The Technology Penalty

You have no doubt noticed that in educational technology there is a "technology penalty."

Where others can prepare a lesson, unit, training module, or lecture and then spend minimal time updating the information or skills presented - educational technologists, such as, the IDT faculty, also have to keep updating the technology/computer side of things.

New software versions come out that must be learned. New computer operating systems like OSX and Vista require more time to be spent. Then the actual work that was previously completed has to be redone to fit the new software or systems.

We often fall into the "don't change" mode because of the extra time required. But we do change and a great deal of that precious commodity is spent again - time!

Finally, someone has written about this in a readable succinct manner. Dr. Royal Van Horn, professor of education at the University of North Florida, Jacksonville, wrote Technology: The Technology Penalty in the Phi Delta Kappan journal. You can find this article at http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/k_v87/k0605van.htm.