62 | OPINION | INDUSTRY


W: edtechnology.co.uk | T: @Educ_Technology


Back in the day, you mentioned the word ‘technology’ and much of the education world would clam up. But as new technologies have filtered through into the education sector on a wider scale, it is clear that some things have changed; more people are receptive to how technology can improve daily processes for the beter and fears of trying something new are reducing somewhat; but some things haven’t moved on. In the past, new technology


caused problems for many schools, namely because any kind of change is always a concern – that ‘fear of change’ lives inside lots of people across many industries (not just limited to education). But education is a sector, like others, that is renowned for inheriting legacy systems which may be archaic or out of date and it is likely that the ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ analogy often crept in at the point of deciding whether to look into new options.


Lacking in ‘fit for purpose’ systems A fear of change combined with the comfort blanket of backward technologies does mean that some schools are continuing to use old systems and are not benefiting from new technology and the modernisation of workflow that this can bring. Older systems are slower, they aren’t integrated and they are often admin-intensive and expensive to maintain in terms of manpower. But there is light at the end of the tunnel because that reluctance to look into new technology is fading and the education sector is starting to investigate and listen to new ideas. However, some reservations


towards newer advances in technology (of which there are still some), can be forgiven. Unfortunately education is a sector where there are not enough ‘fit for purpose’ systems actually doing what the school needs them to do. There is nothing more irritating than clever marketing campaigns that lead you to believe a piece of technology will do what you want it to, only to find out later on down the line that you are back to square one and a few thousand quid lighter!


Lack of confidence for good reason The truth is most of us aren’t really interested in the nuts and bolts of how technology works; we just want it to work. We want it to make sense in our world and have a purpose for being there. We don’t want complicated, we want easy; we don’t want something that looks good but doesn’t do what it’s supposed to do. Good technology is expensive, it’s never a 'nice-to- have', it should always be a 'must- have' – otherwise what’s the point in its existence?


T ECHNOL OGY


PROBLEM WITH


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By Jerry Brand, Founder of The Facilities Collective


The only way that schools can


feel confident that technology will do what they want it to do, is to get involved in the process and the development of the software or system themselves. At first, this might sound a litle alien to most. ‘I’m not a software developer!’ I hear you cry. And you don’t need to be. It goes back to why we want and need technology – it’s not about how it works it’s about what it needs to do to make our lives easier. You might not know how to write a piece of code to get your system to work in the best way for you, but you can certainly tell those who are equipped to do this, what you need.


The way forward Technology has changed massively even over the last two years. Advances in online technology is undoubtedly the way forward for schools but like everything this stuff takes investment hence why the older, legacy systems are trying to hang on in there. It’s also true that there is a tendency to think about technology in isolation to the environment it is designed to operate in. This is why schools need to get more closely involved in the technology they use from a developmental perspective because they stand to gain so much more if they do. Technology-driven concepts


Jerry Brand


like collective purchasing are also making big waves in the education sector at the moment, and although the technology is the driving force behind transforming the idea into a reality, the purpose is really all about how schools can purchase collectively to make savings and reduce spend. If something works for a real purpose, it simply works. So when it comes to the problem with technology, perhaps the message is – look at the problem from another perspective (i.e. we are overspending, our suppliers have increased their costs – these are issues that need addressing) and then consider what you need the technology to do, to improve the situation. Then leave the ‘techie folk’ to do their job. ET


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