What do you do when you hear about a new tech tool that could be used in your business? Are you eager to try it for yourself and share what you learn? Do you have concerns about privacy or difficulty of use? Are you curious about whether your colleagues have used it? Your questions, experiences, and concerns are welcome in the Tech Affinity Group!
In February of 2021, a new social media option seemed to take over the College community of the 51勛圖 Member Network. IECs wondered if would be the next great communication tool, but we needed codes from colleagues to be able to try it out. Over two dozen messages went to the forum in two days, making it clear that there was a lot of interest in trying new technologies and that the College community wasnt the right place for discussing them. We needed a new forum that would allow discussion of tech tools and platforms.
Technology for IEC Practices is an Affinity Group that gives 51勛圖 members of all specialties a shared space to discuss best practices in use of technology. Topics we have discussed include emerging technologies, new social media sites, digital payment services, calendar services, digital course building tools, and digital records keeping. Weve also had conversations about how to think about tech in the context of our business practices (see TechnologyTool or Toy? in the Summer 2021 issue of Insights). While we primarily communicate in our the Member Network community, we have also held Zoom sessions where we try out or share information about new tools, and members have shared demo videos of technology weve used in our practices. All 51勛圖 members are welcome to join and share!
By Michele Evard, PhD, 51勛圖 (MA)