For decades, those responsible for organizing and presenting in-service professional development for educators have used a variety of models for providing learning experiences for teachers, and these have been designed to support all aspects of TPCK and to accommodate the needs of individual learners. These activities tended to reflect training in other professional organizations (especially Read More
Category: Leadership
Technologies and Structural Deepening
When a technology developed for one purpose is applied to another purpose, the receiving technology is said to be structurally deeper as it becomes more complex than it was before the new module was added. Structural deepening can arise from several different causes: Users of a technology will actively seek to improve the performance of Read More
#Edtech for #Edleaders: Network Planning and Installation
An information technology network is much like other technologies as the expertise needed to design and build it is much more specialized and expensive to than the expertise needed to manage and operate it once it exists. Consider how an IT system in a school is similar to an automobile. Planning and building each requires Read More
Edtech for Edleaders: Whom to Hire: Data Specialists
A relatively new specialist to join the IT staff is the data specialist. The need for this specialist arises from both the skills necessary to manage the databases in which demographic, health, behavioral, academic, and other information that is housed regarding students and the increasing demand for data-driven practices. Schools store vast amounts of data Read More
#Edtech for #Edleaders: Beta-Testing
“Beta-testing” is a term that is kicked around in the vernacular and in the popular culture, but it is actually a part of the system design and deployment work of IT professionals that is taken very seriously by the most successful IT designers. Beta-testing refers to the stage in design when the system is first Read More
Wicked Solutions Matter
The idea of wicked problems has been addressed in previous posts on this blog: Wicked Problems Transparent Taming of Wicked Problems Solving Wicked Problems In my definition of wicked problems, I pointed out that “Every Solution Matters,” specifically I wrote: Wicked problems are social, so when planners design and implement a solution, it affects the Read More
Edtech for Edleaders: Whom to Hire: Technicians
Technicians are the individuals who have one of the most important roles in IT system operations in schools as they are the face of the IT department to most members of the organization. A technician is likely to spend his or her day troubleshooting and repairing end users’ devices such as PC’s, laptops, printers, and Read More
#Edtech for #Edleaders: Whom to Hire: System Administrators
Once computer networks are installed and configured (usually in consultation with external engineers and technicians), system administrators employed by the school ensure they remain operational and functional. These professionals listen for network problems by both attending to reports of malfunctions from users and by monitoring system logs, and they both resolve problems that are identified Read More
Edtech for Edleaders: Local Area Networks
Local area networks (LAN) entered most educators’ experience in the mid-1990’s when the first servers to be regularly accessed by teachers and students arrived in schools. Early uses of LAN’s in schools included connecting multiple computers to a shared a printer and sharing files using a folder (or directory) on a server which multiple users Read More
Edtech for Edleaders: A Rationale
Opening the door and peering into the wiring closet where network devices are installed can be an intimidating experience. These rooms tend to be filled with white noise (generated by fans moving air which is cooled by air conditioners that operate day and night during all seasons) and racks of switches with large tangles of Read More