Friday, May 28, 2010
Week of 5/31 Required Post: Riddle me this Tech Director...
Issues surrounding technology leadership affect the entire district and especially your schools as a principal. Check out this topic, 15 questions , on Scott McLeod's blog. See what answers you can find in your district-no need to do them all for your posts (still good to know all of them for your own use in house) but choose some that you think have the biggest impact on your future role as principal or strike you as important.
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27 comments:
After reviewing these questions I quickly realized how little I know about the who's who in my county when it comes to technology. I asked a few questions and found out some of the answers, but will have to dig a lot deeper to answer most.
I do know that although our superintendent may have final say, most of the technology decisions come from our Executive Director of Technology. She would be underneath one of our Assistant Superintendents who is in charge of Accountability and Technology Services. This means that the head technology person is two steps away from the Superintendent. After discussions with my administrators they made it seem as though she would have pretty direct contact with the Superintendent as needed.
The technology leadership would still be considered a shared position in my opinion because as I stated earlier, it still falls under one of the Assistant Superintendents and then the Executive Director of Technology. The Executive Director also has an Assistant Technology Director, as well as a secretary, and other technology specialist working underneath her. These other specialist includes an NC Wise coordinator, two LAN Engineers, three technology specialist, and three technology technicians.
After really reviewing the technology staff I was shocked most by how thinly spread the technology facilitators and technicians were. There are three of each of these positions and they oversee 25 schools. I'm sure the situation may be worse in other districts, but knowing the amount of computers, smart and whiteboards, and other technology in schools that they are responsible for it is amazing that they accomplish as much as they do. Technology is almost always on the fritz, breaking down, or personnel needs to be trained on how to use it. It makes you value what you have in your classes and understand how important it is to keep it working properly.
I will email a few others to find out what I can about many of the other questions. Even without knowing a lot of the answers this blog has opened my eyes to a lot of the questions I should have answers to before becoming an effective technologically literate administrator.
Thomas, I'm with you! I know who our head tech guy is. I know that he's the one you try to find to get something done or to have questions answered, but to say how much interaction he has with the super - don't know. I emailed him to see what answers I could get from him, but as of yet, unsurprisingly, nothing. He's completely overworked and undoubtedly underpaid for what he does. It won't surprise me if he chuckles at my email and moves onto the next crisis - no harm meant by that at all. He's great and has the patience of Job! But time is a commodity that he could use a little more of...We'll see what happens. Checking with a few more sources, also.
Like Juliana, I also emailed our technology director (same guy) and am still awaiting his response. He is very knowledgeable, but like Juliana said, is overworked and I am sure, overwhelmed. I could like a million things that even I know he needs to get done. I did speak with someone else at the central office who told me that the technology director is not considered a member of the superintendent's cabinet. He reports to one of the associate superintendents, who then reports back to the superintendent. In defense of our district, we are in a transition, being led currently by an interim superintendent, so maybe we can get more of the answers to those 15 questions right when the leadership is more permanent.
After reading these, I'm having the same difficulties that you all are having. I do know our head tech person but it is nearly impossible to get him or any of the other tech guys in our classrooms to work on anything much less getting information from him. I've emailed as well to find out all that I can.
I guess this just makes it very apparent that the tech department is like lots of us in education, overworked and underpaid!
Technology is great, when it works! Maybe that's something we need to think of as leaders...hiring media specialists that have strong technology skills (and/or hire teachers that do) to help out at our schools. In my school, however, the network and all is so blocked that the only people that can actually work on it is the official "tech" guys.
I'll let you know when/if I find out more!
Courtney,
I was also thinking, when I read the article, I know who the head tech guy is but, I have never seen him. I have received several emails reminding me to clear out the trash. I have been doing a better job of cleaning the trashcan as of late."
While researching the answers to the questions, I have discovered that our technology leader is also in charge of the media system. I believe, each position alone, could be overwhelming. I think those are two, very big hats to wear.
Teachnology leaders are stretched thin at all levels. At my school, the tech person is, also, in charge of testing. Since we test the students every nineweeks. She is very, very busy and simply does not have time to help the teachers inetegrate technology like should would like.
I know who the tech person is in our county but he is very hard to get in touch with. I have had little contact with him with the exception of a workshop confirmation or a email forwarded to all teachers. He has an assistant and they stay very busy and it takes a while for them to get back with you, because it seems when you have an issue with your schools network the whole county is also having a problem and everyone goes into panic mode. I am still trying to get the information for the questions.
Betsy,
You are exactly right...the job of the technology director and the media services do seem too overwhelming to be under the guidance of one person, especially if they are being done right. But then, maybe that is the key...doing those jobs right!
In a follow up conversation I had with someone at our central office, I was given the names of several more people who have their hands, so to speak, in what we could call the technology director's job description. She said, "So & So may be a good resource for you. She is located at the ______ building. She is not the technology director but she is an instructional technology facilitator. She works a lot with technology. She may not be able to answer questions regarding actual use of technology across the district but she knows a lot about specific projects undertaken by the district, such as the 1:1 laptop project at the high schools and the ipod touch pilot at _________ middle. She provides a lot of professional development as well.
If you need details regarding the 1:1 laptop project at the high schools, ____________, here at the central office, is your better resource.
_________ can also tell you about technology projects under her grants, such as migrants, etc. as well. ________ can tell you more about the infrastructure aspects."
Frankly, this sounds like a case of "too many chiefs and not enough Indians" to me.
I am in the same system as Juliana and Connie. While I personally know our head tech guy, getting up with him is next to impossible. He is definitely overworked and underpaid. He reports to the associate superintendent and not directly to the superintendent. But as Connie stated, with the interim leadership we have, changes could be made in the near future.
While trying to get answers to these questions this week, I have been able to ponder our districts technology structure and realized the disconnect that exist. In order for our technology leader to be successful in meeting the systems needs, volume and resource availability are going to have to be balanced.
Connie,
I liked your last comment...
I think we all have hit up on the fact that our technology people are spread to thin. I think we would also all agree that the position does seem to be one that is shared. I'm sure many of the emails sent back will go unanswered or that the responses we will receive won't exactly hit what we were looking for. Looking for the answers to these questions did let me know that technology questions/problems/issues are certainly some of the hardest to solve. I'm looking forward to seeing what some of you get back from your people....
It seems as if everyone is having the same struggle with getting answers. Does this represent an opportunity where more school level people could be trained to help filter some of the high demand and basic technology questions, thus making us all a little more self sufficient? It is obvious school technology departments have a lot of structuring to do, and hopefully soon for the benefit of children.
Betsy, You are so right. The media system is a stand alone job. Tech leaders are never going to be able to "get ahead" when wear multiple hats...that are huge hats at that.
Betsy, I too agree with you that running the media system and the tech program is way to much for any one individual.
To me, the lack of availability of technical assistance and availability reiterates how behind the times we are with technology in education. Everybody knows somebody who has something to do with technology leadership, but nobody except maybe the head tech can answer all the questions straight out...and you can't get up with him/her. So, if we had the most current, up-to-date technology, what would the ideal tech leadership team look like? Perhaps a techy per school, someone to process technical probs much sooner, someone who could provide continuous PD regarding technology use, and guess what - maybe school-based and district-wide technology plans for all school levels might be appropriate.
Well, I guess the most dedicated of techs find time, even if it's 10:30 at night, to answer a few questions! I was sure he'd come through! Sad but amazing info for our system...approximate ratio, 1:1000, latest assignment - researching online 8th grade literacy test, ordering, learning to use, importing all 8th grade student names into the program data base, train staff at each middle school on how to use/administer the test, collect the results and report them to dpi. Holy cow! And to think he took time to answer my questions - all 15 of them! Go Craig!
He says he also writes grants, manages the e-rate program to manage phone systems, gets quotes and bids on equipment, picks up discarded equipment and disposes and so on and so on. He says he has tried to convince the last 2 superintendents that he should be part of the cabinet but to no avail. Must be a secret society or something. To me, it tells you the true value placed on technology in the system. For his own personal prof. development, he's been to 1 conference in 2 years. Technology funds are minimal so tech assistants might get 1 training per year. Most tech training for teachers is paid through other school funds. He says the hardest thing for him to watch though, is technology placed in classrooms and teachers never utilize it. He says when they do, they barely scratch the surface of making it match with SCOS or pedagogy - more of just playing around. So sad...
I agree with everyone, I know little about technology.I emailed my technology director and I am still waiting on a response. Wake County is a very large county and we have specific people assigned to our school. Our local school tech guy is very busy and hasn't had an opportunity to get back to me. The local tech guy at our school manages the media center as well as the technology issues within the school building that he can handle.
Technology is a great asset but the individuals in charged of making sure it is working is over worked. Its important to know this information to be able to reach the individuals when technology is down.
I will email a few others to find the answers to the questions. I have a lot of work to do regarding technology.
Juliana
You have an amazing tech guy. This show that all individuals in education wear a lot of hats. The tech guy at your school is very busy like all of the technical people in education. I agree with him its devasting to place new technology in classrooms and watch teachers destroy the equipment or not utilize it. Its also amazing to know that he has attended only 1 conference in the last 2 years. With new advances in technology daily I thought tech guys stay busy with technology.
Julianna, Betsy, anyone else…
One of our tech guys is Instructional Technology Coordinator (the most important kind of technology), Media Coordinator, AIG coordinator and was in charge of the transition of NC Wise into our county. I think we were one of, if not the last, system in the state to move over from SIMS. No wonder, with all that on his plate! We are so behind, it’s not even funny. This brings to mind a comment that Dr. Mills posted on another occasion about how technology should get the same emphasis as core areas (his context was choosing leaders for administrative roles) but how about in a school system as a whole? Priorities are all wrong and I know others are aware of this aside from you and I, but who’s gonna do something about it? I guess when we take the helm at a school, at least we will all have that on our to-do lists.
One of the reasons I have not posted until now is I am waiting on some answers, as we all are. I will go with what I know now and update if those answers come. I can answer a couple of questions that I feel will have a major impact on my future as a principal.
1. Is the primary technology leader in charge of both networking / hardware / software support AND technology integration or just one?
2. Is technology leadership a shared function within the district or does it primarily reside in one person?
I don’t know. The technology coordinator makes the final decisions on what technology goes where, but there is another person in charge of instructional technology. I am not sure how closely these 2 guys work together, but I hope its close. Sometimes it seems not so. Technology is definitely not a priority in our system.
I recently read our county’s 48 page technology plan. It is full of vague, generic terminology and goals that we are making minimal efforts to accomplish. The district committee is comprised of Central Office staff with NO consultant assistance or input from the “real world.” This class has really opened my eyes to some of pitfalls in our system.
Oh, I forgot some important points. The first words of our tech plan - “Wikipedia describes instructional technology as…” – I could have submitted that definition to Wikipedia! It included numerous programs and software implementations that no one at my school has ever heard of. Also, a goal is to hire 5 new technology facilitators – budgeted $50,000 for each. They could make more than that answering service calls at Dell. Better come to the table with more than that. Here’s the link in case you get bored: http://www.pitt.k12.nc.us/198710527164058907/lib/198710527164058907/_files/Tech_Plan_2008-2012.pdf
I think we all have a new appreciation for our respective "tech guys" I agree with what Al said with regards to being able to find and retain someone with the expertise and the money they can go make in the school system vs what they can make working in the tech industry. This is very important because as school systems become more dependant on tech we need more tech specialists to handle the responsibilities that come with the territory. I think we have learned that this is an area that is understaffed and not keeping pace with the reliance on tech.
I agree, new appreciation for our tech guys. No kidding!
I was browsing around to find more information about technology in my county and I was surprised to find that apparently we have multiple trainings that are offered that I had no idea about. Maybe I missed the memo, but why on Earth would you not advertise this more?! I know you teach in the same county, Al, did you know about these?
http://pitt.schoolwires.net/198710527164045843/lib/198710527164045843/0910_Files/TTandWW2pdf.pdf
When I first read these questions, I too realized how little I know about the technology leadership in my district. I called and spoke with someone I know that works in the Instructional Technology department. She explained that ultimately the superintendent is responsible for technology leadership in the district. Technology is broken into two divisions, Technology Services and Instructional Technology. Each of these has an executive director that reports directly to the superintendent. The Technological Services division handles software and hardware installations and maintenance. The Instructional Technology division helps train teachers how to incorporate technology into their instruction. Schools are supposed to use about 10% of their technology budget for professional development for their staff. The county does not have any data as of yet regarding how much time students use technology in the classroom. However, I did find it interesting that this person stated that elementary students seem to be getting the most exposure and high school students the least.
Courtney,
We too have many professional development opportunities regarding incorporating technology into the classroom that have not been heavily advertised through the years. I have found out about them through word of mouth. Why such a secret? If our district is focusing on technology, shouldn't attendance at these types of training not only be offered, but expected.
Ok, just got my info from my Executive Director of Technology today. T. Holland our technology person and/or county has striking similarities and Edgecombe girls (you know who you are-lol), we have about the same ratio 1:1,000! Goodness! I'll never complain about having 30 head of children in one block and 29 in antoher- ever again. We also have strict guidelines/policies for getting work completed. There must be a work ticket submitted and it could be weeks before they ever get around to us again because they are spread so thin around the county. It's like a sin to even ask them to "take a look" at a printer or computer, if there hasn't been a work order for it!! Anyway, I have to say that I'm pretty good at figuring things out and our "school tech representative" is decent, in most cases. Although, they are spread so thin, they do not have time to train teachers or help when a situation just arises and if you try to call them, good luck getting someone to talk to because they are all "running around like chickens with their heads cut off." I have to give it to them though, they seem to be doing all they can do and with no money in their budget either it's just one of those things you get used to. Best way to reach them, email:)
Two things came to my mind when doing this assignment. First, I am ashamed to admit that I am on the technology committee of my school and know nothing about how the department works. Sure, I can do fancy things on my computer and download cool and hip software; however, I have no clue of how the technology department is structured or operates. This wouldn't be as bad if it weren't for the fact that I am on the school technology committee. (Wow! Can anyone say communication breakdown!)After going through these questions it became clear that I am the blind leading the blind.
Besides finding out that I am clueless I also discovered that we all must work at the same school. Like everyone else my superintendent has the final say in all technology decisions, however, daily operations are overseen by the Director of Technology. It seems that this arrangement works fine, however, I wonder if there isn't a little bit of micro-managing going on.
Finally, after answering these questions it is clear that our "on the ground" tech support is grossly understaffed. When you start to do the math on computers to techs you really get scared. The fact is that we have so few techs that they can not be doing the everyday maintenance of our machines and over time this leads to early breakdowns. I suspect that you could make the argument that you could save money on technology by hiring more support staff.
This article really opened my eyes about technology in the district. I was so unaware!! I honestly couldn't answer most of them!
I definitely think the most important question would be were the students questioned about their technology use in the classroom. I feel that this could be a starting point for discussion. If the students aren't using the technology, there is the gauge now on how to enhance the technology in the district.
I also found it interesting that salary would be question. I just assumed that most people involved in education were indifferent, to a certain extent, of salaries. However, a tech junkie might not be so indifferent if there's a large gap. Hmmm....
Courtney B, I'm with you....
It makes sense to hire teachers who have experience with technology, etc. The problem is that the tech people are unreachable often. I remember once I helped my school in adopting the state Spanish textbook. The textbook was great and had many online resources (that needed to be installed). I emailed, called, begged and pleaded for an entire school year. The software, provided by the textbook company and purchased by the school, was never installed. What a waste!!!
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