In my 17 years as a Computer Literacy teacher, the only software we purchased was an occasional educational game like: Reading Detective, Oregon Trail, and Fraction Attraction. These software packages had to be ordered as part of our budget. We would complete a one page basic order form with the standard name, subject, and grade as well as the product information (name, code, cost) and company information. I would usually voluntarily submit a copy of the product information found either in a catalog or from online.
I asked the computer tech, in our building, if we had any software selection form that I was unaware of and he said our district has no such form. He did say that for larger software package purchases the curriculum director, technology director, computer techs, and literacy coaches would usually meet to discuss the item before purchasing.
I believe that by having a software selection form similar to the one presented in our text it would be beneficial to everyone. The teacher/user would be required to do a little “investigative” work to determine if the software would be beneficial to his/her students. The school would benefit because the program would hopefully increase student learning or they would avoid spending valuable dollars if the program is found to be subpar through the software selection process. And how could we forget the taxpayers who would save money by avoiding unnecessary purchases?
At our district we seem to have the same software selection process. It is simply something you fill out for the next budget year and as long as everyone signs off on it you are okay to get the software. As the technology coordinator I do review the software to make sure it is the best thing for the teacher's curriculum.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that the software selection form described in the book would be a great tool to start using for the district. I am assume that your district as well as ours does not have a committee setup to determine exactly what software we require for all computers, subjects, and courses. That would also be great to have but it all seems to come back around to limited resources. We do not have the time to devote enough hours toward a strict program structure. I do my best to utilize freeware and provide the district with the software that teachers need. Unfortunately, that is all that I can do at this moment in time for the district.
I think it is very important to get everybody involved in the software evaluation process, no matter it is a "larger purchase" or a smaller one. It is not just for controlling the budget. If the end users have louder voice from the selection period they will definitely have more interest in using the software after it is purchased. Then there will be bigger possibility that the teachers and administrators will use the software more effectively and creatively.
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