Bill MacKenty

The Water Cooler Effect

Teachers talk to each other when they are excited about something. If they are excited about technology, they will share this success with each other. Recalcitrant teachers then might begin a tentative exploration process to try something new - and when they do, a friendly face and real support is waiting for them. I like to call this the water cooler effect.

However, teachers will not get excited about tech if they aren’t supported well.  As I’ve discussed in the past, if a teacher is using technology in their classroom, with a class,  they need to be able to get support in a very short period of time (usually within 60 seconds). However, if a teacher is using technology for administrative tasks, then support should be available within 24 to 48 hours.

Finally, technology needs to be available and accessible.  I have seen a very good jump forward in productive technology use as our teachers find technology is available, accessible and easy to use.