Sean's Post for Evaluating Software and Hardware Tools

With all of the technology in today's world, how then as an educator, does one choose the most appropriate source of technology to use in the classroom that will have the most positive academic impact on his/her students? This question can pose many difficulties on "up and coming" teachers and even be a challenge for current teachers to overcome as well. The Evaluation Cycle can be excellent source for teachers to determine whether or not a technological product may be of great worth in the classroom. This cycle requires the educator to evaluate the software or hardware tool before, during, and after instruction and then completing a final evaluation in which the educator can revise and make the necessary decision on whether or not the source is beneficial to the students.

In evaluating appropriate software and hardware, an educator may also receive guidance from other teachers, the school district, or even the State Department of Education. School districts compile and evaluate software and then have the ability to provide these evaluations to teachers while the State Dept. of Education also has a list of recommended software that can be used in the classroom. Company catalogs can be of great help for educators as well in respect to appropriate technology. These catalogs provide extensive information on how to use specific hardware and software and they also provide information on how the product may relate to the curriculum and learning standards.