"You will have to pry my macbook out of my cold,dead hands" is not really the response you want to get as a tech specialist implementing a new laptop program in a building. Bringing a one to one netbook program into a building and changing the teacher laptop computers all at the same time is a lot of change for a staff to adapt to. A lot of the anxiety can be prevented with good advance planning and lots of communication.
The first lesson I learned was to not trivialize a staff member's concerns or questions. It is important to meet the staff members where they are along the road to technology mastery and accepting change and guide them from there. One way to do this is to have a lot of informal conversations with the staff. These can take place in hallways, the lunchroom, the parking lot or the staff lounge. It is also a good opportunity to build a higher level of rapport and trust with the staff. Find out how they currently use the technology available to them in their classrooms. Note what units or topics they are comfortable integrating technology into. Identify the potential anxiety triggers in the transition process and identify staff members who are excited about the changes and staff members who are fearful of the changes. Follow up the conversations with a more structured survey to identify areas of strength and areas that may require professional development opportunities or additional support. Google Forms would be a great tool to do this.
The second lesson I learned was the importance of having a timeline of implementation in place and sharing it with the staff. For each segment along the timeline, I worked with the tech team in the building to try and predict possible questions, problems and concerns that the staff might encounter and brainstorm potential solutions. No timeline can be carved in stone and so the staff also needs to be kept updated when the timeline changes.
The third lesson I learned was the importance of communicating, communicating, communicating. Sometimes the only information I have had to share is that I had no new information and that has been ok. It is also ok to tell the staff you don't know an answer to a question and give them a time frame that you will get back to them with an answer. I have used my blog and emails to share current news on one to one laptop programs, articles and resources focusing on the new operating system/ software we will be using and help links for making the transfer from one platform to another. I also have tried to stay on top of the current rumors about the new program that circulate in the building. Once I hear a rumor, I make sure that I spread the correct information to the staff or address the concern immediately.
The final lesson that I have learned about helping staff work through change is that no matter how much communicating and planning you do, you can never identify all the problems that you will encounter because even the best plans have to CHANGE! It took a long time for me to reconcile with this. I wasted a lot of mental energy being frustrated and angry when things did not work out the way they were initially planned or the way I had hoped they would go. The staff picked up on my frustration and this only added to their own anxiety about the new technology. I know now to direct that mental energy towards accepting the new directions that the plan may be taking and figuring out how to continue to make it a success.
Guiding Questions For Working Through Changes in Building Technology
- Who is responsible for communicating updates about the technology program to the staff?
- How will news and information be communicated?
- What methods will be used to assess staff comfort with the new plan?
- What time/funds might be available for professional development?
- Who will conduct the professional development?
- Who will help decide on the timeline for implementation?
- Who will be responsible for supporting the staff in the transition to the new technology?
- What support resources will be available to the staff - online tutorials, help guides, articles?
- How will the staff access the support resources?
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