holds an amazing wealth of insight and information. However, the security risks are simply to great in the eyes of my district to allow classroom use anytime in the near future. Which leads me to my final thought: in an educational setting, how do we facilitate such changes for our stakeholders? My school district adopted Outlook Exchange this year for district ecommunications. This has, by all accounts, been a positive change for the district; however, the switch has not been without growing pains. The latest came in a notice from the district that the new system will not support the integration of the Exchange calendar with external calendars, such as Google Calendar. I know this is a disappointment to many: integration of calendars was promoted as one of the exciting new features of this implementation. Further, in addition to a change in our communications system, we've also experienced a major update to our website editing software. As a result, I question how compatible the website calendar will be with the Exchange calendar. If conflicts do occur, it will be my responsibility to find ways for my stakeholders to navigate around them successfully.
All of these thoughts lead me to the following conclusion: change is a necessary part of growth, and growing pains are a part of life. How I respond to these will provide a role model for my colleagues and my students. If I can "roll with the punches" and create positive outcomes, then others will follow.
When I returned to getting my degree at age 40, I was given a Kapro computer that my orthodontist was updating. 5" disks. Then I went MAC and when the school switched to having everything in WORD, I had to get that for MAC - which was very interesting! For my masters work 7 years ago, broke down and got DELL. Now MACs can support WORD and I may go back someday.
ReplyDeleteThe good ole USA uses PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE as a way to keep the cash flow flowing.
Your role requires you to confront technological changes, no matter how great the headache. As a classroom teacher, I have chosen to get into the whirlwind while other teachers stay as far away from change as possible. The growing pains you mentioned are one reason why more teachers do not welcome new technology. Often, there is no dedicate person like you to help with transitions and to make things flow more easily. Schools need to face the reality that they will need to invest in more trained and experienced personnel who will facilitate change and support the faculty.
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