No, in fact I have not seen a software selection form in several years. Software is discretionary purchases, like textbooks, and is not subject to bidding requirements in most schools. While I see value in having these selection forms there are several reasons I have not seen them in use lately:
IDEA and Title Funding - Funding sources have changed from software being treated like books and multimedia. Specific titles/services like Compass, Study Island, STAR, AR, Aimsweb, IEP Writer are specific to district goals and funded from alternative finding sources other than building budgets or the technology department. This allows the administrative team to find the best "package" to meet their needs.
Web 2.0 - Web 2.0 sites have replaces the large library of media that typical classrooms would have had to keep on hand, and supplements to texts and materials are only getting better. The need to own a few reading programs and math games for elementary classrooms is non-existent with internet connected computers.
Mainstream Software -Do we really need a form to tell us an office suite is a good idea? MS Office, Adobe's Creative Suite, iLife, have become so commonplace we expect computers to have them on them as soon as we login.
Open Source Software - Finally, the white elephant, opens source software. For free you can have software that will word process, create databases, edit photos, create artwork, not to mention Google's Earth, Sketchup, Chrome and a ton of other open source apps to do nearly everything under the sun. Recently I was checking out an opensource Student Information System to replace our system at our Alternative Learning Center. Taking cost out of the equation opens lots of doors in budget strapped schools.
Ty
3 comments:
I like your comments on Web 2.0, Mainstream, and Open Source as reasons for not really needing software selection forms. I mean really, with open-source Web 2.0 apps, the SS form is completely obsolete. And for standard MS programs and free Mac apps, who needs it? Everyone knows we need a word processor, but I guess in some instances the form helps to identify the most cost effective choice in a situation where you're forced to actually purchase something....but who wants to do that? I mean when you have great online video editing tools like Stroome, who the heck needs WMM?.....OMG what a nightmare that was!
Agreed, but with software as a service (SaaS) like Study Island, Aimsweb, Student Information Systems, there seems to be a whole lot better way of getting from point a to b than following a form. I mean, MAC schools buy them for the tools they come with so what purpose wold an evaluation tool serve?
Ty, it is true that funding sources have altered the way software is purchased. However, with that said, more now than ever, it is important to compare your options when purchasing software or even implementing free web based programs in our schools. An evaluation form would be a great source to compare your options and share with your administration.
From my experience, networking and asking other districts what they use was always my greatest source of information. (What works and what doesn't)
And now Social Networking is also another way to share information on validity/reliability of software and programs.
Of course it is true that open source software and free web based resources have been our greatest asset. But we continue to need a way to compare our tools and using a selection form can assist us in comparing our best fit.
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