Avoiding the Tragedy of the Computer Commons

My school provides a unique benefit for teachers: We are paid (a penitence) to prepare our classrooms for the upcoming school year-- basically I set up my classroom before the school year begins and they give me enough money to buy enough gasoline to get to my son's soccer games over the fall, I used to be able to buy pizza a couple of night over soccer season also, but not with $3.63 per gallon gas!

As I have been in the school working, several of my colleagues have asked about the state of the computers in our school-- I used to be responsible for managing everything, then I worked only with teachers and system support came from our central office, now I teach full time. We have come to the conclusion that-- at least in our building-- there is a tragedy of the commons alive and well.

In most schools, schools are a shared resource-- include in this the cameras projectors and similar peripherals. They are also a limited resource. In this situation, there is a tendency for some to "grab" theirs before anyone else gets it. I see teachers sign up for computer rooms and never use it. I see teachers "borrow" cameras and never return them. I see teachers borrow mobile laptop labs and then keep a couple for use in their classrooms. I have seen teachers take power supplies from mobile laptop labs so they can have one at home and one at school, in case they forget it.

I understand the pressures to use technology-- it makes sense, there is pressure to use it from parents and administrators. I understand the tragedy of the commons-- a teacher who knows she is going to need cameras again next month for her big project for open house wants so ensure she has what she needs and returning the cameras means they might get broken or stolen before she needs them. I get that all.

I also observer, however, that students rarely display such attacks on the commons. Well, students who are working on relevant and  meaningful projects don't students who are treated with respect don't.

This summer I read a book about the evolutionary strategies for social interaction. One of the most successful strategies (one in which a person can gain the most) is called tit-for-tat. There are several variations on theme strategy, but at it most simple:

Be helpful/ generous/ giving in your first interaction with everyone. Then each time they interact with you again, do back to them hat they last did.

So, if one of your colleague is being uncooperative this fall... think back to the last time you interacted with them... perhaps the uncooperative nature of your colleagues in sharing laptops is because you already have all of the cameras hidden in your closet!