Databus Issue: 2003 3 07/15/2003
Top 10 Ways to be a Successful Technology Coordinator
Doug Prouty Educationa Technology Specialist
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1) Be an Effective Leader
Develop and deliver your vision for how technology will improve education.
Develop and implement a strategic technology plan.
Regularly assess the needs of those you support.
Define and communicate annual goals for staff and programs.
Combine administrative and educational technology programs to maximize resources.
Plan for and monitor critical system lifecycles.
Be sure an Acceptable Use Policy is in place and signed by students and staff.
Practice annual and semi-annual evaluations of technology staff.
2) Be an Effective Communicator
Hold regular staff meetings to receive status, issues and distribute information.
Develop an inner-department and a site communications mechanism.
Visit and listen to teachers to gain an understanding of how your decisions affect the classroom.
Provide input at the cabinet level with your regular attendance or a spokesperson.
Analyze workflow systems to make them more effective. (i.e. helpdesk work orders.)
When communicating major decisions that affect the classroom, explain why they are being implemented.
Provide and use an effective communication vehicle to the community.
Establish a documentation process for staff that troubleshoot and work on systems.
3) Establish Priorities and Stick to Them
Keep a priority of your to-dos with the big picture in mind.
Acquire and deploy a project-rollout strategy utilizing software such as Microsoft Project.
Define implementation timelines clearly without crowding or rushing processes.
Keep projects and implementations simple. Do it in pieces so that each step is successful.
4) Increase Budget and Funding Sources
Find ways to stretch your budget so that dollars are used for priority items.
Develop and foster partnerships with agencies and companies that can benefit your program fiscally.
Be aware of and apply for all state and federal funding opportunities such as E-Rate, DAS, etc.
Staffing is formula driven using at tool like the Michigan Staffing Guidelines
Always consider Total Cost of Ownership.
5) Provide and Organize Staff Development
Collaborate with the curriculum specialist.
Arrange for continuing education of the technology staff.
Find and provide creative professional development opportunities for teachers, administration and classified staff.
Subscribe to an online training service that is made available to all employees.
Use a variety of resources to grow your own knowledge and understanding.
6) Provide and Oversee Technical Support
Focus on ways to become a quality service provider.
Manage technology support staff in order to be aware of time wasters and other roadblocks.
Deploy a Web-based helpdesk that will monitor and prioritize calls and assign them to technicians.
Have a plan for lengthy and unresolved support requests.
Have a planned equipment replacement strategy that connects with the Total Cost of Ownership plan.
Utilize a hard drive imaging software like Ghost or Imagecast for new and crashed systems.
Have staff consult an online knowledgebase as a first line of technical help. Utilize vendor sites and support sites such as TechSETS
Have a donated equipment policy and a resource for recycling outdated equipment
Maintain a current standard (and vendor/platform standard) for new computers and peripherals. And all purchases district-wide are held to that standard.
All new computers are purchased with a three-year on-site warranty.
Be sure the mission to educate students is always in the forefront of decisions and work.
7) Unify Levels of Infrastructure, Hardware and Software
Be aware of infrastructure disparity and incompatibility within the district and work to achieve a uniform standard.
Have an upgrade plan and path for hardware and software.
Standardize on a server and workstation operating system throughout the district. Migrate older machine to the new OS standard.
Develop, maintain and provide a software application standard that is supported and all adhere to.
8) Distribute Access
Work to provide access to timely personnel, payroll and budget data and reports for staff and administration.
Treat e-mail and Web access and mission critical systems.
Provide an Intranet for access to important forms and information.
Provide access to the network for teachers and staff.
9) Maintain Network Reliability and Security
Evaluate and modify your network to get it to its optimum level of performance by looking at router configurations and switch VLANs and segmentation.
Employ a backup procedure and disaster recovery plan that safeguards important data and systems.
Monitor and install current server software patches.
Deploy virus detection software at the server and workstation level.
Utilize remote management software such as Timbukto and PC Anywhere.
Find a balance between network security and productive access. This includes filtering if appropriate.
Target a 24/7 uptime for the network.
10) Attend to Politics
Help to diffuse the Macintosh vs PC debate.
Come between administrative and instructional technology turf battles.
Buffer your technicians from disgruntled staff.
Be an advocate for technology and the IT department to the administration and community.
(Adapted from FCMATs Top 10 Technology Issues.)
