We had two friends over our house last evening, who have been involved with Educational Technology since the Eighties. We reminisced about our involvement in early Ed tech and we collectively made a reflective observation. The rate of progress of technology seems to be moving faster than its acceptance by many educators. Today’s arguments for using technology in education as a tool for teaching are the same arguments we were making twenty-five years ago. Although, the percentage of those educators effectively using it has significantly increased, there are many who still will not engage it in any way.
The question arises why have so many not progressed beyond where educators were with technology 25 years ago. The technology has certainly progressed. Before the nay-Sayers jump up and run to the comment box, I am not saying that we cannot teach without Tech. I am saying that, as educators, we are slow in using it as a tool for education. Of course, if you are reading this post you are probably not one of the many educators who are resistant to technology use, but consider how many of your colleagues do not have the willingness or wherewithal to read this. That is why I find the comment that “we need to take baby steps” a hot button. After 25 years there are no more baby steps. We should have grown up, and we should be running. Someone may need to honestly reflect on the entire situation.
A memorable Movie with memorable scenes was The Wizard of OZ. One of the most memorable scenes was when Dorothy returned to Oz and again encountered the Wizard in all of his ire and wrath. Thanks to Toto the curtain obscuring the man controlling the Wizard was pulled back and revealed a man doing everything he could to keep it all working. Bellowing from the loudspeaker was the command,”PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN!”
With that cinematic image fresh on our brains let us now talk about Informational Technology Directors. Hoping not to conjure reminiscences of some racist clichés of the sixties, I would say that some of my best friends are IT Directors. The job that these people do is not easy. They are responsible for all technology that runs the school system as well as delivering information for curriculum. That in itself may be more than any one person should be responsible for. One reason for this might be the rapid rate that technology has developed. The tech developed at a greater rate than a full understanding of the position of Tech Director. The more that tech evolved the more responsibilities these people obtained. This might be a problem.
Many IT Directors have a comprehensive understanding of technology. Many Superintendents and Principals, the leaders of education in many districts, have far less of a tech understanding. They rely on the ability of the IT Director, as they should. This places a great deal of unspoken power in the hands of the IT Director. Major purchases in technology for a district fall to the recommendation of the IT Director. Who better to make such decisions, since the IT Director knows Technology. The problem in my view centers with the knowledge that the IT Director has of the curriculum for which the technology will be used. Without an equal understanding of education, any decision could result in expensive purchases being underutilized or even going unused. This might be a problem.
Teachers should be comfortable with IT Directors. Ideally, a teacher should be able to go to an IT Director with a lesson and its objective. The IT Director with knowledge of education, as well as knowledge of tech, should be able to suggest ways to use technology as a tool to accomplish the goal. He/she might also point out if it is not possible to effectively use Tech in certain instances . The IT director should be consulting with teachers about their successes and failures to plan further integration or determining what went wrong. These meetings should be taking place with many people in all schools of a district. If this engagement is not taking place, this might be a problem.
Much, but not all, of the Professional Development should be organized by the IT director. A knowledge of Technology and curriculum as well as the staff’s understanding of technology is key. The IT Director should constantly be seeking out successes of teachers who are effectively using Tech. These teachers should be encouraged to share. Best practices are often what people need as a model to best understand the tech as a tool and not a focus. If this engagement is not taking place, this might be a problem.
Geek Speak is power. To many, it seems to be a secret language. IT Directors use scary acronyms and weird sounding words that are not familiar to those who speak English. This language may intimidate the most educated person. It certainly impresses Superintendents. IT Directors use this language to explain the intricacies of each piece of technology. It may be a cause for some teachers backing away from professional development for Educational Technology.The “ins and outs” of the technical aspects mean little to teachers. We do not have to know how to build a car to drive it. This might be a problem.
Without splitting the responsibility of the job between Administrative tech and Educational tech there may be too much for one person to handle. There is a different skill sets required for the positions. The skills of an office manager are required for one job, while the skills of an educator are required for the other. Without a separation of duties, this might be a problem.
These are all generalizations. I am just stating things that have been said over the last twenty-five years. Technology moves very fast, and change in our education system moves very slowly. We may need to do a formative assessment at this point. Do we have the correct person in a position with the correct skills to do what is necessary to carry out the task? That is the very same question applied to teachers. In many districts the person and the job are matched well. If they are not, this might be a problem
Technology is not the focus of education. Learning should be the focus of education and technology is one of the tools that helps teachers teach. The next time you experience the Wizard in all of his ire and wrath. Forget the words bellowing from the loudspeaker,LET”S PAY ATTENTION TO THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN!” We may need to pull back that curtain and help the man reach a higher level of efficiency and understanding to keep up with the pace of technology. If we don’t this might be a problem.
Please do not print this out and place it in your IT Director’s mailbox with “Look What This Guy Said About You” scribbled at the top. Send this Link to your IT Director. He or she may find a reason to comment. If we do not assess the needs, we may not address the problem and this might be a problem.
My Island View 
Your article is right on target. I agree that IT Directors cannot do it all–they need a TEAM that is coordinated to integrate the technology into the curriculum. Many schools do not have such a team in place and IT is looked upon as nothing more than a help desk. The IT department should be managed by an IT Director who has both a tech and educational background. Every decision should be made considering the impact on the classroom. Until this happens, I fear we are destined to keep spinning our wheels trying to accomplish our tech goals in schools.
The biggest reason from my perspective that teachnology has not been incorporated into the classroom is that it is not required in the curriculums and the approved curriculums are not updated regularly.
Make it part of the curriculum then teachers have to look at it differently, but it is the incorporation piece that is the hard part. How doe we decide which technologies we want to require and which are optional?
I guess we do that by making decisions and standing by them.
Now I guess I have to attend the English curriculum meeting on Monday and advocate for technology inclusion, even though I have only been there a few month :).
YES! Two weeks ago, I was on my English Curriculum Committee and pushed for tech requirements and got them. The requirements focused on 2nd semester and the use of online multimedia tools for a multi genre project. By placing it in the curriculum, it will force tech resistant teachers to get on board. If not, they will have to answer to the admins during evaluation time.
Good luck at your meeting!
Thanks Tom for this great post, and I will send the link to the appropriate people in my district.
You have expressed some of the thoughts that I continually wrestled with. I think that every school district need an IT Director and an Instructional Technology Director. It is difficult to find a person who is geeky enough and qualified enough to fill the role of IT Director and also have been a teacher in a previous life. An IT Director who has not been in a classroom may have difficulty providing instructional technology strategies. I currently serve as an Instructional Technology Specialist in my district for part of the day. I help teachers incorporate technology into their lesson plans, and often I am showing teachers how to click here and there to be able to access a Web 2.0 tools effectively. The more Instructional Technology Specialists a district has, the more that district will be able to directly impact the instruction happening in the classroom. I am stretched pretty thin at the moment, but I am immensely proud of a small focus group of teachers that I do concentrate on in my district. They are surpassing what I have demonstrated and coming up with some incredible lessons and innovative ideas. What they are doing is noticed by other teachers, and they are standing out as a model in our district. I only say this because I want to emphasize that if a district is depending on that man behind the curtain, it will never work. One man trying to orchestrate everything cannot impact students and teachers across an entire district, so when I say I will send off your link to the appropriate people, I mean that I am sending it to a team of teachers because our IT Director really can’t do it all.
Thanks!
Tara
I am thoroughly enjoying your musings and insights. I have forwarded the link to the entire staff. I am wondering what the conversation will be tomorrow – technology, IT guys, or teaching. On the other hand, I wonder if there will even be a conversation because of the “resistance to technology” within the staff. Hmmmm. . .
Tom, insightful post. It is also time for school admins to be partners with the IT directors. The time has passed for admins to be unaware of the incredible power of tech in schools. They should be users and learners themselves.
Thoughtful post, Tom. We see several of the problems you outline in our district. You articulate them well.
Tom –
Spot on my friend, as usual! With the ever increasing demands put on classroom teachers, I do not see HOW they will meet them without integrating technology into virtually every facet of their classroom. …without taking away from instruction time, that is.
I think a great deal of our IT dept (which we call the OOT or Office of Technology). They have made great efforts to keep our entire system on the forefront of technology for the 13 years that I have been here. In 1998 every classroom was equipped with a Destination Station that runs on NT .. I’m proud to say that mine still runs. Five years back, each room was equipped with a desk-top. Just this past year, every math and science room [oh, and my French classroom – long story] was equipped with a Promethean board. These are the major events, there have been many other tech elements that have been implemented as well. We are not a HUGE system but we are by no means a one-room school house. I am proud of their longevity in promoting technology!
Here’s our site .. http://www.acs.ac
I’ll pass this on to our teacher trainer and see if we can get him to comment!
=D Kudos and Cheers!
Amy
Just would like to say “ditto” to Tara’s comments. The Title, “IT Director”, “Tech Coordinator”, or “Tech Integration Specialist”, might be assigned to someone in your district or school, but the key question is “what is each person’s role and where does it fit into the mission of the school”. The word “director” in a title might place that person on the organizational chart in a position of power over others who should have equal power in shaping the technology decisions at your school. In my school, a visionary principal, noticed the PROBLEM Tom describes in his post. She did not have the background and current knowledge to evaluate the recommendations of the ONE tech person in her building (the network admin). It appeared that the gap between her school and others was widening in terms of progress being made in the integration of educational technology. She not only managed to get the school board to create and fund a position for a “technology integration specialist”, she also created a guiding principle for all technology decisions- “Technology in the Service of Learning”. The tech integration specialist and the current network administrator work together towards this goal. The original admin left within a year of being asked to work collaboratively with the new tech integration specialist with a focus on this mission. I think someone pulled the curtain.
Having a REAL mission statement that focuses on learning makes decisionmaking a lot easier. I think the question is less “what is the role of the IT directors” and more “does a clear mission statement focused on learning guides the decisionmaking process around technology at your school”
I agree with Tara Seale: one IT person can not do it all. Our school does not even have an IT Director. The *District* has an IT Director but she is swamped trouble-shooting equipment at six schools. We have a small grassroots tech. group who have tried, and demonstrated, tech use within the classroom. We work hard, but could really use a technology advocate within the school.
Speaking as a recent adopter of a lot of EdTech at the Uni level, I think a lot of teachers are waiting for things to “settle out” and for the really transformative tech to rise to the top. Right now, the pace of new tools is dizzying. Just today I learned about “dabbleboard” and “backnoise.” I still haven’t played with Prezi or . . fill in the blank. I am using class Nings, am a part of a Twitter PLN, I post every day on the EC Ning. . . but I am a noob. And I can feel the anguish of those who look at the fast moving sidewalk that is all the new tech tools and throw up their hands.
But hallelujah to your call for instructional technology and pedagogy getting married. May it be! Soon!
Wonderful post Tom. Our district has moved over time and very slowly from one person as the keeper of the keys sorta speak, to a team. The team consists of IT folks who are versed in curriculum, technology, software, hardward etc. who sit along side teachers and administrators. Are there still frustrations and is the paradigm shift slow – yes, but I think we are on the right path.
I agree with the importance of a dual skill set… or in dividing the roles between two well-coordinated positions.
As an IT director, one of my fundamental tasks is to act as a translator between the tech world and the instructional world. I’m often needing to advocate for one side or the other. I need to help my tech team understand educational needs and help teachers and administrators understand why we may need to make certain decisions based on technolgical factors. And for both groups, helping them understanding the state of the other when it comes to factors that are pushing things forward or holding things up.
So it takes not only having experience in both domains but also the personality type to be able to communicate with both groups.
-KJ
Thanks again Tom for making me think about my role in advancing the mission of technology in my school. We have one IT director for our entire district. At our school we have a part-time “tech liason” who is also a coach for new teachers and upper grade teachers. Usually she is addressing questions about email..ugh. She gets most of her ideas from me and one other teacher who is a first year teacher and excited about using technology! For a staff of 35 teachers, where only 2 or 3 are using technology meaningfully I often wonder how I can help light a fire. I was invited to share my website and some other resources at a “tech day” inservice and my peers seemed more annoyed than anything that they will now also have to build a classroom web-page because I set the precedent. I appreciate you and the PLN who help me to move forward when I feel dragged back by my peers. I will definitely forward this to our IT director and follow up later about how I can contribute to change at our site. Thanks again.
Tom
I am concern that the system cannot evolve to the next level. As you mentioned, the technology and the use of it was outlined many years ago. I know this to be true because I have the US News and World Report on my desk from 1995 with the cover proclaiming “Computers: Teachers New Pet.” Why did we not change? At this point it is counterproductive to assign blame; we must look forward and move quickly. This is crucial for our kids and our Nation and our freedoms.
I believe the current factory model of education has served us well, but does not fit today. We must think differently. A new model needs to be created. This new model will require new skill sets and structure. That is what we are working on at Van Meter, creating a system that empowers students to THINK LEAD and SERVE.
Knowledge is power and I have learned that for some, they think if they have the knowledge they are powerful. This is wrong thinking. How can one LEAD and SERVE if they are controlling and uncooperative? What is the vision for your organization? To me it sounds like if there is a vision, it is not shared or embraced by all. This is too bad!
The “boxes” are not the answer, thinking differently is. The boxes are but a tool to be used to connect and create. They must be used and used up!
Or as I told an IT person back here: what good is a Bible that is never read and kept in perfect condition and only looked at from afar. Not much learning can take place… Same is true with the technology maintained by IT Directors.
Tom, THANK YOU for your servant leadership and for wanting to make a difference. I consider myself very lucky to have connected with you and the PLN.
Class = block of time. Teacher preps for using tech with lesson. Everything geared to ‘go’. Kids settle in and teacher turns to smartboard and the room grows still…for 5 seconds. Then the something produces a glitch…a wait in space …something and attention is lost. We don’t have a skill for capturing the audience for those split seconds where we lose it. Teachers and trainers do not know how to get thru those lost moments. That and the fact that IT can’t be asked to troubleshoot when there’s a glitch and 15 students are idling in the library because the wireless connection won’t let them in….are reasons behind babystep tech. Imho
I’m not sure I’m brave enough to send this on to the appropriate people but I will discuss it with a couple I trust and get their thoughts on the best approach to get the message to our administrators and our head of IT (who is not an educator and has a reputation of initially kiboshing most requests) in a respectful manner.
Tom-
As you mentioned in your post, the people who are probably reading this are not the people who should be reading it, unfortunately. But, thank you for providing us with your insight. Every little bit helps when people are not listening. Thanks again!
I love that you write to teachers and administrators and the response in your comments is that they want to pass this on to those “behind the curtain”. Administration at my school is totally unaware that there is a network of educators out there that talk about making change on a daily basis and do not sit in think tanks nor on government committees. It is a large group of do-ers that are chipping away at a big problem and have the comfort of knowing that there are thousands “behind them”. Thanks!
I will be forwarding too!
My comments here are not going to solve any problems, but my thinking as to way this change has been so laborious is that we have been trying to fit technology into an old, tired education system, one that perhaps isn’t best suited for technologies. By that, I don’t mean the infrastructure, because money can solve that program. What I am referring to are the traditions, and cultures that permeate our systems despite the growing research that they are no longer effective, or best for student.
I think the problem here is that this sort of change usually happens over a generational timeframe. The use of books in school happened gradually and naturally over a long timeframe. A new generation of teachers were able to use them effectively and gradually this became accepted. The problem we have here is most of the people who are running the education system did not have computers of any kind when they were going to school. Since they learned what they needed to know why should current kids learn any differently? At least that is the thinking. If you want a revolutionary school, get the guys to started Facebook to design one. Get rid of any constraints or preconditions and let them go to town.
My concern here is that we don’t have a generation’s worth of time to wait. I’m afraid that school systems that fall behind will find it more difficult to catch up with the relative speed of change.
I completely agree that we don’t have that much time. Somebody will educate the children, but I’m less convinced it will be the public school system.
Funny thing is, Tom, as a former director of tech for a public school district and a former classroom teacher before that, I see it differently. I had all the support in the world from the super and other higher ups. I had a budget of a million dollars for all tech equipment, support, training, etc. district wide. But, the times I tried to invite teachers into meetings to discuss what they’d like to do to further tech integration into their classes, no one showed up or the same handful who cared where there. I even solicited feedback via email, phone messages and paper. Nothing.
So, I changed my approach and I came to them. I went to their faculty meetings, visited their classrooms, offered up solutions for their problems, encouraged them to look at such-and-such. No one listened. The same handful cared.
I think the problems you write about are larger than just an IT director in a district or school with no teaching background. I get the sense that the vast majority of teachers do not want to change if “told to do so” either by changes in curriculum as mandated by whomever, or if told to do so from the higher ups down. The vast majority of teachers I worked with were too centered in their teaching style; the sage on the stage effect. And all of this was well before Web 2.0 tools became available. Why do teachers fight tech integration so much? I was one who was trying to listen to them and what they told me was, we don’t want it. However, they (their students) needed it and need it more so today than ever before.
Where I was, teachers begged for 4 computers in every classroom (1996-99 time frame). Then, when they refused to learn how best to use them on a daily basis, the printers sat idly by, toner and ink hardening every day. So when they did try to print once a month, they had print problems and wondered why. Simple things that made me pull my hair out and turn gray.
Thanks for getting some conversations going, but many of the tech problems present in schools today are not as a result of IT directors and their choices. Teachers, too, need to look in the mirror. Teachers need a willingness to continue learning – to learn on the job, on the spot, on the fly. To analyze minor tech problems and figure out solutions. To remember those solutions and not be afraid to make mistakes in front of students. To be willing to try something different because you know it is beneficial for students. And so on…
> the vast majority of teachers do not want to change
Meaning that these teachers are not motivated to learn. Which is disturbing.
So many thoughts….how to make them sensible for others?! I can speak from many viewpoints.
Currently, I am an IT Director – a one man band for my school. My job is to teach students, provide staff professional development and maintain the network (and anything else with a battery). My biggest struggle is the opposite of Tom’s post – I have 12 years experience and 3 degrees in education – not a stitch of traditional IT knowledge except what I can gain on the fly. For our school, this has worked best.
When I first took this position, I made it VERY clear that I knew nothing about IT. I was an educator who was techie. I was told, and agreed, that it was essential for someone in my position to know and understand education. I could always learn the IT piece. I don’t think anyone involved in that conversation just 3 short years ago understand what was going to happen in the world of technology.
Prior to my current position, I was in the classroom and I taught tech classes for my district. I can relate to teachers, understand their concerns and struggles, model integration, etc. but it requires me to be in constant communication with teachers. I had to build trust in them that they could trust me, and gain their respect along the way. I am constantly trying to see it from their viewpoint. Sure, it looks great and would be cool to use, but can my teachers handle it now or do we need to ease into it? And if baby steps is what it takes, who are my “go to” teachers that can “cheerlead” technology for others. It means putting in WAAAAAAY more hours than they do – helping behind the scenes, being on call 24-7 for support, and knowing each individual’s level of comfort and knowledge. In many ways, no different than teaching math or reading in the classroom, except that my students are adults and the subject is technology integration.
What I see happening is IT Directors come from the business side of technology. Guess what? Schools aren’t businesses! I continually struggle with my “advisors” who can’t believe I would want to create a shared network drive for students to access templates I’ve created for them to use and modify. Imagine that – sharing files?! And even more, allowing 3rd-8th grade students to have email?! Shocker to the business world! And don’t even get me started on the fact that I allow Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Skype to be unblocked in my building.
When I was in college, you either went to school for education OR computers. Now there’s a need for a cross-degree of both. I’d love to see people come out of college with an understanding of education and technology knowledge (networks, computer repair, etc.) so that each school could have it’s own IT support – not just a techie teacher. Tom, your in higher ed. Why don’t you get working on that? 🙂
I smiled at your response but only because you spoke my heart. Like you, I’ve been able to see this struggle play out on several different levels and although we are privileged to be in a “forward thinking” school district, with new tools in our hands, there is the dreaded time factor. With every new tool comes something new to learn and even our most willing teachers are swamped with paperwork and testing and the pressure of maintaining the gold standard of AKS. We need our administrators to move forward with us and remember that the paperwork shuffle can be automated too.
Tom,
Glad you posted this blog entry because it is exactly everything I have been talking about in the last couple months. IMO, I think edtech should evolve to a department that is highly technical and has a thorough understanding of pedagogy. I actually coined the department EdIT (Education Information Technology). We have had some thoughtful conversations on my blog. Here are the three links that discuss my ideas: http://bit.ly/5i1WgK http://ow.ly/10iYN & http://ow.ly/10iZf
Thanks for making this issue relevant to the edtech community.
I think that the problem is that these decisions should not be left to an IT Director, a Principal, or a Superintendent. When we rely on a singular individual to be the key decision-maker on tech decisions, vision, professional development, etc. we are not playing to the best interests of the organization. When that expert leaves, we all know what happens.
School leaders need to find their tech leaders whether they are teachers or IT people and get them to take the lead. In high schools we can use students as well to help us make the shift needed.
I will say this about leaders, if they do not understand the significance of this problem then they need to be replaced. As Tony states above, “we cannot afford to wait another generation” for this shift.