BP 33 Wk3-2 DB Quickies: Difficulties starting new programs/breaking the norm

“At the root of all growth, we find change. Allow it to work for you not against.” Unknown

Transformation is a universal constant that affects our lives from the moment we are born until we leave earthly existence behind. At the root of all growth, we find change. Sometimes the change and the circumstances leading up to it can cause joy but more often provoke feelings of discomfort, fear, or pain. In the case of situations where we are not in supreme control (no position of authority or admin.) change is unavoidable and we feel we are at the mercy of the whims of the powers that be.

Even though it is hard, we should put forth effort to realize that it is our response to the circumstances that determine our experience more than the change itself. Truthfully, the changes will take place whether we want it or no so it is up to us to decide whether we open our eyes to the hidden blessing and lesson, even in the midst of the disorder or we chance closing ourselves off from the opportunities hiding behind the obstacles. So what should/do we do to make change work for us? We should look constructively at our situations in our schools, systems, departments, etc and ask self how we can benefit from the transformation that has or will take place. With time, you can then reevaluate your plans and goals in the time afterwards to realize that your ideas can be adapted to the new situation and find ways for you to capitalize on them.

As hard and frustrating as it may be for us as teachers, with so many changes being made on our behalf without our voice, it is a teaching moment if we choose optimism, enthusiasm, and flexibility here as there is little to be gained in dwelling on what might have been. In the short term, change can hurt or seem to but if we are willing, the impact can be transforming in all three dimensions.

Ok, now that I have shared a the Zen philosophy of embracing change, here is the meat if it:

Teachers resist change:
-for fear of looking bad, feeling bad, negative reviews
-lack of preparation or training time
-lack of support from administrators, colleagues and parents/students
-limited resources
-burnout
-lack of vision, investment or belief in the philosophy of the school and it’s direction
-individualistic mentality and plain ole’ stubbornness- selfish outlook.
Other successful organizations deal with technological changes by choosing a program that will help take their organization forward with the least amount of costs, introduce the changes and the benefits for the company as a whole and for the individual departments, give a timeline from implementation to benefits, prepare and train individual departments separately and have support in place to guide them through initial stages of change.

"Why are educators resistant to change, especially when it comes to technology? How do other institutions deal with technological change?

Christina Carboni:Teachers are resistant to change because:
• It is really nice in their comfort zone.
• Time is a commodity one does not have extra of.
• Intimidation.
• Afraid of being embarrassed that their tech skills are subpar.
• Fear of the unknown.
• Implementation is not taken seriously or enforced.
• Administrators do not make it a priority.
• It is not part of their yearly evaluation.
• There is no immediate monetary or personal gain.
• Training usually occurs on your own time and many times, paid for by you.
• Equipment is not readily available, accessible or they lack proper training on it.
• No regular support for troubleshooting problems.
• Slow servers and bandwidth issues.
• Access to Internet is limited and/or sites blocked.
• Constantly having to fight for technological freedom that they just give up and don’t bother anymore.
• Tenure
• With so many other things on a teacher’s plate these days, they just get so burnt out that to think about spending time having to learn new technology or anything else for that matter, simply puts them over the edge.

Other Institutions deal with technological change by:
• Offering incentives like raises or promotions.
• Mandate attending training.
• Offers financial assistance for tech education.
• The top of the line technology is usually available for efficient and effective businesses.
• Training is part of the workday and state of the art.
• Support staff for tech is usually part of the workforce team.
• Tech issues are handled within the company in a timely manner.
• Technological change is built into the budget.
• Part of their culture.
• Grow or stay in a dead end job.
• You need to keep up otherwise the technology will over run you, and your learning curve will be so great that you will not be able to catch up any longer.
• They deal with change very well!

My Comment to Christina: Christina, you make a lot of great points here and I think you have covered them all. I think that if teachers and educational systems adopted the philosophy of other institutions and made training mandatory, they would first need to make sure that they cared out time in the workday or week to accommodate the teacher so that it would eliminate the stress of feeling overwhelmed. Even a monetary incentive when your days and weeks are full are not enough.