•Technology Leadership, Planning and Implementation: Specific Strategies for Small School...

SchoolDude University 2009 - Vicki Smith Bigham

Technology Leadership, Planning and Implementation: Specific Strategies

for Small School Districts

Presented at SchoolDude University 2009

Vicki Smith Bigham

President, Bigham Technology Solutions, Inc.

Consultant to the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN)


As you come into the session, please complete the Self Assessment of the K-12 Chief Technology Officer.

Then take the 2 blue dots and the 2 yellow dots at your seat.

On the skill area charts posted, place 1 blue dot on each of the 2 skill areas where you feel you are

strongest and 1 yellow dot on each of the 2 skill areas where you feel you need the most growth.


Who are “Small School Districts”?

• Student populations of 2,500 or less• Nearly 75% of nation’s 14,000 districts• Typically impacted by different resource,

personnel and expertise constraints than larger districts

• Often challenged to plan long-term given immediate needs, lack of resources and personnel and, in some cases, expertise


Major CoSN Focus Group Findings

• Lack of budget, personnel, time and sometimes expertise

• Ever expanding roles and responsibilities and “wearing many hats”

• Challenges stemming from lack of community support

• Often hard to “make the case” for technology, both internally and externally


Focus Group Finding: Most Critical Problems


Small District Technology Leadership Wiki

www.cosn.org/wiki

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are needed to see this picture.


Wiki to Address Small District Issues and Needs

• Internet-based toolkit…goal is to be one-stop resource for small district technology leaders

• Resources relevant to all districts but with special insights for small school districts

• Resources aligned to CoSN’s Framework of Essential Skills of the K-12 CTO

• Case studies for each skill area


Essential Skills of the K-12 CTO

• Leadership and Vision• Planning and Budgeting• Team Building and Staffing• Systems Management• Information Management• Business Leadership• Education and Training• Ethics and Policies• Communications Systems

From CoSN’s “What It Takes: Essential Skills of the K-12 CTO” http://www.cosn.org/resources/cto_council/excerpt.cfm


Leadership and Vision - Strategies for Small School Districts

• Developing a shared vision and big-picture perspective on the district’s goals

• Playing a key role in district-wide planning and goal setting

• Serving comfortably as a change agent and consensus builder


Perspectives of Those

Involved in Technology

Planning

Board Members

Media Specialists

District Administrators

Teachers

Principals/ Assistant Principals

Business Manager

Parents Students

Reaching Out to All Stakeholders


Planning and Budgeting - Strategies for Small School Districts

• Transforming the district vision for effective use of technology into a long-range plan

• Beginning with strategic challenges and moving on to specific goals, objectives and action plans


What does Total Cost of Ownership

(TCO) mean…

…and what has it got to do with a school learning

environment?


What Is TCO?What Is TCO?

All costs associated with deploying, operating and maintaining a computer network

Analysis tool used by businesses since the late-1980’s

A method of understanding real costs to make good decisions on technology investments


Hardware $$ (purchase or lease)

Installation $$

Software $$

Upgrades $$

Technical Support $$

Outside Services $$

Professional Development $$

User Self-Support & Training $$

Total Cost of Ownership

A Simple School TCO Definition

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TCO Can Help Schools Meet Educational Goals by…

• Tracking tech support– To minimize time computer and network is down– To minimize troubleshooting interruptions for teachers

• Tracking adequacy of professional development– To ensure teachers are prepared– To ensure teachers are integrating technology into the

curriculum• Tracking pros and cons of various implementations

and support strategies

The bottom line: effective use of technology


The CoSN-Gartner TCO Tool

• Developed by CoSN, Gartner and NCRTEC at North Central Regional Educational Laboratory

• Supported financially by U.S. Department of Education

• Gartner’s distributed computing TCO methodology for businesses modified for K-12 environment– 100 data points

• Reviewed with a significant number of school districts• Available at classroomtco.cosn.org


Team Building and Staffing - Strategies for Small School Districts

• Include a staffing strategy to support the technology plan as an integral part of strategic planning — from the beginning


Systems Management - Strategies for Small School Districts

• Overseeing day-to-day operation of the district’s IT systems

– Requiring project management and personal leadership skills

– Requiring perpetual learning


Information Management - Strategies for Small School

Districts

• Focusing on the crucial role information plays in today’s schools

• Utilizing the powerful data gathering abilities of digital age tools for strategic planning


An Iterative Process of Continuous Improvement


Data-Driven Decision Making

78 17 6

89 9 3

76 18 6

62 27 11

Total

Large

Medium

Small

Yes No Don't Know/Unsure

Districts That Employ A Data-Driven Decision Making Process(Digital Leadership Divide: CoSN/Grunwald Survey)

Source: www.cosn.org/resources/grunwald


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A New Paradigm

Sophisticated Data Collection

Dissemination technologies

Better understanding of how individuals learn

New assessments

TRANSFORMATION OF EDUCATION

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Barriers to Data-Driven Decision MakingTo what degree does your district consider the following to be barriers to a more effective data-driven decision making process? (N=353) (Percent Responding 8, 9, or 10 on a 10-point scale)

Barriers to More Effective Data-Driven Decision Making

Source: Grunwald Associates

Lack of training and interoperability are the main barriers to more effective data-driven decisions. A lack of understanding of what to do with data is a barrier that is particular to large and medium districts.


CoSN Initiative: Vision to Know and Do

Stages of data-driven decision making…

VISIONplanning for DDDM

KNOWimplementation of systemsand processes for DDDM

DOtargeted interventions

and their results


CoSN Initiative: Vision to Know and Do

• Launched by CoSN to help educators use data effectively with goals to provide– Respected source of up-to-date, unbiased information

for educators on collecting, understanding and effectively using data

– Practical mechanism for educating school leaders about data-driven decision making and its application in K-12

– Framework for sharing knowledge among educators and transferring knowledge between educational and vendor communities

www.3d2know.org 3d2know.cosn.org/assessment/survey.cfm


Business Leadership - Strategies for Small School Districts

• Advising on technology expenditures• Overseeing the selection of technology items• Reviewing requisitions for technology

purchases• Exercising authority to approve, amend or

reject purchases based on compatibility with district goals and needs


Education and Training - Strategies for Small School Districts

• Overseeing district-wide, technology-related staff development efforts

– From ensuring a sufficient budget through the implementation and assessment process


Professional Development - Things to Consider

• Whether your investment will go to waste• Wasted time of those who DO understand

computers• Wasted time when not in synch with

installation• Bad choices made by under-trained

technology staff


Ethics and Policies - Strategies for Small School Districts

• Understanding the social, legal and ethical issues related to technology

• Modeling responsible decision making with regard to these areas

• Building consensus around key issues related to appropriate use of technology, as well as communicating with all parties regarding what is expected of them


Communication Systems - Strategies for Small School Districts

• Communicating with all members of the educational community

• Using technology-enhanced tools to support communication with stakeholders


Telling the Technology Story . . .

Public relations is a critical component of your district’s successful technology

implementation—

and it involves communicating on an ongoing basis with the range of

stakeholders inside and outside the district.


Community Support Makes a Difference

70

38

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

% of school leaders who cite strong communitysupport

budgets haveincreased

budgets havedecreased

Source: Digital Leadership Divide, Grunwald Associates


Vicki Smith BighamBigham Technology Solutions, Inc.

8045-B Antoine #101Houston, TX [email protected]

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