Before you sign up for that free trial...

In the recent weeks, there have been a few discussions about new apps or digital resources that have been emailed to staff in buildings. You may have seen an email that said every teacher in the school has access to a new digital resource. More than likely this email is the result of one teacher signing up for a free trial of a digital resource and as part of the marketing, the company asks how many teachers are in the school. Then they say to the teacher upon confirming their trial that they have licenses for every teaching in the school, so please email your colleagues to let them know.

In the course of the day, each one of us receives dozens if not over a hundred emails. It is easy for us to read that we have access to a new resource and not see that this is a free trial. If you happen to like the resources you become disappointed, maybe even frustrated, when you find out the access has been taken away and the is a fee to continue the license. So what do you do? How do you know what resources are already purchased for the district?

Recently the Tech Team posted an article about how Apps are approved in the district and a link to our district website where they have a comprehensive list of all district-purchased Apps. That article has been reposted in this week's Connect. Additionally, the Library Media Team has a similar list of all purchased digital resources, which can be found by going to your school's library website. For a complete list of the district's library websites, follow this link: District Libraries.

If you find an App or another digital resource that you want to you, check the Approved Apps list or your libraries Purchased Digital resources to see if we already have a district subscription. If your resource is not on either list and before you sign up of the free trial, you will want to think about if this resource is really worth it. Recently, ASCD printed an article about using digital resources. You can read it here. In the end, the question to be answered is, how does the App or digital resources support, enhance, and/or extend the learning objectives you have for your students?