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Comment by james lee on October 15, 2009 at 12:10am

As it stands we have school and building level technology coordinators, as well as district level technology coordinators, but then we see titles that are more consistent with the business world and higher education such as Manager, Director of Technology, Chief Technology Officer, Chief Information Officer, etc. These titles in themselves carry a certain amount of understanding for what the individual responsibilities might include, however they certainly do not cover the full scope of things.Ed Hardy | tiffany jewelry

Comment by Ed McKaveney on June 12, 2009 at 9:02am

Lara,

I am always open to hearing what others have to say on a topic and it sounds like you might have much to say. Listening to diverse viewpoints and understanding varied technologies and their potential applications to education is one of the things that helps make us effective leaders.
You might want to take a look at the following books by Lawrence Tomei for your literature review. He has a number of other publications on this and related educational technology topics, but I am very familiar with these two books and my doctoral cohort was involved in part with the Taxonomy research, back when we were active in our coursework. They can certainly add to the growing body of knowledge on this subject.
"The Technology Facade: Overcoming Barriers to Effective Instructional Technology in Schools" and "Taxonomy for the Technology Domain".

Ed

Comment by Lara Hill on June 1, 2009 at 8:43pm

I am actually working on my dissertation on this topic. My dissertation is "Leading Educational Technology Effectively in Public K-12 School Districts: A Grounded Theory." I am investigating the process of leading effective ET and specifically how the organizational aspects fit in. I will share a bit more of this if you wish.

Lara

Comment by Ed McKaveney on May 29, 2009 at 9:52am

Sorry for the long reply, but there are so many aspects to this role, that I wanted to try and share my thoughts on both the technical and educational sides of this.

There are many aspects to this role and it certainly varies with the size of the organization and the number of technology support professionals working in the school system. I also see a bit of disconnect on this between K-12 and Higher Education, where it could be good to look at both levels when trying to define a standard set of credentials. The specific need for credentials depends on the organization, meaning a small school district where the technology coordinator is also the hands on network administrator, server systems administrator, and main supporter for instructional technologies, then it would be good for that person to have technical certifications and experience. If that person also functions as an instructional technology coach and helps faculty develop and use technology in the classroom then an educational background, or other relevant work experience in education is needed.

I do think a level of consistency across the board could help with this and any technology leader in a school environment should have an educational focus, but would not necessarily need to have teaching experience. As it stands we have school and building level technology coordinators, as well as district level technology coordinators, but then we see titles that are more consistent with the business world and higher education such as Manager, Director of Technology, Chief Technology Officer, Chief Information Officer, etc. These titles in themselves carry a certain amount of understanding for what the individual responsibilities might include, however they certainly do not cover the full scope of things.

Beyond our varied degree backgrounds and levels of education (i.e., bachelor, masters, doctorate) in (science, engineering, computer science, business, education, instructional technology, technology management, public policy, administration, etc.), I do believe there are a number of transferable credentials, although they are not by any means a requirement.

For example on the technical end we have A+, Network+, Security +, ACSS, ACSP, CCNA, CCNP, MCSA, MCSE, MCTS, MCITP, MCDBA, MCPD and numerous other Comptia, SANS Institute and vendor specific certifications. To this regard many schools teach these base level skills in programs such as the
Oracle Academy
Cisco Networking Academy
Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) programs
International Computer Drivers License (ICDL)

On the K-12 Education end we have Teaching Certifications, Praxis Tests, Administrative and Supervisory Certificates, and in PA the Instructional Technology Specialist. However these are not required certifications in most states and definitely not required for those in similar roles within Higher Education.

In terms of developing standard credentials for Technology Coordinators, Directors, CTOs and others specifically in education, ISTE, CoSN, EDUCAUSE and others have been working on this and have a number of relevant resources that I think people may simply need to be made more aware of.

CoSN essential skills of the K-12 CTO

ISTE and NCATE National Standards for Teachers (Technology Facilit...

The EDUCAUSE Institute Learning Technology Leadership Program

Resources for this In the ISTE bookstore:
ISTE’s Technology Facilitation and Leadership Standards.
ISTE's The Technology Director’s Guide to Leadership.
ISTE's The Technology Coordinator's Handbook

Lastly two papers/presentations that I have found to be relevant to this and occasionally reference are:

Hiring the Best Qualified Technology Coordinator: A Pennsylvania Pe... by Roger A. Place and Lee James Lesisko

The K-12 Technology Coordinator by Lee James Lesisko

Some of the relevant degree programs that I am familiar with are

Duquesne University School of Education
Masters of Science in Education in Instructional Technology

Duquesne University School of Education
Doctoral Program in Instructional Technology

Carnegie Mellon University – Heinz College –School of Public Policy & Management
Certificate in Educational Technology and Management

I look forward to seeing how this discussion develops.

Ed

Comment by Max Frazier on May 29, 2009 at 9:16am

Greetings Nate,

I think such a designation is offered in Illinois - at least I spoke with some folks at Northern Illinois University that were working on the development of such a designation a few years ago.

Kansas does not have such a designation - technology coordinators in this state tend to be on either an extended teacher contract or be trained as administrators with a strong technology background and work on an administrator contract. I am also aware of several districts that have hired non-educators who work as a classified (as opposed to certified) employees. Like Kevin, I am not aware of a comprehensive list of state requirements.

Recently, several Kansas districts I am aware of have eliminated technology coordinator positions and handed off responsibilities to curriculum coordinators due to rather drastic budget cuts at the state level. A similar thing happened to me in my last job - the technology coordinator position was eliminated during a period of falling enrollment and budget restrictions. The position was resurrected in a couple of years when the district recognized that such a position was needed for the effective management of the technology investment.

Regards,

Max

Comment by Kevin J. Galbraith on May 29, 2009 at 6:34am

Nate, did you mean National Board Certification, from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards?

Yes, that would be interesting! Here in Michigan, the Michigan School Business Officials Association, sponsors a voluntary certification program for school officials. Of the 13 tracks, one of interest to you might be the School Technology Management program.

While not specifically for district technology leaders, you might also check out the Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership and Education (CASTLE).

I believe that some states do require a license for district-level technology administrators, like Wisconsin, but I know of no list of all states with similar requirements.

You might also be interested in checking out the Chief Technology Officer training program that CETPA offers for California school district CTOs

All the best!

-Kevin

Comment by Chris Champion on May 29, 2009 at 5:17am

In Pennsylvania, we've had for many years the "Instructional Technology Specialist Certification" that emphasizes both technical and pedagogical strengths for a ITS. Here's a link to a PDF of the "standards" set forth by the PA Department of Education for this certification.

Note that although PA recognizes this certification, there are a rare few cases where it is actually required - mostly in cases where the technologist is selecting software and hardware to meet classroom needs without consulting with the teachers' supervisor or a director of curriculum. Even in my 1000 student, one building school, our "Network Administrator" does not have this certification (although I do - but I'm in the classroom).

Here's a list of colleges that offer this certification (note that Philadelphia University and Seton Hill University no longer offer this program to new students)

Comment by Gordon Dahlby on May 28, 2009 at 8:19pm

Nate,
For technical staff, CNA might be a good minimum to consider in today's connected world. Since there are only a few other certifications in non-teaching staff, it is difficult to build a culture in a district for looking at technicians and network engineers with certifications You might consider starting by finding out other positions which might required certifications in plumbing, HVAC, and electricians and inquire as to how those positions are paid relative to public sector.