Why Do We Choose Our Own Tools?
Published October 7, 2008 by Rick Biche
Dave Riddell got me thinking about the different tools that many in the edublogosphere use for their classes. He poses the question as to why many of us choose to use third party tools over solutions provided by our organizations. So what is it about educational software? Or rather, what isn’t it about educational software that is when it comes to other available tools? I usually find educational software products lacking in some way or another. I expect most educators who are using 3rd party tools are vigilant in finding and adapting tools. In short we think of this as fun. As a result we are very aware of what is really available out there. The many different successful tools that exist, such as blogging engines or hosted blog sites or hosted wikis which become popular have proven their worth with a broader audience than education. Edublogs for example, while targeting the education market, is built on the successful Wordpress engine. Successful products have had to respond to market demand, and the global community can place a lot of demands on a piece of software. Educational products however have a much narrower market. And, I expect there is often a disconnect between the end consumer (teacher, parent, student) and the purchaser (IT crew, administration). As a result the drive for improvements in the product cycle is weak.
I use a variety of third party tools for my classroom. Thus far the use of these tools has been well supported. Other teachers are adopting some of the same tools too. However, there are no tools provided in the first place (other than basic productivity software).
I think there are times when the supplied product is the right choice to use, even if the product is lacking. For example my school adopted an online grading and reporting system. I need to use this to maintain consistency with other teachers and facilitate communication with families. Whether I like the software or not, we were not reporting student progress online last year and we will be this year, so this is progress. If there is a better solution out there we will be looking for it.
Filed under Educational Technology
Rick,
Many thanks for your comments and post.
One issue I hadn’t considered (but which was raised in Classroom 2.0: http://tinyurl.com/4hsa28) is that of the “walled garden” — not so much in terms of protecting the information posted online (as in my university scenario), but rather the protection of the students themselves in K-12 environments.
I realize this is a hot topic for all educators, and will likely remain so as more and more communication tools are developed and adopted.
When the choice is available between using in-house or third party web tools, I wonder how many educators discuss the pros and cons of either choice with their students before making a collective decision? And how many institutions are supportive of such an approach?
Discussion with students is a great idea. Not only would the kids have to weigh the reasons for choosing an open platform compared to a closed environment. This would teach not only internet safety but communication skills.
I think there are a fair number of teachers who would prefer the walled garden approach. Often times because they worry about potential risks and maybe are not comfortable handling situations with their current skill set. Web publishing tools are very easy to use and I have seen first hand how someone’s lack of knowledge regarding privacy and internet posting can cause problems. So I respect someone for knowing their limits.
A walled garden can be a nice place to start with students and teachers who have not published online for school in the past. he environment is “safe” and could lead to a transition. What would be ideal is to have a switch, controlled by the teacher that opens the gate or closes the gate.