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
Digital divides in educational technology have been recognized for decades. While the details have changed, the reality that not all populations have the same technology tools has been a consistent characteristic of information technology. We were first aware that some schools did not have access to enough desktop computers. We have become aware that not Read More
One of the most basic things we can do to protect our data when we are using computers is to make sure no one else can use your computer after you have logged on. To this end, get into the habit of locking your screen whenever you leave a computer. The process is simple: On Read More
“Difficult” interactions between IT users and IT professionals are not unique to schools. The difficulties can arise from users’ frustrations that IT is interfering with their abilities to do their work, the perceptions that their priorities are not receiving proper attention, and other factors. In many cases, the IT professionals contribute to the difficulties by Read More
What emerges from the appropriate design process is a collection of IT tools and features the educators deem necessary for the IT to meet the intended educational goals. It is the role of the IT professionals to ensure that technology is properly configured to both provide that need, plus reflect the responsible configuration of the Read More