Educational Technology Plan Page 108
Review
2011-2014 Technology Planning – Key Progress Made
Now that essentially all staff are daily users of technology for operational and instructional needs, just in time support is needed more than ever. In addition, teachers need to feel confident and supported in taking risks with technology in their classrooms that is no longer just about break-fix repair but instructionally as well. This along with the ever increasing number of systems and applications to be supported has increased the demand for support several times over. Meanwhile, the full-time staff of the department remains at two. The district has
successfully met these growing needs through the innovative evolution of its technology student intern program.
The department has launched the GTEK program which is a student-driven, community help desk that supports a wide array of technical needs of the staff and the community at large.
2014-2017 Technology Planning – Future Direction
Building upon our innovative efforts of the GTEK program launch in October 2013, the
department will continue to evolve and expand the scope and reach of the program. This will be especially critical at the building level as the district looks to develop a comprehensive BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) Program.
Educational Technology Plan Page 109 Technical Support
The role of the Technology Services and Support Department is to provide technical expertise and leadership in the effective implementation and on-going support of technology solutions that meet the instructional and operational goals of the district. It’s the mission of the department to leverage the benefits of technology in helping the district achieve its vision of providing a World Class Education. In this role, the Technology Service and Support Department will design, acquire, install, configure, implement and provide on-going support for voice, video and data systems in Gibraltar Schools. This support also includes providing for effective staff
development programs that empower staff to take advantage of the technology benefits provided for improved teaching and learning as well as effective business operations. For the purposes of this plan, the technical support section will cover the department members, their roles,
department operation and the plans for improving technical support for the district. The staff development initiatives are covered at length in the staff development section of this plan.
For any technological system to become an effective, efficient, and viable tool, it is imperative to ensure the system is operable and maintained over its useful life. Additionally, the infrastructure and support mechanisms need to be flexible so the technology can be adapted on a regular basis to meet the needs of the users. At the same time, consideration must be given to existing budget constraints. The purpose of the systems support is to facilitate the effective uses of technology, to maintain its operational integrity, and to replace equipment that has surpassed its useful life. It is the goal of the technology department to provide, to the best of its ability, the “just in time support” and reliable systems needed to remove technology from being the focus, therefore shifting the emphasis on utilizing the technology solutions as seamless tools that support the district staff and students.
Technology Support Personnel
Due to budget constraints, the department is only comprised of two full-time positions at this time: Technology Director and Technician.
Technology Support Roles and Responsibilities
The Technology Director will oversee the implementation of the District Technology Plan to insure that purchases, programs, and services are in alignment with District instructional goals and technology standards. Direct supervision and coordination will be given to members of the System Support team (direct employees and staff acting in a support capacity) in order to provide strategic and technical planning resources to District staff members. This position is responsible to the design, development and implementation of technology initiatives and projects. The Director will also be responsible for conducting a continuous evaluation of the Districts’ use of technology for instructional and administrative tasks. In addition, the Director will work with various staff members to ensure that the District remains current in technological trends.
Educational Technology Plan Page 110 The Network Engineer is responsible for the design, installation and maintenance of the
communications systems that make up the district’s wide area network. Responsibilities include maintaining the districts hubs, switches, routers, Internet and business systems connectivity, e-mail servers, as well as file and print servers. This role is primarily responsible for the effective performance, reliability and integrity of the technology infrastructure that support all users of district technology resources. This position also acts in the capacity as the senior technical consultant to support all other technical support staff. It is also essential to coordinate with building support personal and principals in the event of any major changes to the network or any planned down time of the network.
The Building Repair Technician will handle all higher-level trouble shooting issues including network, hardware and software problems. Technicians are called upon to handle technical issues after the Building Technology Representative and district Help Desk have attempted to solve the problem. A Field Technician Student Intern (future direction) that is assigned to the building will typically address all “normal priority” issues first and communicate any additional needs to the Building Repair Technician. The technician role coordinates and maintains the technology needs of the building. This position will also act in a mentor role to provide informal technical training and coaching for the Building Technology Representative (informal role) and Field Technician Student Intern(s) in each building.
The Help Desk is a single point of contact for all technical problems that buildings are not able to handle at the building level and need the services of the Technology Department personnel. In this role, the Help Desk attempts to troubleshoot and resolve the problem over the phone in order to provide “just in time support” as needed by the Building Technology Representative. These calls typically consist of basic computer and phone problems, questions and concerns. Acting in this capacity, support staff will help determine if the problem is software or hardware and will either help resolve the problem over the phone, generate a work order for the Building Repair Technician or turn in a request for service to the vendor if the product is under warranty. The Help Desk is also responsible for some network administration, including creating new network accounts, e-mail distribution groups, and password changes. In addition, the Help Desk role is responsible to processes department purchase orders; tracks status of warranty repairs; maintain district asset inventory; organizes software documentation and license agreements for district software.
The Technology Student Interns (long-term direction) are divided into two separate categories:
Field Technician and Central Office Interns. In both categories, the Student Interns provide unique skills that compliment those of the IT professionals in the department. Many Student Interns bring specialized skill sets, as well as a variety of experiences from new technologies that are grasped quickly by the generation x segment. These may include visual programming skills, web development, and multimedia and streaming media to name a few. In addition to unique skills, Student Interns also bring a new and valuable perspective on how we view technology.
They provide a unique insight and understanding of student use and acceptance of technology for a variety of different applications – both in life (outside of schools) as well as for learning. For this reason, the Student Interns also act specialized consultants in the technology planning and
Educational Technology Plan Page 111 implementation process since they have these experiences as well as being a part of the
consumer market (students).
The Field Technician Student Intern is stationed at a building(s) and provides level 3 support for building personnel. The student intern is expected to report to the Building Technology Representative, principal or his/her designee each day they are providing support for that building. They are accountable to the Building Service and Support Technician and the Technology Integrator. They will handle all service calls that the Tech Liaison have looked at and were unable to resolve. Close communication is established via email and phone on a weekly basis with the Service and Support
Technicians as well as the Technology Integrator. Parts (i.e. Hard drives, Network cards, Memory, Software) are provided as needed by the Service and Support Technicians.
Central Office Interns are stationed at the district technology office during part of the normal school day, through the co-op program supervised by the school-to-work coordinator, as well as additional hours beyond the school day. The Technology
Integrator coordinates the work of the Central Office Interns. They are responsible for the maintenance on the district web site, construct and maintain various departmental web sites, coordinate, manage and support the use of district electronic resources (web solutions), assist the district help desk, provide level two support for student help desk personnel and field technicians, and assist Building Repair Technicians.
The Building Technology Representative (informal role) is the primary building contact for all technology related service issues. There is at least one Building Technology Representative at each of the schools in the district. This position is responsible for making the initial diagnosis (to the best of their abilities) and reports all issues that need to be escalated to the district help desk for assistance. This escalation may be due to either a lack of resources, technical expertise or a scope of work beyond the Representatives expectations. The Liaison will also act in a role to disseminate pertinent information between building staff and the Technology Department – a communications liaison.
The Technology Integrator coordinates all professional development and training related to the use and integration of technology for all district employees. Considerable emphasis is placed on developing and facilitating courses that allow teachers to integrate technology into the
curriculum. In addition, the Technology Integrator will coordinate and facilitate various training workshops and in-services for the Technology Coaches/Mentors at the district level. The Technology Integrator also coordinates with subject area committees (SACs) to research, develop, implement, and monitor the integration of technology into the curriculum in all grade levels and subject areas.
The Technology Coach facilitates technology training and staff development at the building level. Training is coordinated for the Technology Coach by the Technology Integrator. The ratio of Technology Coaches to staff members will be determined by grade level and building configuration, but should not exceed 1:15. The Technology Coach will follow the staff development plan and facilitate workshops at the building level as needed for teachers to
successfully use technology as a productivity tool, and to integrate technology into their teaching
Educational Technology Plan Page 112 practice. In addition, training will be provided for building support personnel including
secretaries, administrators, counselors, etc. Workshops may be facilitated through large group instruction, small groups, or one-on-one mentoring.
Technology Services and Support Request Flowchart
The technology support flowchart shown on the next page gives a graphical representation of the process that is to be used when a technical service request arises. The chart begins with the building Building Technology Representative evaluating each instance. The goal is to provide support at this level as often as possible. Once a determination is made that additional support is required, the Building Technology Representative will make contact with the District help desk for additional assistance and guidance. A work order is generated. If the Help Desk is unable to resolve the issue over the phone and determines that additional on-site support is required, then the work order will be assigned to the appropriate Technology Support personnel.
The District Technology Service and Support Department currently takes advantage of an automated work order tracking system that allows assignment of work orders, schedules the appropriate due date in accordance with the district’s Service Level Agreements and creates exception reports to assist with the escalation process for issues that are not addressed in a timely or effective manner.