Chapter 5: Assessing and Redesigning Sustainable Computer Efforts

For Selfe, the final step in securing sustainable computer environments is to enact a continual process of "formative efforts to shape computer-supported environments" in a way that carefully reflects user-based or stakeholder-based design and redesign (Selfe, pg. 122).  Selfe's five key steps for this type of assessment reflect several of the steps for initially developing technology-rich learning environments, identifying this assessment as a recursive process.  These five steps include:

                                    "Step 1: Identify stakeholders,
                                    Step 2: Define issues and areas of interest on which to focus,
                                    Step 3: Observe current sites of effort and involvement,
                                    Step 4: Identify sites for increased involvement and investment, and
                                    Step 5: Pinpoint and fine-tune involvement [of key stakeholders]"
                                                                                                                                    (Selfe, pg. 124)

Approaching assessment in this way acknowledges that the process of "creating and re-creating technology-rich environments for teaching and learning English and language arts is never really completed" and allows for the constant re-determination of the desired direction and focuses for these environments to meet the needs and goals of key stakeholders (Selfe, pg. 121).  This continual process sets up key stakeholders as technology activists, shaping the course of these programs through the process of People, First -> Pedagogy, Second -> Technology, Third in order to maintain a strong culture of support and put an end to the dynamic of blame.