Questions to Ask When Shopping for a Tech Program

Your school needs a technology education partner. With your “needs” list in hand, what do you do now? How do you select the best technology program for your classrooms?

When the time comes to find a technology education partner, you need to know the right questions to ask. Raising the right questions and getting the right answers ensures that your school partners with a successful program to educate your students.

Here are some key questions to ask when bringing in a team to supplement your technology program.

How do you develop your programs?
The development of each program is as important as the ways you use them. Your technology program educators need to understand the world of technology and how children learn.

A sound curriculum incorporates best practices in education with the newest technologies available, maximizing a child’s opportunity for growth and educational improvement. A good technology program also meets or exceeds the National Education Technology Standards.

Will your program enhance the skill sets our school already teaches?
To meet the needs of your students and educators, technology education programs need to be customizable to fit the curriculum of your school.

Through a range of programs, children use computers as tools to integrate problem-solving skills with the everyday lessons. Instead of learning the value of money through counting coins and bills, students in technology programs create Excel spreadsheets with equations to determine value and quantity.

Do I need to train my current staff on new technology?
Paying to train your current staff and keeping them up-to-date with new technology education practices is costly. However, collaborating with a program that supplies your organization with technology-certified teachers, a quality curriculum, software, and hardware saves you time and money.

Technology teachers provide expertise your staff may lack, making your educators’ lives easier. On the first day of school, rest assured your partner already possesses the technology knowledge needed to better your students’ education.

How do you measure the success of your programs?
Measurement is an important step in evaluating the success of any program. Knowing how your technology partner measures the success of their programs is important to your school.

One way to keep track of your program is through the children’s work. If your students transfer knowledge from their technology classes to their everyday classes, you know the program generates growth and improvement.

Another easy way to measure success is through students’ reactions. High levels of enthusiasm and excitement about the classes indicates your program is connecting at levels that inspire learning.

When a partner answers all these questions correctly, you know you’ve found a great fit. Stay focused on the most important questions to ask potential partners to guarantee success at your school.

Using these questions and answers as a guide can help simplify your decision-making process, making it easy for you to find a great program.

Roni Deely became part of the early childcare and education community in April 1993 with her purchase of a Computer Explorers franchise. Computer Explorers provides evolving hands-on applied computer technology education to students and adults of all ages and proficiency levels, www.computerexplorers.com.