Ten Reasons for IT Educators to Be Early Adopters of IT Innovations

Abstract

Professionals in the information technology field are bombarded with an incessant stream of innovations in hardware and software as well as practices, methods, and techniques. IT educators are among the first targets in the market and must decide if and when to adopt these innovations in their instruction of students and professional endeavors. The risks are not small: educators must weigh the impact on budgets, time management schedules, instructional strategies, and student recompense. Some educators lag behind in adopting IT innovations and find that they have become pawns in the change process, vainly resisting the inevitable, while those on the front end of the adoption curve have eagerly embraced their role as change agents. This paper examines various factors that influence IT adoption among IT educators. More specifically, it presents ten reasons why educators should adopt, as soon as feasible, applicable IT innovations introduced into the marketplace.