By Tony DePrato | Follow me on Twitter @tdeprato

Let’s talk numbers.

• The number of iPads sold in the first quarter of 2014: 26 million[i]
• Revenue generated in 2015 for the Microsoft Surface Pro 3: $1.1 billion US Dollars[ii]
• Number of Google Apps for Education users in 2015: 40+ million[iii]
• Apps categorized as educational in the Apple App Store: 75,000+
• Purchasing 100 MacBook Air based models: $80,000.00+ US Dollars

Technology in all of its forms is a ubiquitous presence both on and off campus. The use and misuse of technology can positively and negatively impact learning, school culture, and school community. Senior leadership need to be well informed about technology, and they need strategies to efficiently provide oversight and make decisions concerning complex choices.

Learning to maintain and nurture the status quo when it is working well, is just as important as innovating and implementing change when the status quo is not working. These decisions often fall upon small teams of senior leaders who will ultimately be accountable for success or failure.

Sir Tim Berners-Lee[iv] who, despite Al Gore’s comments[v], did invent the world wide web and was knighted for this accomplishment. Sir Tim once said, “We can’t blame the technology when we make mistakes.” However, technology is often blamed, when errors are very human. Oversight and management of technology is difficult and should be a focused team effort, that includes a clear understanding of the important, urgent, and trivial.

The main focus of this blog will not be to review products and services. Readers will get a regular and concise point-of-view that can be used for current and important discussions. Comments will be welcome and responses will be timely. The mission and vision of the blog is to help inform and shape policy through ideas and discourse. The writing will help readers work towards clarity in technology concepts, look at methods for providing oversight, and reflect on methods to integrate technology into other levels of leadership.

Every attempt will be made to provide enough background information and support material so that further and informed research can be conducted by readers. Personal opinion, practice, and stories will hopefully add comedic relief, but those will always be on-target and concise. Unless requested by readers, rants and raves will not be the norm.

Welcome to all future readers, and please do not hesitate to comment.

[i] http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/apple/apple-q1-2016-financial-results-how-many-iphones-ipads-watch-macs-sold-revenue-results-3581769/

[ii] http://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-surface-hits-1bn-revenue-mission-accomplished/

[iii] http://www.newswire.com/files/58/df/e6804afafe7c97e123d2dc922326.png

[iv] https://www.w3.org/People/Berners-Lee/

[v] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnFJ8cHAlco