Top Ten Ways to be a Successful Technology Coordinator

Doug Prouty
dprouty@cccoe.k12.ca.us

Adapted from "FCMAT's Top 10 Technology Issues" by Andrew Prestage
and the ISTE Technology Support Index (http://tsi.iste.org)

1) Be an Effective Leader
· Develop and deliver your vision for how technology will improve education.
· Develop and implement a strategic technology plan.
· Create and manage a technology committee with representation from all stakeholders.
· 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 to distribute information
· Develop a 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
· Explain why classroom affecting decisions are being implemented
· Provide and use an effective communication vehicle with the community
· Establish a documentation process for the staff that is responsible for troubleshooting and
working on systems
3) Establish Priorities and Stick to Them
· Keep a priority check list 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 projects 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 fiscally benefit your
program
· Be aware of, and apply for all state and federal funding opportunities such as E-Rate, DAS,
etc
· Recommend formula driven staffing using at tool like the Michigan Staffing Guidelines
(http://techguide.merit.edu/)
· Consider Total Cost of Ownership (http://classroomtco.cosn.org/)
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
· Incorporate ethics and piracy issues into student and staff training
6) Provide and Oversee Technical Support
· Focus on ways to become a quality service provider
· Manage technology support staff aware of "time wasters" and other roadblocks
· Deploy a web-based helpdesk that monitors, prioritizes and auto assigns calls to technicians
· Have a plan for dealing with lengthy and unresolved support requests
· Plan an equipment replacement strategy that connects with the Total Cost of Ownership
· 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 (http://www.techsets.org)
· Have a donated equipment policy and a resource for recycling outdated equipment
· Maintain a current vendor/platform standard for new computers and peripherals
· Require a 3 year on-site warranty for all new computers
· Be sure the mission to educate students is always in the forefront of decisions and work
7) Unify Levels of Infrastructure, Hardware and Software
· Standardize infrastructure reducing disparity and incompatibility within the district
· Have an upgrade plan and path for hardware and software
· Standardize on a server and workstation operating system throughout the district
· Develop, maintain and provide a software application standard that will be supported
8) Distribute Access
· Provide access to timely personnel, payroll and budget data - reports for staff and
administration
· Treat email and Web access as mission critical systems
· Provide an Intranet for access to important forms and information
· Make network access a priority
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 with segmentation
· Employ a backup procedure and disaster recovery plan that safeguards important data and
systems
· Monitor and install current server and workstation software updates/patches
· Deploy virus detection software at the server and workstation level
· Utilize remote management software such as Timbukto and PC Anywhere
· Establish and communicate Internet filtering guidelines and processes
· 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