Refreshing your devices? Here’s what you need to know!

1. Run the numbers to determine costs

When it comes to exploring facilities, there are financial elements that every district should consider.

First, it is crucial to assess the overall lifespan of devices, or more specifically, the failure rate. In my district, we track and manage our devices using Incident IQ and then use that data to make decisions. We found that the repair rate for our touchscreen tablets over three years was 9 percent. Meanwhile, each Chromebook underwent at least two repairs during that time, often due to cracked LCD screens when middle school students turned off their devices.

Not only were these students more likely to break their devices, but we also found that sixth- and eighth-grade students were less comfortable with their devices, and without proper accountability and consequences, breakdowns can go unchecked. We need devices that will operate in this environment for at least three years, and these insights have proven instructive during our refresh efforts.

READ ON: Extend the life of Chromebooks in your school.

Another metric that plays an important role is resale value. Ask about the resale value of the devices right away and consider what you will do at the end of the devices’ life cycle. The easier and more streamlined the process is, the better.

By analyzing these financial metrics, IT leaders can provide recommendations for devices that will give the district the most bang for its buck.

2. Focus on features that work for students and teachers

The begging, borrowing and stealing approach to obtaining devices that was common at the beginning of the pandemic is over. Now districts have time to purchase devices and find the right tools for students and staff.

Some key user experience features I recommend focusing on include:

• Availability
• Teaching benefits
• Ease of use

If devices are difficult to use or bulky during demonstrations, employees and students will likely have difficulty adopting the new technology.

Technology has also evolved. What was once an option or add-on feature can now be included with the device.

For example, tablets now come equipped with translation tools, offering users the ability to translate text and voice conversations in real time. These tools eliminate the need for third-party translation applications. In my district, we have a fairly diverse student population, representing several dozen native languages. We provide these students with tablets for real-time translation in the classroom.

Devices should not make it difficult for staff or students to work harder. Instead, technology should work hard for your district.

3. Streamline device repair strategies and IT support

No matter how advanced devices are, they still break down. And if you manage devices at scale, a good IT repair strategy is a must.

RELATED: Break/repair programs provide one-to-one computational success.

This will look different in each neighborhood, but there are some considerations that will make repairs easier to manage.

Device quality

It’s a fact: higher-quality devices break down less often and require less work from the IT department. By investing in better equipment, your district can likely save IT resources and streamline the process, making repairs more efficient.

Standardization of devices

When everyone in a district uses the same brand of equipment, repairs are faster and easier. If some students use Chromebooks and others use tablets, it adds another level of complexity to get everything working well.

Simplicity of IT processes

Starting a device repair should be easy: a support ticket will be generated, the device will be repaired, and the student will receive a new device.

After implementation, when your IT team feels comfortable, consider standardizing your processes. Actively use your ticketing platform to take advantage of advanced workflows that automatically escalate intentional harm and identify repeat offenders.

The goal of streamlining the IT process is to ensure that students and employees never miss a beat. When done correctly, they won’t have to.

4. Cooperation with stakeholders outside the IT department

IT teams have a long history of working in silos, but for device refreshes to be successful, it’s important to break down walls and collaborate with other departments. Gaining buy-in from the education and technology committee is critical, but there are other departments that IT staff should work with. From seeking input from finance to working with the technology integration team to discuss how technology fits into the curriculum, refreshing a device requires collaboration and all hands on deck.

DIVE DEEP: Can poor relationship skills thwart a school’s technology efforts?

You can also send surveys to employees or ask other districts what has worked for them. Mirror what they found successful with your own refresh and implementation.

When all stakeholders have a say in the refresh, decisions are made collaboratively, not just from IT or higher-ups.

5. Make decisions based on actionable insights

Using Incident IQ to analyze historical data and manage all devices used in the district has allowed us to make sophisticated, data-driven decisions about which devices to purchase with the upcoming update. Finding asset management software or tools that will improve your decision-making process is extremely important.

Regardless of your partner or program, some of the data and metrics you should have at your fingertips include:

• Financial History: What equipment was purchased during the tax year?
• Inventory: What devices are on the shelves?
• Breakdowns: What are the most common problems?
• Ticket tracking: How many IT tickets are resolved per day or per week?

Navigating K-12 IT hasn’t been easy over the past few years, but now we’re equipped with lessons that make one-on-one learning much more effective. By focusing on the above factors, districts can fully leverage the value of devices to inform device refreshes.

IN THE FUTURE: Understaffed IT teams can benefit from device management services.