School and technology leaders have an obligation to provide access to sufficient digital devices so that teaching and learning needs can be met. Sufficiency is a complex concept grounded in:
- The number of devices that are available (too few impedes access);
- The nature of the devices (to little capacity impedes sufficiency);
- The manner in which the devices are available (more inflexible options limits access);
- The preparation of teachers and the support they receive (teachers who lack the competence or confidence to use technology impede access).
This idea will be developed in a series of posts on this blog in the coming days.
Each of these factors can be limited (for example by budgets or other resources), so the sufficiency of devices is often negotiated, and IT managers seek to improve access to minimize the adverse effects of these negotiations on teaching and learning.