As they collaborate to make decisions about what technology to install and how to manage it, school and technology leaders must share understanding of three ideas. First, the systems must be sufficiently secure to remain functional and reliable, but open enough to allow for the functions educators deem necessary. Second, to accomplish secure yet flexible Read More
When I was a child and young man, telephones hung on walls and there was no indication of who might be on the other end when it rang. All calls–friends, family, colleagues, misdials, telemarketers–were treated the same. We stopped what we were doing and went to see who was there and what they wanted. With Read More
202: An Observation of IT in Schools If you get bored, skip down to the end… Schools have always been information-rich places. There is a curriculum to be taught that comprises ideas, concepts, information, and skills. Learning the curriculum requires information-rich interaction between teachers and students and among students. Humans have invented technologies to facilitate Read More
201: IT Goals in Schools In all organizations decisions are made for several purposes, and goals are set at three levels to guide decision-making and improve performance. At the broadest level, organizations have strategic goals. These are captured in the mission statements that are adopted by the leaders at the highest levels. In schools, the Read More
147: Technology Steering Committees School administrators, the licensed professionals hired by school boards to implement their decisions and policies, have ultimate responsibility for all decisions in the school. Efficacious administrators understand they do not have sufficient expertise to make appropriate and proper decisions. They also understand reasonable implementation will also necessitate they make decisions about Read More
I’ve spent my career working in education… well sort of. I started as a science and math teacher, then became a computer teacher which led me to becoming a technology coordinator—a position that includes many potential job functions. I have filled them all. Several hiring committees have selected me when they needed someone to sit Read More
Vendors such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) provide highly configurable systems that can be used to replicate many of the same functions that used to be configured on physical servers. Those vendors also provide many related services they can be enabled and configured on an “as needed” basis. The benefits of such systems are: Security Read More
Coincident with the changing nature of IT in schools, has been an increasing need for a range of IT professionals to ensure the devices are well-chosen, functional, and used for appropriate teaching. It is unusual to find educators who have sufficient technical expertise to manage the enterprise networks that necessary for school operations and effective Read More
Schools are places where the public is occasionally invited. Some events that find the public on campus place no demands on IT systems. Audiences at athletics events, concerts, and other performances do not expect to have access to wireless networks, for example. Other events may find individuals or groups from outside the school community that Read More
IT systems fail. All IT professionals (and all IT users) know this. The reality is that the “to do” list for IT professionals in schools is often too long to allow immediate resolution of failed system. Further adding to the reality is that not all failed systems can or even should be resolved. IT professionals Read More