Reflections on a past project - the importance of training

A few years ago I led a SmartBoard implementation at a K-12 school. The administrators and I decided that we would remove the whiteboards and replace them with the SmartBoards. We installed all of the boards over the summer and the new boards were ready for teachers when they arrived back from their holidays. I organized training for the teachers and everyone attended at least one training session. 

Use of the SmartBoards was very slow at first - teachers were wary of the new technology. They felt that it was very difficult to rely on a SmartBoard as it was possible that it could have technical issues and leave them with no board at all. They wanted a backup plan, and we had removed their whiteboards so they didn’t have one. In retrospect, this was a bold move. The thinking was that if they didn’t have the whiteboards then they would have to use the SmartBoards, and I do agree that the faculty certainly integrated them into their lessons more quickly than they would have if they had had another option. 

This project was successful overall, with all teachers using the boards for every lesson by the end of a two year period. The picture was a bit different after six months though… the teachers did not agree with our move to remove the whiteboards and felt that we had created work for them. After three years, the use of SmartBoards was built into their appraisal criterion. I felt this was an indication of the success of the project.

I believe that this project was a success because the implementation was well thought out. The training of staff was an important first step. A major contributor to the success of the project was the training, which was consistent over the course of the first two years. Another important factor for success was the incorporation of the use of SmartBoards in lesson observation criterion. Without that, the project would have lacked weight - this made sure that teachers took the process seriously. The project would have been easier if the administration had ensured that all new hires (teachers) had experience using the boards. 

This project reminds me of the importance of consistent and persistent training when you are trying to implement new technology. It will not work if the teachers lack confidence in the new technology. It is natural for teachers to feel nervous about any big change - they have to deal with twenty to thirty students every lesson, every day and get the work completed, topics covered and lessons understood. If they have to juggle new technology too, sometimes it can all seem like too much to deal with. For any new project to work, the teachers must feel supported, listened to, valued and enabled. It is not helpful to throw technology in the room and leave. To ensure a successful implementation you need to make sure the technology is going to be used effectively and add something to the teaching process. 

Change is only worthwhile if the students gain from it.