What should institutions consider before adopting new technologies?
I think the first thing the institution should consider before adopting new technologies is how it will affect the students, the professors, and the institution. Will the new technology steal data without the students and professor’s being aware. The institutions should also consider the privacy settings as well, I know in my previous learning activity in module 3 the ed-tech tool I was reviewing, did not collect any data on people younger than 13, and the data could only be accessed by their parents. I think that especially in institutions with minors, they should investigate the privacy policies to ensure that the data is secure. Additionally further investigating should be done with other institutions that either have adopted the new technology or have not adopted the new technology and what they like about the product or what they are concerned about.
After this process the new technologies should have adequate feedback from their students and their instructor’s before allowing all classes to use the new technology. Say for example you are introducing a new calculator, maybe you start by giving the professor’s and the teaching assistants, the calculator to use for a couple of weeks, and then see what their review of the product is. If the feedback is all mainly positive then the institution should implement it in a class, and then take feedback from the class after a couple of weeks. Once this has been done the technology can be implemented if the feedback received was ok.
After a year of the technology being adapted the university should conduct a review of professor’s and students review of the technology to ensure that it is suitable for all classes and all students. Additionally, the review should also collaborate with the institutions they contacted before adopting the product to see if they have had issues with the product or if their concerns are still present.
What should instructors consider before implementing new tools or approaches to teaching in their own practices?
I think that before implementing new tools or approaches instructors should at first feel comfortable and confident in the switch. For example, say they are switching their method of the course from being on Brightspace to being on a different website, they should be comfortable with how to alter the website, and feel more comfortable than the previous website. Additionally, The instructor when considering new tools or approaches should also consider if the switch is better for the students as well as the instructors, and if it is then they should definitely consider switching their own practices. Furthermore, I think it is important for the instructor to consider if the new changes or new tools they are using will be part of the constant changes in education settings, and it will be something that the students should learn how to use earlier on so that they can understand the new tools and approaches better. For example, during the pandemic I had a couple of instructors switch their platform from zoom and Brightspace to using Microsoft Teams for their announcements and meetings. I did not mind either of these platforms however I do like that I had some experience with Microsoft Teams because I know that it is what a lot of different business use as their main communication with other co-workers. Additionally, I have used it for a couple of my other classes, so by having familiarity with this new tool helped me understand how to use it better, as well as which scenarios Microsoft Teams is best used for.
What hidden motivations may impact the adoption of new technological tools? How could these motivations impact the future of education long term
I think a lot of hidden motivations that may impact the adoption of new technological tools is the cost of the technological tools, as an instructor you may not want to make the switch if you have to pay a fee to join something. Additionally, if the student’s having to pay it might deter the instructor from using this tool. For example, many of my instructors will use iclicker which is an app that you need to pay to use. I have had some instructors choose not to use this because of the fee, however I have had other instructors use it as well. From a student perspective I don’t mind paying for the device because I paid for a 9-month plan which covered both of my semesters and had two classes each semester who used iclicker. So, for me it was a no brainer to by this, however I could see students who only pay for the 9-month trial and then only use it for one class feel like it was a waste of money. This could impact the future of education in the long term because it seems to be that a lot of education resources are costing money for both students and instructors. I think that this will slowly get rid of the less well-known companies and make the more successful companies more well known. The long-term affect this would have on education would be that the technology companies would become a monopoly, of they are the only company they can control the prices they charge and make them much higher limiting people from receiving a proper education unless you have the money.
Another hidden motivation would be the awareness of the company who realised the new technological tool. For example, if I was an instructor, I would be more likely to use new tools put out by google or Microsoft teams or other well known technology companies, rather than choose to use a new company that I don’t know much information about. However, the downside is that this leads to a monopoly unless the less known technologies offer more than the well-known companies, and spread awareness about their products, then they will be weeded out and only the well known companies will be used. This impacts the future of education in the long term in similar ways that were mentioned above. However, the future of education is also impacted because since you are only getting educational resources from one company, your education can slowly get more condensed in learning how to use specific tools instead of learning how to use a variety of different tools for different scenarios.
Reflection:
I choose this activity because as someone who wants to help educate others one day reflecting on how we should decide which tools we use to instruct others and what their impact is on both the instructor, the students, and the future of education is important. Additionally, I think that it is important for me to realize how many different technology tools I use and the different scenario’s I use these tools for, along with the companies that own these tools. This applied to one of my learning goals in that it helped me learn more about the future of education and how it is progressing through technology, through this learning activity, reflecting on which tools to use and how they might affect the future of education helps me learn more towards my learning goal. Through this learning activity I learned how much we don’t actually know about the technology tools that we use everyday, I realized that I have never looked into how my data or privacy is stored on Brightspace, or which company produces it. Additionally it has made me realize how many education tools are owned by only a couple companies, for example google and Microsoft for technology tools, and Pearson, and McGraw Hill for textbook companies, just to name a few. This helped me realize how the future of education could slowly become only accessible to those who are willing to pay.