6 Key Questions to Ask Before Buying New Tech

New classroom technology integration can go really well when done right, but problems can arise if certain questions aren’t considered during the planning and adoption phases of implementation. Many different adoption models are used by schools, districts, states, and regions. At every level, it’s necessary for leaders to account for key details as they make decisions about the technology that teachers and students are using.

From my experience as a teacher, principal, and deputy superintendent, I can admit failure in the implementation and even the selection of the wrong tools in some cases. It wasn’t until I coupled that experience with a new role working in edtech that I determined six important questions to ask before purchasing any new technology for school use. They aren’t just about the successful use of a tool; they’re about making sure that the tools we purchase are the right fit before we begin to scale their use.

1. What is the timeline for integration and implementation?

As educators, we tend to think of implementing a new program of work on the same cycle as the school year. New initiatives begin in August and September and often fizzle out later in the school year for one reason or another.

A good timeline for implementation of new tech is the school year prior to when it’s expected to be fully integrated. Because it’s impossible to forecast all of the unexpected delays associated with everything from training to importing student rosters, it’s best to begin when the stakes are low. February, March, and April are good months to start test cases and pilots on a new platform, for example, one that all students will be using during the following school year. It’s important for purchasers to find companies that are willing to develop multiyear plans with prorated contracts that start earlier than the first year of real implementation.

2. What will future professional learning costs be?

New technology contracts for curriculum resources, online platforms, and intervention programs usually come with a professional learning package. But what happens in following years when we have new teachers, need refreshers, or want deeper implementation? Some companies are super-generous at first and then hard to get in touch with when needs arise at a future time.

Contracts for professional learning can range from outrageously expensive for every service (onsite and virtually) to free services from agents who care about the use of their product more than money. This second consideration isn’t typically asked because we assume that there are fees for professional services. However, if we’re choosing between two similar products, and one price is inclusive of professional learning while the other is à la carte, that information is crucial for decision-making.

3. What is the average customer service response time?

It’s great when there’s a help desk line to call or a virtual assistant waiting on the other end of a computer to support. It’s not so great, though, when teachers and counselors are in the middle of using a technology tool with students and something goes wrong. Just because a company promises availability every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. doesn’t mean that their working hours are in your time zone.

We often don’t think about this question until we’re getting impeccable service (or not). I recently worked with a principal who purchased a new English language arts (ELA) curriculum and couldn’t get in touch with her sales rep to answer some of her teachers’ technical questions. It took weeks to find out that the sales rep no longer worked at the company. She got answers, but she won’t get those weeks back, and that loss can negatively affect learning.

4. What level of customization is included?

You might not need to customize the tool that you’re buying right away. Things change in the world of classroom technological advancements. Even if you wait to customize the product now, it’s good to know how much customization is available and which features can be altered to meet future needs that arise.

Knowing how often the company releases new features is also important. This indicates a level of regular development versus a fixed product that hasn’t changed over the years. For example, MaiaLearning (where I currently work after 20 years in the public sector) helps states and districts track their “portrait of a graduate” characteristics as well as college and career readiness indicators. These requirements can vary, sometimes down to the school level. This necessitates customization in certain aspects of our platform. Without it, school systems end up with insufficient accountability measures or the need to build their own tools to supplement the ones they have. I frequently see it when we’re onboarding a new school partner.

5. What else might the new tool replace?

It’s helpful to know the full scope of the product even if you’re only thinking about it for one solution. This may take more time during the evaluation, purchasing, and proposal writing phase of the process, but it’s well worth it in the end. The last thing you want is to spend unnecessary money on duplicated services or burden educators with multiple platforms when everything can live in one place.

Take, for example, our partnership with Winward Academy. The platform supports growth on the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) and American College Test (ACT), but it can also be an intervention for math and ELA. This means that Winward can replace a Tier 2 or Tier 3 intervention product and help students bring their scores up on the SAT and ACT, potentially saving schools time and money. It also means that adopting MaiaLearning with Winward integration can replace multiple tools so that college and career readiness, including test prep, is all in one platform.

6. What other systems need to be in alignment with the new tool?

Schools typically have operating systems that are already in place, such as a student information system and learning management system, among others. Not every new tool needs to interact with existing ones, but some do. It’s good to know if your new product can coexist and work with systems that are already active.

Things like information transfer, uploading and downloading files, file types, reporting mechanisms, and data management are crucial. Administrators want students and teachers to have to manage the smallest number of platforms and log-ins as possible. Seamless integration of different tools is essential to ensure the proper speed of implementation, the right connectivity, and maximum usage.

These six key questions for buying new classroom technology tools can be major roadblocks when left unanswered. Technology is great for students, teachers, and support staff, but only if it works well and shows that thought has been put into how to sustain its use over time. When technology fails, it’s not always the fault of the tool or the way it was designed; it can be due to a lack of planning and preparation during the purchasing and integration phases. We should try to prevent that as best we can for the sake of our students and teachers.