by Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate
The story is told that, in the early days of space exploration, NASA spent millions to develop a pen that could write in zero gravity. Until they achieved this impressive feat, they used a simple pencil. That story might or might not be apocryphal, but it illustrates an important point: sometimes the best tech for the job is no tech. Most educational stakeholders are old enough to remember the days when every single software program and platform that they used had to be purchased at top dollar. In light of this memory, free apps and websites can seem like an unimaginable resource. And they can be. But they aren’t always. After all, the resource itself might be free, but every resource requires professional development time, instructional time, and an opportunity cost, not to mention time spent choosing, implementing, and evaluating the resource. This means that the price tag is still quite high, even if the resource itself is free. This price tag—even for free edtech—means that if instructional needs are currently being met, there is no need to change things for that area in the face of the anticipated costs.
https://www.thetechedvocate.org/sometimes-the-best-tech-is-no-tech/
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