The question of just what should we educational technology professionals spend their time and energy doing and what school leaders should expect of the IT professionals they hire is one that has been raised by several within my network in the last year or so. The answer that I tend to give is this one:
Schools must provide:
- Sufficient computing devices that connect to…
- Reliable, robust, and secure networks so that users can access…
- Easy to use and useful web services to support…
- Appropriate teaching and learning. And this all depends on…
- Proactive and reactive technology support.
This framework appears to be helpful in compartmentalizing IT needs and services. Further, it helps to focus school and technology leaders’ attention on understandable and actionable steps that can be taken to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and efficacy of the information and instructional technology systems we build and sustain.