Why # EdTech companies need a teacher champion in every school
By Leisa Grace Wilson
“# EdTech ( education technology ) is the next best thing .”
“ It will solve your problems . Schools will never be the same again .”
We have heard it all before . I have been fortunate to have been on both sides of the fence ; as a former school principal and also working in sales and marketing for the Middle East ' s top education magazine . This is a unique vantage point , as I get to speak to both the developers of these education technology resources and the educators who want their schools to purchase them . If I have learned anything over the years , it is that , unless the # EdTech product you are selling has a teacher championing its cause in the school , it is highly likely to end up in the cupboard gathering dust .
Why is it necessary to have a teacher championing your product ?
The answer is simple . Teachers trust teachers . It is great to extol the virtues of your products , but unless a teacher says that it works and gives details on how he or she uses it to enhance teaching and learning or another school function , it is merely your words . Teachers love to see concrete
examples of the products you sell really making a difference to the teaching and learning process .
Has your product or service been tried and tested by teachers ?
Who will they call when they get stuck in the middle of a lesson or while planning for a lesson ? You may have great after sales service and support , but that is not enough . Teachers just don ' t have the time to wait for an appointment to speak to an authorised person for something simple , not to mention that the person may not know the context of the school , etc . Your teacher champion would be on staff and available to help at the drop of a hat . Teacher champions can become so valuable that you may eventually consider them as spokespersons for your products . Compensation is necessary , but it does not always have to be cash . You can be quite creative in how you compensate the teachers who are championing your products .
Never underestimate the magic of the familiar .
If the teachers are familiar with the person delivering the support and training on your product , they are more comfortable and willing to ask the simplest or even silliest of questions .
• Select a teacher who is enthusiastic about the product and excited to share it with others .
• Provide the training to your teacher (# EdTech ) champion so , he / she fully understands how it works .
• Encourage them to get other teachers on-board with your product .
There have been far too many training sessions in schools , delivered by capable company representatives in which teachers sat silently disengaged . Use the power of the familiar to your advantage .
Teachers are loyal .
From my experience , when teachers fall in love with a product , they tend to stick with it for years . They will keep using it from one academic year to the next . What ' s even better , is that the sharing culture among teachers is well established and even encouraged , so rest assured that if you have a teacher champion for your product , he / she will share it with colleagues . Many students are already tech savvy . They will benefit even more when teachers are enthusiastic about the # EdTech products that they are using .
28 | Jan - Feb 2017 | | Class Time