Every teacher has their own tools and tricks that get them through the day. You likely turn to various games and websites that your students visit to learn different concepts. If your students are succeeding, your administrative team will want to know what you are doing right. This is your opportunity to highlight a key tool that might even get used across the school.
It can be intimidating introducing a new software system to your administration team. These school officials want to know that the EdTech software is affordable, engaging, and actively driving positive student learning outcomes.
Here are a few steps to present the tool effectively and to win over your administration team with your favorite EdTech system.
Create a Presentation Agenda
Before you meet with your admin team, create an agenda to make sure you hit all of your presentation goals. Break down what you want to cover in the presentation and when you will address certain questions and concerns. This agenda can help you gather your thoughts. A mock agenda will look something like this:
- Introduction: what is the software and who can use it?
- Student learning outcomes: how has the software system benefited your classroom?
- Demonstration: what does the actual system look like for teachers and students?
- Budget and Implementation: what is needed to roll out the software schoolwide? Can you use grant money to fund this?
- Questions and comments: what concerns weren’t addressed in the presentation?
You can add more details to your agenda as you create your presentation. If your meeting is exclusively to review your new EdTech tool, send this agenda out the day before the presentation. This will give attendees time to familiarize themselves with the content.
Ask the administrator who invites you to present on the software how long you are able to speak. You may have a full half hour to discuss the software if the meeting is dedicated to you. However, if you are brought in as part of a longer admin meeting, you might only have 10 minutes to cover all of this ground.
Avoid Wasting Time With Your Presentation Set Up
Regardless of whether this entire meeting is scheduled for your presentation or you only have a few minutes, make sure you are ready to start as soon as you are allowed to present. Arrive early in the meeting space and set up any visuals you need. Log into the software or open up the PowerPoint deck you created. Not only does it look unprofessional to not be ready, but you could lose precious minutes trying to log in when your time comes. IT issues and other setup problems can also make you nervous so you start off on a bad foot mentally. Be ready to go so you can speak confidently.
Consider Adding Interactive Elements
If you have the floor for most of the meeting, consider making your demonstration interactive. Ask one of your administrators to complete a quest or play a game, showcasing how easy it is to learn. This demonstration also shows your admin team what the content looks like and how it helps students learn.
Once the demo on the front end is complete, show everyone what the back end looks like. Let everyone see what teachers need to learn and how they can grade students and send progress reports to parents.
Not everyone learns by listening – you know this with your students. An active demonstration might captivate your meeting attendees and better engage them in your information.
Build a Call to Action Into Your Presentation
Even the best presentations can fall flat if you don’t have an action item at the end. Consider what you want to get out of this meeting and how your admin team can help you. If you are pitching a software system to your admin team that the entire school can use, what are the next steps toward implementation? This could range from scheduling a call between your principal and the software vendor or allocating space in the budget for digital tools.
Look at your overarching vision for this pitch and create a roadmap for the future, then call on your team to take one step toward your big picture. It’s easy to shoot down a big vision that requires a lot of work, but most administrators will agree to take one step forward to explore the feasibility or using the tool.
Your call to action can also gauge buy-in. If your admin team won’t take the first steps toward embracing the tool, you may need to rethink your angle or how you present the software.
Common Questions You Should be Ready to Answer
Your administration team will have questions for you throughout the course of the presentation. You may be able to complete your presentation and address questions at the end or you will get peppered with questions throughout the meeting. If you want to win over your admin team, you need to be ready with answers. Otherwise, you could delay their decision until you provide the right information on student learning outcomes. Here is a list of common questions to expect and how to answer them.
How much does it cost?
You don’t need a final number, but highlight what you pay on a class level and provide an estimate for school-wide implementation. Many EdTech systems charge on a per-student basis so you can calculate a price range based on your school size.
Do we already have the technology to implement this?
Evaluate the existing resources in your school. If you already have a one-to-one model, then you won’t need additional technology. However, if more devices are needed, the cost of the software usage increases.
How much time will students spend using this software?
This is an important question. If the whole school will use the tool daily, it needs to be carefully evaluated. However, if students only use the apps a few times a month, they might not be worth investing in.
How do you know students are actually learning instead of playing?
Arrive at your presentation with quantitative and qualitative evidence that your software tools help students learn new material and retain known information. There are a lot of education-based games on the market that don’t actually teach students.
Will all of our learners be able to use this system?
Look into the accessibility features for students with disabilities, along with additional support tools. What languages can the software accommodate? Are there soft color alternatives for neurodivergent students and high-contrast colors for low-vision students?
How long does it take students to learn the system?
Evaluate how long it took you to learn how to navigate the software and how long it took your students to explore different features. This will give you an onboarding window estimate on a per-class basis. Your admin team may need to set up school–wide trainings for teachers if there is a large-scale rollout. This will take time.
How will parents engage with the software?
Check to see if there is a parent portal where you can share student learning outcomes. Will you easily be able to export reports if parents can’t access the system themselves?
These are just a handful of frequently asked questions that your admin team might ask. Consider asking one of your peers or your significant other to listen to your presentation and ask questions related to the tool. Practice addressing interruptions and handling unexpected queries. It’s okay if you don’t know every answer, but promise that you will find out and provide a clear response after the meeting.
Show How Your Tools Drive Student Learning Outcomes
Sharing your success is exciting! This presentation is a good thing. You found something that makes an impact and it’s good to share it with other teachers and admins in your school. Don’t be nervous entering this meeting. Even if your admin team doesn’t adopt your tool on a school level, you can continue using it with your class. Relax and be proud of what you have accomplished.
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