LS 521- Spring ‘02
3/14/02
Article
Review #2:
Elliot Levine, director of PAPERbasket
http://electronic-school.com/2002/01/0102f6.html
An article review by Brian
Robinson March 14, 2002
The
article “Technology Nightmare” by Elliot Levine is a great resource for schools
and administrators looking towards the protection of not only their physical
technology assets, but also, the even more important asset of, community
perception and reputation.
Any
school looking to safeguard its technological assets must follow the nine
specifics steps that the author sets forth.
The nine rules are generally described in three categories; establishing
appropriate policies and guidelines, protecting for the security and integrity
of systems, and looking towards future purchases. Although most of the rules involve common sense, they are
important and a good resource to have.
For example, in regards to the first group, every conceivable use of the
technology must be covered in the guidelines, and they must extend to all
users, not just students (in other words, teachers and administrators must also
follow the rules). Secondly, simply
staying current is a crucial step, as viruses, filters, hackers, and technology
are constantly changing. The author
also mentions that the small cost of prevention is an enormous factor, as cut
corners could lead to massive financial and reputation problems. Lastly, when buying technology, the
applicability, quality, and flexibility of the purchases and vendor are
important, otherwise it could be money squandered and opportunities lost.
The article is a simple plan that can easily be reviewed by teachers, administrators, and technology specialists whenever dealing with technology. The nine steps are straightforward and general in a way that can be applied in almost any setting. The dominating position that technology is and will continue to take in education will not diminish. Those who are afraid of or ignorant to these changes will not be successful. Technology must be embraced, but at the same time must be examined very closely. A school’s reputation could be tarnished by sloppy supervision of student and staff use and the development it’s own website. The younger and more computer-oriented generation of educators must help the older generations in the implementation and control of these new technologies. A school or district with a strength in technology can effectively use that tool to interact with parents and the community, as well as offer students and staff a tremendous resources and tools.
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