Discussions

 View Only

  • 1.  TOP 10 things to consider when using a new service or online tool…

    Posted 03-14-2024 05:06 PM

    Why does a school need to evaluate any professional technology tool or service (and why should you evaluate them in your personal life)? 

     

    TOP 10 things to consider when using a new service or online tool…

    1. What am I agreeing to?

      1. Creating an account = signing a contract. Each time you accept or agree to “terms of service” (ToS), you sign a contract between you/MKA and the service. 

    2. What information am I sharing?

      1. Each time you accept or agree to a “privacy policy,” you provide access to information/data. Who has access to the service? How is the data managed and deleted when the service is no longer used?

    3. There is no free lunch! 

      1. Even if the technology tool or service says it’s “free,” there is still a hidden cost… the price is data you agree to share when you accept the ToS and privacy policy. 

    4. Wait… I need to upgrade to do that?

      1. Free is the hook to get you to spend. Whether it’s a limited “taste” or a “free trial” to get you started, you must pay for the features you want, remove the ads, or keep using the product.

    5. They aren’t asking for much.

      1. Whether it's data or money, even a little bit adds up. Dollars add up for each account.  Data shared is data that can be exposed or used in unintended ways.

    6. Money doesn’t grow on trees.

      1. We all have budgets in our lives and need to work within them.

    7. How many tools are enough?

      1. There are a lot of apps, services, and tools out there that do similar things.  How do we choose which ONE to use, understand, and support? 

    8. Wait… how does that work? 

      1. How many tools can someone use and still remember how they all work from one situation to the next? Management, support, consistency of use, and experience grow as we use more and more apps/services. 

    9. I forgot I have that account.

      1. How many accounts do you have for service that you forgot you even had? What information did you share with them, and how long have they held on to it?

    10. It’s not the first domino to fall… the long game. 

      1. Even data that may seem minor or insignificant if sold or part of a breach can be combined with other pieces to create a complete picture. This can happen immediately or after years of collecting data from various sources.

    What would you add to this list?

    Be sure to check out the related article "Managing Vendors and Vetting New Products" in the Spring edition of Access Points magazine. 


    #ITSystemsandSupport

    ------------------------------
    William Stites
    Montclair Kimberley Academy
    Montclair NJ
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: TOP 10 things to consider when using a new service or online tool…

    Posted 03-15-2024 08:50 AM

    You could maybe put this under #8, but we often try to find other schools who have had experience using the tool.  The insight you can gain from an email or phone call can shed more light on what you are evaluating.



    ------------------------------
    Josh Perry
    Summit School NC
    Winston Salem NC
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: TOP 10 things to consider when using a new service or online tool…

    Posted 03-15-2024 08:51 AM

    Similar to # 8, but what I'd add is what I'd call a "holistic view" of the software in question. Some of our biggest disasters didn't take into account things like support structure, whether or not the company is buying another one or going to be bought, how they integrate with - or are competing with - other software we're using, and whether we already have a "killer app" someone has requested and the issue is one of training them on existing software. When you're putting together a puzzle, you don't look to see if just one size of the piece fits, you look at the whole thing.



    ------------------------------
    Jason Marshall
    Trinity Preparatory School
    Winter Park FL
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: TOP 10 things to consider when using a new service or online tool…

    Posted 03-15-2024 12:24 PM

    These are high on my list when asked about new tools:

    For a tool used by faculty and staff: Does it require two-factor authentication? If it doesn't, I'll recommend finding a different tool

    For students: What are the age restrictions, does their privacy statement say anything about CIPA/COPPA/HIPAA compliance. Is it ad-supported? 



    ------------------------------
    Scott Davis
    Edu-Tech Academic Solutions
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: TOP 10 things to consider when using a new service or online tool…

    Posted 03-20-2024 04:23 PM
    Edited by William Stites 03-20-2024 04:23 PM

    Two-factor/MFA and privacy concerns are big items to consider for sure!



    ------------------------------
    William Stites
    Montclair Kimberley Academy
    Montclair NJ
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: TOP 10 things to consider when using a new service or online tool…

    Posted 03-21-2024 09:44 AM

    Really curious now - is it that the application itself requires an MFA / 2 factor or that it is accessible through the school's MS / Google or even LMS environments?

    I know that I usually try to look at how the tool integrates with other existing systems, and, more specifically, the learning management system or productivity suite of the school. Some strategies for academic technology providers have been to try to provide a solution for all types of log in - MFA, login button in the productivity suite, login button from the LMS. My preference has always been the "keep-it-simple" method and making sure that the faculty logs in to their "portal" for the school (LMS usually) to then find the academic technology within. In that faculty are already familiar with one of the larger systems of the school or organization where they are already required to log in with MFA it doesn't create a completely new process for getting to the tools they want to use (and solidifies them in their usage of the LMS or workspace). Since the other underlying or connected systems and technologies provision up from there it means that they don't have to keep track of more login methods, credentials or unnecessary login challenges.

    Just an aside - I also found it a great way to ensure that the students are also protected on their accounts (when working with high schoolers and university students in particular).

    Standalone is always an option, but it means that there is a lot of extra energy put in to uploading and inputting information manually, plus it means that you're doing a lot of exporting of data from an existing database into a local device to move it to another database. It can introduce security risks, and also can be a little bit intense if you encounter periods of "add/drop/swap" or admissions where student populations change their dynamics. 

    The tricky part of all of this is to find out this kind of information - MFA, what an integration might mean, who or what will handle the data processing - upfront in those first crucial discovery moments when looking at new services or online tools.

    Thanks, Scott and William! It's always interesting to reflect on why certain decisions were made in the past as well as how one can think for the future in selecting technologies!



    ------------------------------
    John Dimaria
    Customer Success Manager (North America)
    Digiexam
    Stockholm
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: TOP 10 things to consider when using a new service or online tool…

    Posted 03-19-2024 05:31 PM
    Edited by John Dimaria 03-19-2024 05:34 PM

    Great post, and so very important!

    I think you bring up some really important aspects to selecting / vetting academic technologies when it comes to data processing and storage. This has become so crucial to making academic technologies viable, and is really a great stress test when first looking at what options are out there - especially with limited time to complete selection.

    I tried to often boil selection and vetting down to the golden rules of if you have enough energy, time and resources. A new academic technology definitely needs to reduce at least one of these, and hopefully all three if it is doing what it should. This should also be on all levels within the organization. In other words it shouldn't be the case that admins suddenly have more to their load since teachers have less (forgotten passwords / accounts is a great example). The opposite is also true - teachers shouldn't suddenly be carrying a greater load while others have less. Ideally, everyone should be able to feel like there is less, and that they are getting more.

    Of course, this is easy to say - and many academic tech companies will promise exactly that, but it is often difficult to sustain practically when implementation routines or practices are unclear. I think something to also look at is how dedicated is the academic technology provider to making sure you have the resources and support once you've gone through these initial investigative processes. I think this is also where Josh's suggestion really cashes in. If you have someone that you can reference or even ask the company if they can provide references it's always going to make that decision in the end an easier one. Who knows - you might even have someone that has already done a SWOT analysis or SAMR eval that will save you from reinventing the wheel.

    Does the academic tech provider offer a trial? Hopefully this is something that is on the table - and not just a limited features trial, but the whole platform. It's like test driving a car. The ability to push all the buttons and see the whole lifecycle for faculty and staff is important for decision makers and gives staff a fair chance to actually evaluate without getting lassoed into something that wasn't at all what was advertised.

    Lastly, I usually like to think along the lines of how well does the technology fit within the existing digital ecosystem for the school. I have done this late game in the selection process as these are the last hurdles to get over. Will the technology replace an existing tech - will it act as a complement? Is it razor sharp in what it sets out to accomplish or is it a jack of all trades, but master of none? Essentially the questions become "is this going to become a resource or not for my staff and students" and "to what degree is this technology going to impact staff and students." I was actually in a great discussion recently where this came up in the form of the SAMR model / TPACK model. Ultimately the end user is the student. If their experience is that this is a resource or that their reflections indicate it filled that need for your organization... it probably is a winner.

    Again, really interesting topic, and I would love to discuss this more from the academic technology developer and pedagogical developer perspectives.



    ------------------------------
    John Dimaria
    Digiexam
    Stockholm
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: TOP 10 things to consider when using a new service or online tool…

    Posted 03-20-2024 04:28 PM

    I love your last point specifically, as I think it gets to the point that is most often overlooked... "Lastly, I usually like to think along the lines of how well does the technology fit within the existing digital ecosystem for the school. I have done this late game in the selection process as these are the last hurdles to get over. Will the technology replace an existing tech - will it act as a complement?"



    ------------------------------
    William Stites
    Montclair Kimberley Academy
    Montclair NJ
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


Related Content