Talk:Directing Technology/Staff

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Group Members:
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MaryJo Brown: Mary Jo, loved the diagram of the work area. Paige Hawkins 12-3-07

- Support and Retention - Footnoting and References

Bolu Odusola: Bolu, you included a ton of information in your sections and although it was very well written it was a little hard to follow in the long paragraph format.Perhaps breaking the long paragraphs into smaller ones or using bulleted lists would make it a little lighter. Paige Hawkins 12-3-07 - Ascertain the Tech Support Needs of the School District - Budgeting for the Tech Support Needs of the School District

Jack Tevnan: Jack, very well organized section. I liked being able to see the variety of positions and salaries on the same page. Great research. Paige Hawkins 12-3-07 - Searching For a Qualified Staff - Where to find qualified people to fill the positions - Interviewing To Find the Right Candidates - Typical Technology Staff Positions, Requirements and Salary - Outsourcing

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Just to get us started, I think we should start by posting our anticipated categories for the chapter here:

* CHAPTER HEADINGS

* (Ch.1) Ascertain the Tech Support Needs of the School District -- Bolu * Size of the school district * Inventory of existing technology * Interviewing the teachers & staff

* (Ch.2) Budget for the Tech Support Needs of the School District -- Bolu * Money budgeted for technology * Allocate a fiscal year budgeting plan * Work with the district’s business manager * LEA & SEA assistance * Classrooms for the Future Program in PA

* (Ch.3) Profile of the Tech Department -- Jack * Hierarchy * Admin/ Tech director, network staff (LAN/WAN), * Desktop support * Hardware/software, programming, training, etc * Outsourcing

* (Ch.4) Search for Qualified Tech Staff-- Jack * Determine job descriptions * Match applicant to responsibility * LEA & SEA assistance * Interviewing the best tech staff for the job

* (Ch. 5) Retention and Support of the Best Tech Staff -- Mary Jo * Develop a plan for retention of technology staff * Salary; Benefits; Vacations * Professional Development and Advancement opportunities * Providing a professional Work Environment * Typical Space Requirements



Topics for Discussion:

Ascertain the technology needs of the school district

Size of the school district; Money budgeted for technology; Interviewing the teachers & staff; Inventory of existing technology

(This will allow us to determine the hierarchy of the technology staff such as: Admin/ Tech director, network staff (LAN/WAN), desktop support (hardware/software), programming, training, etc. A decision must be made as to what can be kept in house and what can be outsourced, if anything)

Allocate a fiscal year budgeting plan

Work with the district’s business manager; LEA & SEA assistance; Classrooms for the Future Program in PA

Typical Technology Department Space Requirements Mary Jo Advertise for qualified technology staff Jack Determine job descriptions; Match applicant to responsibility; LEA & SEA assistance

Develop a plan for retention of technology staff Mary Jo Salary; Benefits; Vacations; Professional development; advancement opportunities



[edit] == STAFFING K-12 SCHOOL DISTRICTS for the FUTURE ==

A highly competitive, global marketplace of the future requires students to possess not only 21st century skills such as collaboration and problem solving, but also the ability to use technology imaginatively, practically, and efficiently. Technology Directors (TD) need to be committed to creating academic learning spaces within their schools that can change readily to meet and accept the needs of students preparing for careers and college. In order for TD to create technologically sound academic learning spaces, the TD must have expert technology staff on board.

Skilled individuals are needed to design, oversee, set up, run and support technology. Advertisement for suitably qualified individuals with specialized skills is bound to attract several candidates that meet the criteria. However, not all applicants will be a good match for the position. It means that someone has to sort through several resume and quickly filter out non-matching applicants.It is no doubt an expensive process in terms of cost and time. A director of technology will have to plan carefully, allocate a budget, set a time frame, and liaise with administration. Creating job description, providing office space, determining salary and benefits are critical parts of the process that cannot be overlooked.

Whether you are starting out with a small staff that assists with prioritized technology problems or with a highly developed staff trained to tackle the most complex situations, the TD will eventually be required to hire technical people.

[edit] == Ascertain the Tech Support Needs of the School District ==

[edit] subsection A

[edit] subsection B

[edit] subsection C

[edit] == Budget for the Tech Support Needs of the School District ==

[edit] subsection A

[edit] subsection B

[edit] == Profile of the Tech Department ==

[edit] subsection A

[edit] subsection B

[edit] == Retention of the Best Tech Staff ==

Once the best people are hired and in place, the next biggest challenge for any TD rests in the retention of the technology staff. Retaining good employees is an important process in any type of employment, whether the setting is academia or industry. Retaining employees takes a balance of benefits and compensation. Human Resources (HR) is responsible for the earliest negotiation of the employment package, but the TD is responsible for day-to-day efforts that give employees reasons for staying. The TD must develop a plan for retention of technology staff that includes preventive measures to ensure employee satisfaction.

A few recommendations for keeping tech staff happy are:

•	Give staff challenging work assignments. Staff should be encouraged to be creative by implementing new and more efficient ways of performing their duties.

•	Give staff a sense of connection with the department’s mission. In addition to their usual duties, staff should be involved with the internal decision process of the department such as the goal-setting process.

•	Give staff the opportunity to learn new skills, reskilling ensures that the staff’s skills remain current. Since technology professionals know they will need ongoing training to keep up with the fast changing tech field, offering potential employees the opportunity to update skills through professional development is a good incentive. Retraining also leads to advancement opportunities and increases in pay, both good motivators for new and existing employees.

•	Give staff a competitive salary that is inline with the current marketplace wages. Take initiatives from the high tech industry and offer innovative compensation and benefit packages. •	Give staff professional-looking working conditions.

•	Give staff opportunities for career advancement within the school district. Have annual reviews that include effective appraisal, evaluation, and performance goal setting.

•	Keep regular meetings to track morale.

•	Give staff an organizational culture that adds fun in the work life. A positive work environment that provides the opportunity for team building.

•	Give staff the opportunity to network and learn from others in their field by attending conferences and trade shows.

The benefits of working in the academic environment, as opposed to the high-tech industry, are points to be exploited by the TD in retention of good employees.

•	Fewer work hours – employees can enjoy a normal working day.

•	Less pressure than meeting the demands of high-tech jobs.

•	A more casual work environment - suits are not necessary.

•	A job stability that is not as volatile as the high-tech industry.

•	A more flexible work environment - in addition to vacations, other forms of compensation could be special time-off and flexible time schedules.

Resource found at http://www.certmag.com/articles/templates/cmag_career.asp?articleid=95&zoneid=66 Paula Moreira is vice president of e-learning for New Horizons Computer Learning Centers Inc., the world’s largest computer training company. For additional hiring tools, see Paula’s book “Ace the IT Job Interview.”

[edit] == The Work Environment ==

Although the actual renovation and construction work will be directed through the Facilities Department, the TD will certainly be involved in the space planning process of the technology department. The typical school district is traditionally comprised of buildings spread out over a designated area that serve the academic needs of the children who live within its boundaries. Administration buildings, high schools, and numerous middle and elementary schools are the usual assembly of buildings. Technology departments can be found in all these buildings and the TD needs to assess the needs of each school to determine how many technology staff to provide. After the TD establishes the number of personnel she/he will manage, the space requirements for each person must be determined. If the TD is taking over an existing department, an assessment of space usage should still be done. The TD should conduct interviews to determine the staffs space requirements. While some jobs such as secretarial and administration positions require a standard work area, a computer workshop demands special considerations. Interviewing each technology support (TS) staff will provide the answers to questions such as: •	How much work surface does each TS staff person need to work on hardware that is brought into the shop?

•	How much storage space is needed for the hardware awaiting repairs and awaiting pickup or delivery?

•	Will the TS staff need office space as well as shop space?

•	What kind of equipment does the TS staff need to perform their duties?

The answers to these questions should provide the TD with enough information to begin planning the space requirements for the technology department’s computer workshop. In addition to space requirements, the TD must also know what kind of work surface is appropriate for the efficient functioning of each job. The computer workshop will need workbenches for the TS staff to perform the repairs. A typical workbench should have all the essential equipment that the technology support staff will need each day, plenty of storage space for tools and work surface space for making repairs. The workbench will need a power supply with grounded electrical outlets and multiple LAN connections for testing equipment. It will also need an antistatic mat covering the top of the work surface.

Other important questions to be answered are: •	Should the department be responsible for integrating technology into the curriculum or will the need be filled by a separate department?

•	Will the technology department also provide training to staff and faculty or will another department be responsible for technology training?

If the TD is also responsible for instructional technology, then the space requirements to accommodate these functions and activities will change the size and type of the area. Collaborative work spaces for two will be necessary in order to provide one-on-one training and small seminar spaces for groups.

[edit] Section 2

* REFERENCES and RESOURCES *

*    *     * - I am revising the section: Things to consider
 * Consider whether you need part-time technology coordinators to maintain equipment or to provide support for teachers in classroom.
 * Do you need tech coordinators to support tech-based resources (software, video programs, online databases, internet use)
 * Your budget may dictate what you get. A low budget may only provide part time aides which may supply less than adequate support.

I will cover most of these general ideas elsewhere in the chapter

---Jack 11-6-07

Does anyone know how to create a link that opens a new browser? (Pchu 07:01, 20 November 2007 (UTC)=Pei)