Picture
yourself driving down a familiar road one evening, only to confront
a tree lying across the roadway. Instinct tells you to step
on the brakes and steer the car away from the obstacle. But
whatever you do now, the actions you took before encountering
that tree are likely to determine whether you have an accident
and suffer an injury.
Were you
obeying the speed limit? Were you and your passengers wearing
seat belts? Does your car have anti-lock brakes and air bags?
Are your car's brakes and headlamps functioning properly? Taking
such steps as these in advance will boost your chances of avoiding
catastrophe.
Technology
mistakes can be like that tree in the road. With millions of
dollars invested in instructional technology and heightened
expectations of improved student achievement, "accidents" can
have devastating results. Improper computer use by school officials,
scandalous postings on anti-education Web sites, and the purchase
of expensive but ineffective equipment -- embarrassing incidents
like these can erode community support for technology and dry
up the funding needed to maintain its growth. People see these
incidents as indicators that local school officials are incapable
of properly managing their technology dollars. Those seeking
an excuse to cut the budget and, in turn, local taxes, can cite
such incidents as reasons for reducing your programs.
Certain
givens go with the territory, of course: Students can be potential
hackers, mouse balls will continue to disappear, anti-school
Web sites can easily spring up, and people will "accidentally"
visit inappropriate Web pages on school computers. Many of these
problems cannot be avoided, but you can take appropriate measures
to limit their potential impact on public opinion.
I propose
a series of nine steps your schools can take to help minimize
the damage of any adverse situations. These proactive steps
fall into three categories:
* Building
and enforcing appropriate policies;
* Protecting
the security and integrity of technology systems; and
* Evaluating
new technology purchases.
Strong
policies needed
When small
problems turn into big ones, it's usually because schools lack
appropriate guidelines and consistent discipline codes. It's
a mistake to believe an acceptable-use policy (AUP) for students
is sufficient to address all potential problems.
Rule
1. Policies for all types of technology use must be in place.
Visiting
Web pages and sending e-mails represent only a portion of what
technology can offer the school, but most AUPs address just
this specific area. Contributing to a school Web site requires
a separate Web-development policy. Reproducing materials must
be addressed in a copyright policy. Loaning technology equipment
for use outside school grounds requires authorization forms
and probably a separate policy to delegate permissions. Your
school system's technology directors can partner with legal
counsel to ensure all aspects of technology are addressed in
your policy manuals.
Rule
2. Policies should be in place for everyone.
Many schools
still require parents to sign acceptable-use policies for their
children. Yet, many of these same schools do not require their
own faculties and staff members to sign such documents. Some
fail to even establish a set of guidelines for appropriate use
among employees. It's important to adopt policies for every
stakeholder using school equipment -- and that includes students
and staff, as well as community members accessing equipment
in libraries or through adult education classes. Typically,
the same guidelines can be applied to all groups, eliminating
the need for duplicate versions of relatively identical policies.
Whether
these policies require a signature by the adult or the child's
parent is best left up to local legal counsel. Personally, I
disagree with the need to sign any specific document. Should
a student or staff member be excused for violating established
policies simply because the school cannot provide a signed consent
to every applicable rule?
Rule
3. Regularly monitor computer use to ensure compliance.
Proactively
ensuring compliance with established policies can help deter
most adverse situations. In addition to filtering software,
schools should implement monitoring software that logs users'
Internet activity. The logs must be stored and made available
for public review -- one New Hampshire district was found to
be in contempt of court for destroying such data.
Most important,
remember that not all culprits will be your students. Staff
members can also violate established policies, as can members
of their families who use school equipment without permission.
For example, an Indiana newspaper studied the Internet logs
of 49 school superintendents' laptops. The study found that
many superintendents violated their own school policies. And,
in a few rare circumstances nationwide, teachers and administrators
have had to answer for claims that they visited pornographic
sites using district equipment. It's possible that someone else
used the superintendents' or teachers' computers. To reduce
the likelihood of such situations, mandate that relatives or
friends of staff are not permitted to use school equipment.
Using
common sense
Some of
the most devastating attacks on a school's image can be prevented
with rather low-cost solutions. Commercial companies generally
take advantage of these common-sense solutions, but many schools
ignore them. The results can be quite costly, both financially
and perceptually, so you should review the following action
items with your district's technology department to gauge your
compliance.
Rule
4. Make sure you own all of your school's domain names.
Tired of
the traditional ".k12.state.us" Web addresses, many schools
are opting for catchier domain names -- commonly the ".org"
intended for nonprofit organizations. Many purchase www.myschool.org
and feel content that they will improve their school's image,
only to be shocked months later. By failing to purchase the
".com" or ".net" domain names, which would only cost $15 each
per year, they have left the door open for their adversaries
looking for an online soapbox to tarnish the school's reputation.
Such a
situation occurred in Connecticut, where a district purchased
only the ".org" address. A disgruntled parent purchased the
".com" equivalent and used the site to criticize school policies
and actions. But the most damaging result was the confusion
over e-mail. Many people sending e-mails to the school inadvertently
used the ".com" suffix, only to send their messages to the parent
instead of the district. The parent posted many of those messages
online, regardless of their sensitive nature. The district later
changed its domain name and purchased all Web suffixes, but
the damage to its reputation had already been done. The lesson:
Be sure to purchase and renew all the likely domain names.
Rule
5. Regularly update your district's virus-protection software.
Nothing
can wreak havoc on a computer network like today's cutting-edge
viruses. With new strands being developed daily, it's essential
to equip your network and workstations with the most current
virus protection. Just as many schools have opted to update
filtering solutions automatically, schools should explore similar
services to prevent infections to their network and stand-alone
equipment (such as laptops and hand-held computers).
Rule
6. Safeguard software and equipment to deter theft.
News that
your computer labs are out of commission because of stolen equipment
or missing tools raises questions about the effectiveness of
your operations. You can't install alarms in every classroom,
but low-cost computer locks can help deter theft. The most common
annoyance schools face is the periodic theft of the rubber balls
used inside the computer mouse, rendering the workstation useless.
Either maintain a backup supply of mouse balls, or consider
replacing your units with the new optical sensor computer mouse,
which uses light to track movement and has no removable parts.
Caveat
emptor
The collateral
material looks impressive. The sales team delivers an exciting
presentation. Using Company XYZ's newest solution can make you
the envy of every school in the state. The sales team has quickly
convinced your administration that the company's products are
a necessity for your school system. But before you pass that
next resolution for a new product, be sure to review all considerations.
Make certain that expensive purchase will go toward improving
student performance, not merely improving the vendor's sales
pipeline.
Rule
7. Avoid bleeding-edge technology.
There's
much to be said for schools that are willing to try emerging
technology, but the word "foolish" comes to mind when schools
spend countless tax dollars for unproven systems.
One Long
Island district spent more than $32,000 to pilot a wireless
administrative system. The premise made sense -- being able
to access critical student data remotely, anywhere on school
campuses. But this bleeding-edge solution didn't work. The software
was incompatible with the school's existing systems, despite
repeated discussions with the vendor, and assurances of compliance
with the Schools Interoperability Framework. Two years later,
the equipment sits in a closet as a $32,000 reminder to explore
only proven solutions in the future.
When an
opportunity to pilot new technology arises, the best course
of action is to establish a mutually beneficial partnership
with the company. Explore relationships in which the company
offers its equipment and services free of charge for a period
of time.
Rule
8. Check references and ensure fair pricing.
When purchasing
new solutions, check references with other schools that use
the products. Look for customers that have purchased similarly
priced systems, not just the one or two exclusive customers
that generate the most income for the company. Also, examine
competitors to ensure your purchases are competitively priced.
School administrators can be misled into purchasing products
far above fair market value.
Rule
9. Examine your vendors' financial stability.
Nobody
would buy a new car from a bankrupt manufacturer -- why should
schools purchase products from companies that won't be there
to provide needed support? Regardless of the popularity of many
technology firms, there's nothing wrong with asking to review
financial statements or staggering payments over time to ensure
the company is paid when it delivers its service.
A
stitch in time
It's impossible
to prevent every conceivable problem, but taking precautionary
steps like these can help avoid problems -- and minimize their
damage to your reputation when they do occur. Many of these
steps require little time and money, and most represent the
kind of common-sense tactics we undertake in our homes. But
when the education journals report embarrassing technology fiascoes,
and when communities reject further technology spending, you
can easily identify those school districts that failed to plan
for the worst.
Elliott
Levine
is the director of PAPERbasket, a national consulting firm providing
public relations and marketing support to schools and education
companies.
