Posted on February 07, 2023 in response to KimMarshall In response to KimMarshall
Hi Kim ----
4 areas to be prepared to cover....
1) Cost benefits to the district over the life of the device (you'll be surprised to learn that iPads<>Chromebook are nearly identical over time (highlight less support in #4 below)
• Get with your Apple Sales Rep and discuss....
• purchasing vs. leasing
• guaranteed buy back price
• AppleCare+ for Schools
• Include management costs (MDM)
• Have a 5 year total cost of purchase/repair/buy back
2) Student benefits
• Why are students more engaged using Apple tech (think how much more creative they can be)
3) Faculty/staff benefits
• Highlight Apple Classroom
• Everyone Can curriculum
• Apple Teacher to build skills
• Ask faculty for examples that show using their Apple devices enhances their classroom and enriches their curriculum
4) Support benefits
• AppleCare+ for Schools eliminates broken devices sitting around to be repaired
• Techs can concentrate on real issues
• Fewer Techs required
BONUS discussion point > Community benefits - are there any in your district? I'll bet you find some if you look :)
Gathering that info and coming prepared for a full discussion will move you down the road with your administration - good luck!
In 2016 our District adopted iPads as our 1:1 device in grades K-8. This decision was made by the Superintendent, the Director of Curriculum and Instruction, and the Director of Technology. All 3 of these leaders made this decision after working and communicating extensively with an Apple Education Executive and got to really feel the buy-in, not only for the devices, but also on Apple's Culture of Learning. Not only did they make an investment in devices but also in a team of Technology Integration Specialists that would support a blended learning initiative in alignment with Apple's ideas.
Fast forward to 2 years post-pandemic - we have a new Superintendent, new Director of Curriculum and Instruction, and a new Director of Technology and none of them were a part of the initial processes. We also no longer have a team of Integration Specialist - there is just the one me (Instructional Technology Coordinator). I have been working with our leadership executive to try to create a plan of action for getting building principals on board, but the problem is I am struggling with actually getting central office on board! My question for the forum is "How do I create buy-on on Apple's culture of learning and blended learning in general with a leadership team that was not a part of the initial adoption?!"