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Building a bridge between the school’s technology and administrative team can seem like a daunting challenge. For many schools across the nation, the pressures on administrators from teacher evaluation, Common Core curriculum and new assessments are overwhelming. While many districts across the country are moving to a 1:1 deployment, some districts may feel pressure to bring in technology for technology’s sake and overlook the importance of making technology decisions based on its ability to positively impact teaching and learning. It takes a technology dream team to keep the emphasis on pedagogy and not just technology.

For many districts, the educational team is comprised of the district and building educational leaders, which may include principals, curriculum directors and the superintendent. Depending on a district’s size, the technology team may consist of experts in hardware, infrastructure and software. It is not uncommon for members of the technology team to come from outside the field of education. The school business official or CFO is often the sole party responsible for all of the budgetary needs in the district.

Building Your Technology Dream Team

Building Your Technology Dream Team

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ARTICLE By Stacey Gonzales, Ed.D.DIR./INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGYINDIAN PRAIRIE SD 204

Stacy HawthorneCEO AND LEAD STRATEGISTHAWTHORNE EDUCATION

THE SUPERINTENDENTROLE: Sets the vision and is the leader of the district. They should establish a Technology Advisory Committee for the district with representation from the key stakeholders mentioned in this article.

The superintendent of a school district is charged with setting the vision and ensuring that the executive leadership team executes that vision. Superintendents today struggle with competing priorities and shifting mandates. They are continually striving to hit higher outcomes with fewer resources. Federal and state unfunded mandates often keep them busy putting out daily small fires instead of conserving water for a draught. As superintendents strive to juggle the demands of a high profile, public position, they must ensure that they have a “dream team” behind the scenes to support those efforts.

While the superintendent does not need to know the details of the technology systems, they should have a solid understanding of technology-rich educational models.

As the leader of the district, the superintendent should:• Keep technology a priority by reaching out to other local

districts and visiting high-achieving technology model districts such as the League of Innovative Schools (www.digitalpromise.org/league).

• Stay up-to-date on current trends and practices by joining academic organizations like The International Society for Technology in Education (www.iste.org).

• Set the tone for an open and trusting relationship between team members so that the best interests of students and the district are served with every decision and implementation.

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICERROLE: Looks for ways to allocate funding and determine possible revenue streams to support technology adoptions. For example, since many districts are using digital resources, the cost of traditional textbooks can be reduced or eliminated to offset some of the cost of devices. A savvy CFO will offer the team creative solutions.

The CFO reports to the local school board and is charged with ensuring that the district operates in a fiscally sound manner. This is a challenge because they must balance the educational vision of the board and superintendent with the reality of changing revenue streams. With the majority of funding coming from local and federal funds, many CFOs attempt to run their district as a lean corporation, but this is very difficult because the final product of a well-run school district is an educated student not a “widget.”

When it comes to the technology team, an excellent CFO knows how to skillfully work with her educational counterparts to allocate funding for resources and maximize a return on technology investments. The CFO should stay current by joining organizations like Illinois ASBO, which promote best practices in education for school business officials and can provide resources and support for technology-related adoptions.

When looking to develop a strategic technology plan, all of these roles should bring their unique perspectives to the table. Understanding the roles of key personnel when it comes to educational technology decisions and bringing the right individuals together to create a dream team will ultimately bring the best-informed decisions for your students.

It takes a technology dream team to keep the emphasis

on pedagogy and not just technology.

36 | UPDATE Magazine / Summer 2015

TECHNOLOGY SERVICESROLE: Brings the technical expertise perspective to the committee. This perspective should not limit the vision of the superintendent but inform the committee’s work moving forward.

An assistant superintendent for technology or technology director often heads technology services. The technology director is responsible for designing and maintaining the network infrastructure, supporting all district-owned devices and in some cases selecting and supporting district educational and productivity software.

The level of technical expertise needed to lead the technology services department is often beyond the scope of educational technologists, which explains why many school districts hire outside the education field or outsource parts of this vital role. The technology services department, like other district departments, is competing for limited funds in a period of unprecedented technological advancement and demand.

CURRICULUM TEAMROLE: Explores and recommends implementation of digital curricular resources that best support teaching and learning.

An assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction or curriculum director often leads the curriculum team. This person is almost always a former teacher and expert in curriculum. They are responsible for ensuring the district teaching staff has the tools necessary to deliver high quality instruction so that students are prepared to excel on state assessments and are college and career ready when they graduate.

Curriculum directors must balance the skills of the teaching staff with the technological advancements in curriculum that are allowing for a more personalized approach to learning. Curriculum purchases are a huge expenditure and are often designed to last five or more years. Making these decisions in a time of changing standards and technology can be very daunting. Securing the human resources to support teachers at the instructional level can also be difficult.

ROLE: Acts as a liaison between curriculum leaders and technology leaders. Serves as the bridge between the needs of the curriculum department and the needs of the technology services department.

An assistant superintendent of instructional technology or director of instructional technology is the perfect way to bridge the divide between the various stakeholder interests when it comes to making technology decisions. The director of instructional technology is someone with anextensive background in education and educational technology. This person does not need to know how to configure a district network, but they do have expertise on the latest devices and software as well as how they will impact teaching and student learning.

Having a firm foundation and understanding of the district’s curricular needs is key. The instructional technology director is responsible for advocating for technology that supports student learning. By listening to the other stakeholders and advocating for decisions that promote teaching and learning, the director of instructional technology can help a district fully realize its vision. While challenging, it is vital that a human liaison allow all sides to work in collaboration in order to ensure student learning outcomes are rich with the appropriate technological support.

INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY TEAM

Members must be dedicated to

listening to other perspectives

and considering alternative

solutions.

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ARTICLE / Technology Dream Team

BRINGING THE TEAM TOGETHERThe superintendent, CFO, technology director, curriculum director and instructional technology director are vital members of a technology dream team. However, each of these parties may have different, but important objectives in making technology decisions. For example, while the CFO may be focused on the most affordable technology, the technology team may be focused on technology that is easiest to integrate into the current infrastructure and the educational team may be focused on a variety of devices that meet unique teaching and learning needs.

In addition to different priorities for decision-making, the curriculum team and technology team are also competing for a limited pool of funds. Given the varied interests of key decision makers, it is easy to see why a communication breakdown may occur leading to a dysfunctional team and not the dream team that was originally designed. To avoid this breakdown, the team needs a fully functional bridge that will ensure the gaps between technological advances and student learning are addressed.

REALIZING THE TEAM’S POTENTIALIn order to fully realize the district’s vision, the superintendent should create a district technology advisory committee chaired by the director of instructional technology. The group should meet monthly to discuss progress on projects, areas of impasse and future planning. The team should evaluate progress and assess if the district is meeting the technology strategic goals. If strategic goals do not exist, the team should begin work to establish those goals.

Just like any committee, it is important to establish group norms. Ensuring that members can work together is vital in order to make progress. A trusting, open and collaborative tone is absolutely necessary when beginning a new committee. Members must be dedicated to listening to other perspectives and considering alternative solutions.

By working together consistently and diligently, a district can realize its full potential to enhance student learning through the use of technology. Having an appreciation for the other team members’ strengths and perspectives will allow for all voices to contribute to the process and ultimately share in the success. In this way, you can start building your DREAM team today!

INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY TEAM