Dealing with Dips

How do you handle the implementation dip?
Make it a habit
Encourage ongoing, supported projects
Infuse new ideas
Regardless of the quality of your technology program, it seems that every program eventually faces an implementation dip. The key to success may be to keep the program going by continuously adding new elements and fresh ideas.
 
Ringmaster Quote
 
Standing water looks peaceful, calm. But without motion, the water grows stagnant and dark. The elements within it decay and die. Without an infusion of new water, it shrinks and eventually vanishes; a lost relic leaving behind an empty river bed once filled with promise.
 
 
It isn't so much we're afraid of change or in love with the old ways.
It's just that place in between, like being in between trapezes.
It's Linus when his blanket is in the dryer.
There's nothing to hold on to.
Keep Your Program Exciting
 
How do you keep the technology program rolling? Explore some of the following ideas.
 
Join Projects. Encourage your teachers to participate in established, ongoing projects. It's hard to quit once you get started. For example, the Boil, Boil, Toil and Trouble: Boiling Point Project is an example of a project that's simple to join and fits into the curriculum.
 
Share Success. Seek out cool projects and share. Use the "each one, teach one" philosophy. Find teachers with particular interests or expertise and encourage them to share their skills. For example, one teacher might be great at "converting pictures" while another might love to surf the Internet. Highlight your successes and skilled teachers in a newsletter or website.
 
Mini Grants. Support new ideas with funding. If a teacher says, "I need a digital camera, a field trip, photo quality paper, or a set of books" for their project, develop a program to support these types of projects.
 
Infusion Ideas. Once teachers know how to use a particular piece of software, continue to add to their skills. In other words, I know the software, now what? Offer workshops in "Beyond PowerPoint or HyperStudio." Provide examples and models of innovative ways to integrate the software into the curriculum.
 
Stop Dips
How do you handle the implementation dip?
 

Do It! 
 

Brainstorm a "now that I know it" project that would promote new ways of using old packages.