4.5 Technology assisted school counselor and principal collaboration  (Page 14/16)

In addition to using Microsoft Outlook for conducting a poll, school counselors and administrators can use one or more of the following methods:

• Use one of a multitude of online poll creation web sites. Once a poll is created, the user then simply sends (usually via e-mail or listserv) the poll URL out to intended recipients. Results are usually tabulated automatically. Several popular polling sites include http://www.micropoll.com/ , http://www.misterpoll.com/ , (External Link) , and http://pollcode.com/ .
• Create a simple survey or form to collect poll data such as with Google Docs ( http://bit.ly/axH9vi ) Survey Monkey ( http://www.surveymonkey.com/ ), Question Pro ( http://www.questionpro.com/ ), or Zoomerang ( http://www.zoomerang.com/ ).
• Twtpoll is a feedback tool that helps you to create and distribute polls/surveys on Twitter, Facebook, FriendFeed or on any other social media site. http://twtpoll.com/
• twittpoll.com is the opinion channel of twitter. http://twittpoll.com/

Accountability. Accountability can become a time consuming endeavor given the vast amount of available data and sometimes unfriendly software that currently exists to help make sense of it. However, more sophisticated student information systems (SIS) are now available to schools for making the accountability process much more manageable. Some school districts have even invested in developing from scratch the SIS they need. SIS software has grown in complexity, normally integrating into other systems such as communication, scheduling, grade book, discipline, accounting, and report writing.

Many forces have been converging from within the counseling profession, within educational practice, and from external sources in government over the past 10 or so years that have brought us to the necessity of incorporating accountability into school counseling practice as well (Isaacs, 2003). As a result, the school counseling profession has witnessed an increased number of available tools that are customized to more easily and quickly organize, interpret, and report data. For instance, Sabella (2009) described the following:

Future challenges

New technologies become available every day, and although many are alluring, only a few will truly result in great benefits to a counselor's professional and personal productivity. Every technology must be carefully evaluated for its merit. As smart consumers of technology, counselors and administrators must ask questions such as (Sabella, 2003):

• How much are the initial costs for purchasing any needed software or hardware?
• Will available computers run the software or will I need to upgrade (e.g., add more memory or purchase a new peripheral, therefore adding to the overall cost of the new application)?
• If I choose to purchase new software or hardware, what will it cost to maintain it in the form of upgrades and especially in the form of human resources, specifically paying someone for upkeep, training, or consultation?
• How user-friendly is the technology? How much time might it require to adequately learn and apply the new technology? Can I do this on my own or will I need to spend even more money for training?
• Is the company that provides the technology reputable and stable? Or, will the technology lose long-term support because of a fleeting company?
• How well will the new technology work with other already adopted computer applications?
• How compatible is the new technology to already existing technologies? That is, will others be able to share and collaborate with someone who uses the new technology?
• Is the new technology convenient and enjoyable to use?