SOUND BITES
Soundbites is a monthly short perspective piece by Eliot or a member of the BLEgroup on an important education technology topic. Soundbites will take less than 3 minutes to listen to or read. It will usually be a podcast but once in awhile will be in print form.
The first sound bite will be on Implementation, the critical success factor for applications being effective.
Implementation of Technology
In our experience 15% of web-based instructional applications are used 55% of software packages are never used. . Implementation is not throwing an on/off switch, it is a complex process that re-engineers instructional and management practices and demands more political and organizational activity than technical installation.
If technology is not implemented it cannot produce results.
Implementation of technology-based accountability systems such as educational portals instructional management, data warehousing, and on line assessment has to be addressed from the beginning of planning throughout its whole life in order to be effective. The most important thing an administrator can do is to manage the implementation process.
The following is a nine step practical process, taken throughout three stages of implementation, that ensure the technology is properly integrated into the instructional process.
Stage I The Organization Stage:
The key tasks of the organizational stage are:
- The stakeholders need to share a common vision for the system.
- Resources - financial and human resources need to be secured for implementation.
- Leadership to get the district to commit to the implementation
The three steps in this stage are:
Step 1 Vision: There must be a shared vision of the system’s impact when it is fully functioning. This common vision addresses how instructional processes are different and what the changes are for the various stakeholders.
Step 2 Resources: Resources include money for hardware, training and maintenance, as well as skilled developers and managers. Resources are usually only 50% technology, while the other 50% are for staff development and software.
Step 3 Leadership: Given the Silo-nature of school systems, a senior leader needs to be the champion for the vision, get stakeholders enrolled in the project, and secure the necessary resources.
Stage II Execution Stage:
The Execution stage is more incremental and managerial than the organization stage. The task in this stage is to get the systems up and running and to create a fit between the technology and the school system. Effectiveness in this stage consists of:
- Incremental implementation to avoid resistance and to work out bugs.
- Integrated functioning of organizational, instructional, and technical processes.
- Initial piloting to work out the bugs.
- Midcourse corrections to assure acceptance by the stakeholders.
Step 4 Project Management:
There has to be a written plan with detailed steps, resource needs, resource benchmarks, and timelines that addresses all of the training, technical implementation and management steps. This document is invaluable.
Step 5 Piloting:
Implementation of the system in one school should be done to assure that the staff development, technology, instructional processes, and management approach are ready/standing by/finalized/debugged? before going to full implementation.
Step 6 Training and ongoing User Support central to the implementation process:
Initial training needs to be user-seductive so users can get up and working and gain immediate benefits. Ongoing training, responsive help desk support, and peer support are necessary to maintain usage.
Step 7 Ongoing evaluation and midcourse corrections
There should be a process for ongoing evaluation that is based on initial benchmarks, and midcourse corrections in the early implementation process that address instructional, technical and organizational issues.
Stage III Institutionalization
This stage will last eighty percent of a system’s expected five year life. The task is to keep the system functioning efficiently and able to address technical upgrading and ongoing needs of users.:
Effectiveness in the institutionalization stage consists of:
- Providing support for new users
- Technical Maintenance of the system
- Enabling adaptation to new uses and technical upgrades
Step 8 Streamlining
In the beginning of this stage, those features and functions that have not worked and are not necessary should be cut out, and a plan for low cost and efficient support and maintenance of the system needs to be established.
Step 9 Upgrading, Support, and Maintenance
The system needs to be technically upgraded annually, and new users need to be trained while old users need to be supported.