While many people might imagine that most school technology mistakes are made by professors, they forget the importance of higher education administrators. These professionals set the tone for the entire school and lead by example. It’s imperative that they understand how to implement technology properly, but many of them still make some common mistakes. Take a look at these top five mistakes that higher education administrators are making with technology.

Sending out memos on paper

Printing out paper memos and stuffing them into teacher mailboxes can be a time-consuming process, particularly for larger universities. This can waste valuable hours throughout the day for administrative staff who could be filing paperwork or doing something more productive. Stop sending out memos on paper and start modeling better technology usage. You can send out important updates and notifications via email or through a schoolwide information system. This saves time and resources by eliminating the use of paper.

Implementing technology they don’t understand

Higher education administrators are often the ones in charge of making purchasing decisions. They should be certain that they understand how to use the products they purchase before making a decision to implement them in the classroom. This helps administrators to set a better model for professors. Understanding the technology upfront also allows administrators to understand how a product meets a specific need or where it falls short.

Not keeping school needs in mind

It is almost mindboggling how many different edtech solutions are available on the market today. Higher education administrators need to be very clear on what their school needs so they don’t become distracted by flashy technology. Talk with teachers to see what their real needs are before making a plan to find technology that will meet them. This prevents you from wasting teacher time, causing frustration to students, and wasting valuable budget dollars on technology that nobody needed or wanted.

Not providing preparation and education for teachers

Many higher education administrators wrongly assume that teachers already know how to use these devices in the classroom. While it is true that many of them have laptops and tablets at home, the experience doesn’t necessarily translate. Educators still need more training and preparation on how to effectively use these tools on a daily basis for teaching their students.

Not modeling technology use

Administrators set the standard for what is acceptable around the school. The first place they need to start when it comes to technology is by modeling proper usage. Maximize what you can do with technology to demonstrate to your staff what it is capable of. Administrators who model good technology usage are setting the bar high for teachers and getting a more realistic idea of whether the current solutions are helpful.