Perspectives

Weigh the Pros and Cons Yourself

In the November/December issue of T.H.E. Journal, contributing writer David Raths runs down everything district security officials need to know if they're considering making the jump from an analog system for campus video surveillance to one that's IP-based. There are always good reasons for making changes, just as there are good reasons for sticking to the status quo. Here we try to help district administrators weigh the pros and cons for themselves.

• By Michael Hart
• 12/08/11

If we're doing our job correctly, as you read T.H.E. Journal every month you're adding to the foundation you already have of how you can use technology to do your job of educating K-12 students. You're learning about things you may not have heard about yet; getting an idea of how other educators are using some of the technologies you're already aware of, but have not yet taken advantage of; and you're gauging how others are doing with some of the same ideas you've been implementing yourself.

If we're doing it right, you're learning about some things that may not yet be quite familiar to you, but could be helpful in the future. For instance, in the November/December issue, contributing writer David Raths runs down everything district security officials need to know if they're considering making the jump from an analog system for video surveillance to one that's IP-based.

Many of us are on board with the "newer is better" mantra when it comes to technology implementation; others are happy with a "don't fix what isn't broken" approach to the world. Neither camp is completely right, of course. There are always good reasons for making changes, just as there are good reasons for sticking to the status quo. In the case of campus video surveillance, I think David has done an excellent job of helping district administrators weigh the pros and cons for themselves.

Likewise with the story our writer Lisa Plummer has written about the use of 3D in the classroom. 3D is not exactly new--in fact, it's not really even new to schools--however, it is becoming more accessible to them. But again, there are drawbacks to accompany the potential benefits. Read "Learning Taken to a New Dimension