Chris Romine, Lynx Education
How we as educators approach and support technology has changed a great deal over the years. In the early days of IT where labs of desktop computers had dedicated spaces in our schools there were local resources for the students to access. Technology for students was installed on each computer or a local server at the site itself, requiring local personnel to setup and upkeep the lab. Network resources were not critical to delivering classroom level content.
Also, users were almost all new to technology and often did not own a laptop or cell phone at home. Things like smart phones that we take for granted, did not exist yet. Professional development was a daily requirement for IT staff helping teaching professionals integrate these amazing tools into their classrooms.
But change has come quickly in the last 20 years for technology, its users, and those that support them. Now households are full of smart technology, connected to and constantly communicating with the internet. We carry laptops, tablets and smartphones with most professional users applying all of these technologies to their workplaces. This has made most users very savvy with the day to day use of devices. Our teachers are no longer looking for basic tech support at a local level with the frequency of the past. Instead, they are performing much more complicated tasks utilizing many technologies and integrating them together to create a lesson in the classroom.
So while the IT professionals are no longer doing the basic PD of how to print or where to find basic resources, we are now navigating the modern internet with cloud services for everything. Our schools now have smart devices in all categories that your IT teams have to support. Of course the classrooms are connected. But now, the HVAC system has internet access. The cameras must be accessible, but also secure. The business office, special education, student data of all types is no longer stored inside the district but on networked, cloud based services.
Suddenly supporting the network is of critical importance. They must understand how a network change affects everything from the security of your students and staff, to the experience of a classroom of students navigating online curriculum. Your IT staff need to be comfortable with a much higher level of detail in supporting the network than in the past as students now take state mandated tests online, most content is internet based, and the tools used for productivity work such Microsoft Office or the Google Education Suite are entirely cloud based.
Resources for schools in Alaska to support technology in education are sometimes difficult to source for districts. But one option to provide assistance to your staff would be to utilize the local area network support funds available from the E-Rate program. Most are familiar with the program’s Category 1 funding which assists districts provide internet access to their schools. But we rarely discuss Category 2 funding which directly supports the local area network at school sites. It is able to help fund the purchase of hardware and its installation and maintenance.
This can be a critical resource to schools and local IT teams when an issue arises and suddenly they need immediate support on their wireless network before a lesson or a state assessment can be delivered. In those instances having a professional team ready to jump in and work with the staff can mean the difference between success and having to reschedule a lesson or test.
Speak to your E-Rate team or your internet service provider and see what options could be available to your district. Combining these resources with critical site staff can be a powerful tool to your teachers using these amazing new tools for the classroom.
Please speak to a Lynx Education representative at the upcoming Association of Alaska School Boards Annual Conference. We will be there assisting with the event and would be excited to take some time to talk about technology!
