Walking Before We Can Run

Do we need to be using technology effectively in the day-to-day administration of the school--in student, faculty and staff transactions, etc.--before we can really effectively integrate technology into teaching? I think the answer is "yes," it seems I'm on the same page as the strategy folks at SNHU.

As part of a discussion regarding the schools strategic plan, one of the strategic objectives was outlined as doing a better job of making use of technology to support the administrative enterprise. As President LeBlanc pointed out, this kind of objective isn't really strategic--more operational--but if we don't get up to speed with the right software tools and availability of the right kinds of information online, we can't really move forward with a number of really strategic plans. One of these might be doing a better job of using technology for teaching.

What's the connection? For me, it's a cultural thing. If effective use of technology becomes part of the day-to-day activity of the school, a culture grows up around that. It's a culture of information and knowledge management, communication and collaboration. It's a culture that recognizes that technology can free us to spend more of our thinking and time on higher level activities rather than pushing papers. It's a culture that is less about force-feeding information through the pipeline and more about generating and creating information together.

This kind of cultural shift, I think, helps set the stage for truly effective use of technology in the academic enterprise. I'll have to be on the lookout for resources related to this and update this entry with links...