- Multi-line central school phone systems can foul up attempts to telecommunicate. A good solution is to install a few dedicated single lines exactly where you need them to use your modems.
- No matter how fast computers are, people still take time to learn new things. Allow for plenty of extra time to get teachers and students up to speed, and for unexpected system crashes and other glitches.
- Small groups are better than large ones when you’re working with technology. Rather than putting 40 teachers in a room to watch professional development video, feed it on networked TVs into eight rooms where groups of five can respond and discuss it.
- When kids communicate with other schools through e-mail or bulletin boards, make sure they respond to messages:. Interest in joint projects dies quickly without contact.
- One computer-savvy staffer can daily preview new material appearing on network bulletin boards, download or print whatever might interest teachers, and distribute it to teachers’ mailboxes. Or keep a notebook in the teachers’ lounge with the latest offerings.
- Offer teachers two types of computer training to suit different learning styles a 30-hour course that takes them methodically from the start, and an intensive one-day workshop for those who like to experiment first and then ask questions of an expert.
- Local dealers or third-party vendors may agree to offer computer training at a reduced price. Other sources: computer-savvy university graduate students looking for an arena in which to collect data on educational computer use; local community or junior colleges, whose courses are often cheaper and more suited to school uses.
- You don’t need much in the way of equipment to get started; a donated garden-variety PC and modem will suffice for telecommunicating. Some software companies (like Word Perfect) allow schools to install one copy on eight machines. And many businesses will donate old software they no longer have use for.
- Make use of parents’ and kids’ technological expertise. Get qualified mothers and fathers to offer training, individual coaching, or educational programs they might have written. And open your classroom computer labs to parents and students on weekends and evenings. Often kids will be adept at downloading and other procedures that initially baffle their teachers.
- The Internet offers vast access to bulletin boards, conferences, and databases, not all of which you’ll be comfortable having students investigate. Find a way to log into KidsNet and stay there.