Reluctance to Embrace Technology

"The person who grabs a cat by the tail learns seomething he could not learn in any other way." -

- Mark Twain

Implementing technology can seem like you are grabbing a cat by its tail. However, if the outcome is that you have truly found a way to make your work easier and your ability to achieve your goals greatly enhanced, then I say bring on the cat.

Educators are often reluctant to embrace any new technology for at least four reasons:

  1. They are not convinced it will be helpful in meeting their pressing needs. They firmly believe it will be more of a headache and problem to learn and use than it is worth.
  2. Educators too often don't have the sense of urgency, personal demand and willingness to confront the difficulties they may face in learning to use and implement the technology properly. They don't believe it can really help them achieve their goals more efficiently, effectively, and easily once it has been properly utilized.
  3. It is too much of a problem - first understanding how it works so it could be used to professional standards
  4. They can't determine if it helps to acheive the goals determinded for it.

Taken in part from Grabbing Technology By The Tail by Bernard Percy. The Journal, August 2003. 48.