When any large-scale changes are made within school districts, they must be implemented properly, and most of all, approved by the administration. Depending on the climate of your school, it may be hard to convince members of the board to allocate funds for technology upgrades. If you’re passionate about using technology in the classroom or updating your technology to benefit the productivity of your school, here are a few tips to help guide your pitch. 


Start Planning, Now! 


When touching base with members of your administration, make sure you’re pitching at the right time of the year so your concerns aren’t washed over, or forgotten about. We recommend starting a conversation about technology upgrades towards the beginning of the year to allow for enough time to plan and execute for the following fall. When outlining your pitch, collecting data and other qualitative feedback regarding updated tech in schools will help back up your claims and provide a well-researched, data-driven proposal. 


Leverage Cybersecurity


Around 49 schools in the United States have been hit with ransomware attacks during 2019 - in comparison to 11 in 2018. Although some IT Departments are unsure of where the attacks came from, this heightens concern for many administrators. When devices have outdated software, they’re prone to malware and ransomware attacks. When all of a district's devices are connected, it may lead to wide-spread attacks since it’s possible for attackers to spread the virus through the entire network.  Combating these issues typically includes patching systems and upgrading old and outdated technology. Presenting an upgrade plan to administrators with a section specifically addressing heightened security protocols will help illuminate a larger purpose for the investment in technology. It’s vital to reassure that if proper measures aren’t taken, the whole district provides a risk. 


Present Qualitative Data 


Collecting valuable information regarding how students and teachers are feeling is a great way to appeal to administrators. If the performance benchmarks are not being met in your schools, then technology upgrades may be a great way to boost holistic learning. We recommend creating a survey through Google Forms and asking educators for their anonymous opinions about student’s retention rates, teacher satisfaction, the need for technology, and more. Having this data will create a foundation for your claims, if the teachers feel that they are not being supported by a technological perspective, then how can we make a change? How are the teachers proposing they would use the technology in their classrooms? These are great questions to ask in this step. 


Negative Impacts of Old Devices 


When devices are slow, what are the negative impacts? Do teachers lose time for their lesson plans? Do students lose their focus when content is loading? These are all questions you should ask when surveying teachers regarding their current technology. If it’s proven that teachers are losing time or the focus of their students by the outdated technology, you have great evidence to present to the administration. 


Localized Research & Aligning with the Goals of the Organization 


Touching base with colleagues from different school districts about their technology may prove to be beneficial. This will give you more information regarding the tech that other schools are using and their success rates. Have their students increased participation? What are the performance trends before and after technology? A localized approach to technology may sway your administration to at least consider the idea for your district. If your school has a mission statement, try relating the implementation of technology to meet your district’s goals. Aligning the district’s goals with technology not only will help you win administrators, but it will also help progress and achieve the goals of the organization. 


We hope these tips will help you convince your school to invest in technology for your classrooms. To learn more about EdTech tools that can be used in the classroom, read our blog here!