by Quill West, Open Education Project Manager, Pierce College, Washington
Have you ever been offered a free puppy? I have, and let me tell you it is really hard to look such an adorable animal in the face, hold it in your hands, play with it for a few minutes, and then decide to let it go. However, passing on free puppies can be really easy if you consider how much work it is to train a new dog. You consider the hours of house training or the stuff in your home that is likely to be chewed up, and you gaze longingly into the puppy’s sweet little face, and then you politely pass it back to the owner with assertions that you’re just not the right person to take on this dog at this time.
As a faculty member, please consider new educational technology the way that you might consider adopting a puppy. Some education technology is cute and cuddly on the surface, but it will chew all of your favorite shoes if you take it home without the right preparation.
You may be getting a lot of messages from technology companies that offer free use of their tools. It’s great that education technology companies are trying to help faculty and students in the age of Social Distancing, but before you decide to use a “free” tool, please consider the following questions.
How long is the tool going to be free of cost?
Oftentimes education technology is free, or low in cost, for an introductory period. However, once you have invested time, expertise, and content into the technology platform and become comfortable using it, the tool might become more expensive. It’s good to consider how much you’re willing to pay if the tool you are using starts to charge money for their service.
Will I retain access to my content?
It’s always good to ask upfront if there is any way to export your content if you decide you want to get out of a technology platform. Also, when posting your content to a third-party platform, you will be subject to their terms of service so make sure to read the fine print carefully and contact your instructional technology team with questions. Keep in mind that terms of service may change periodically, so make sure to keep track of the current terms.
Will the tool protect your students’ data?
A lot of the time “free” technology tools aren’t free, they are likely using personal data to support their business model. Ask good questions of an education technology company about how they protect user data, what they do with the data they do collect, and how they decide who will have access to anything they collect about you, your students, or your institution. When you choose to use a piece of education technology, you are making a choice on behalf of your students that can affect their privacy. Remember, if you plan to evaluate the students using a piece of education technology, you are making a choice to require all of your students to use that particular platform or piece of technology.
What support systems are in place?
Often free technology comes with poor tech support. Remember, if your college didn’t select a piece of education technology and advise people about how to use it, they’re likely not equipped to support you in the use of it. In order to provide the best possible education technology experience for staff, faculty, and students, the instructional technology team vets products prior to purchase.
How accessible is the piece of technology?
Accessibility is not a new concept, but many education technology companies haven’t fully addressed accessibility for all learners in the development of their products. There are some pretty common free tools that are great, except if you need a screen reader to help you read information. Some education technology doesn’t work well for people with limited mobility, and still, other pieces of education technology don’t address the need for captions or transcripts.
How does this piece of technology help you address an outcome?
What learning outcome, skill, or piece of content are you trying to address with the new technology? Are you trying to replace something that already works pretty well in your class? Do you need special technology to help your students achieve success in your class? How will this technology help them be more effective in their goals?
Have you talked to someone in Instructional Technology for advice?
Sometimes the very cool thing that you’re trying to do with a piece of free education technology can be done with technology that our college already purchases on your behalf. We encourage you to contact your instructional technology team to discuss what you want to do so that different options can be explored.
Featured Image of Puppies: by Jametlene Reskp on Unsplash