10.28.05
Run-Away Blog: What was the point?
A recent news post Beyond ”Toys, Travel and Food’ posted to the Inside Higher Ed News blog expands upon a panel discussion held last week at the Educause conference in Florida. The topic: “incentives and rewards†as a means for enticing professors to experiment with and adopt the latest technological innovations in their classroom work. Glen Everett, presenter and Director of IT at Stonehill College, admits that though practical rewards may entice, it is the disincentives that contribute to the lack of faculty technological adoption. The fact that integrating a new technology is typically not recognized or rewarded in the tenure process seems to be the most prominent road block.
What I find most interesting here is not the blog content but the comments that followed. Although the author of the blog, Doug Lederman, may have intended to promote discussion on addressing support from the top rungs of the institutional ladder, what he got seems to be a runaway blog.
Taking no prisoners, responding bloggers share their own opinions of what causes the lack of faculty buy-in. Hardware that fails and software that isn’t designed to meet educational needs are easy targets - but it doesn’t stop there. Over-zealous directors, faculty clicks and IT support that lack classroom teaching experience also take a hit. Whether we choose to see ourselves here or not, it is clear that technological advancement of the institution is the responsibility of all segments of academia and the desired outcome must remain focused on student learning.
