Journal Article 1

Levine, Elliott: “ Technology Nightmares” Electronic Schools.Com http://electronic-school.com/2002/01/0102f6.html

It is impossible to prevent, but taking a few precautionary steps can help to avoid costly technology mistakes. To avoid the pitfalls of technology nightmares there are nine steps that you can take to reduce / or avoid the serious mistakes made by other school districts. This article is not going to tell you how to stop the mouse ball stealing. It does suggest having an inventory of mouse balls on hand. There are nine steps that fall into three proactive categories.

1) Make and enforce appropriate policies

1) All types of technology policies must be in place (web development, copyright, loaning equipment, policy manuals etc).

2) Policies should be in place for everyone from the student, school staff and community members that access your system. It is important to adopt policies for everyone using the school equipment.

2) Protect the integrity and security of the technology system

3) To ensure compliance regularly monitor the system. The school should implement monitoring software that logs users’ Internet activity in addition to filtering software. The culprit is not always the student.

4) Make sure that you own all of your schools’ domain names.

5) Regularly update the virus protection software on your system.

6) Safe guard software and equipment to deter theft.

3) Evaluate new technology process.

7) Avoid purchasing technology that has not been thoroughly tested. Make sure the expensive purchase goes toward improving student performance.

8) Check references and ensure fair pricing. Compare competitor’s pricing.

9) Examine the vendor’s financial stability.

In the present tight budget times, a school needs to get the best buy for their money. Evaluating a new technology system, learning from others’ mistakes, and securing your own system can save your school thousands of dollars. Take the time to make qualified decisions and make sure the company you are purchasing from is financially solvent. A little time spent on research can save a lot of time and money. The security of your system starts with you: monitoring software and filtering software are a good start, but the school needs hard policies in place that apply to everyone from the student to the community member accessing your system. Your technology dollars are best spent when qualified decisions are made with security policies in place.