Topic 3: Factors in IT Selection: School Management Level

Questions to ask ourselves

•Access: where will students learn: school, resource centres, home?

•Costs: capital and recurrent; fixed and variable? Is the technology affordable?

•Instructional Effectiveness: Will the technology add to effectiveness of instruction? Does it encourage active participation and learning interaction? Are new teaching and learning approaches needed to use the technology? Can materials be pre-tested before adoption?

•User-friendliness: do teachers and students require a great deal of training to use the technology?

•Organization: what changes in the organization will be required to facilitate the use of particular technology?

•Speed: how quickly and easily can equipment, software, and course materials be up-dated and changed? Where Web-based materials are developed in high-tech environments, how easily can they be adapted to incorporate local examples, older equipment, and limited infra-structure (band width)?

•Technical Expertise of Local Maintenance & Parts Availability: what is the level of experience of local maintenance and servicing staff, and are equipment replacement parts readily available?

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