Dear Principals, are you wondering how you, as a building leader, can help advance your school’s technology initiatives? Stay tuned, we’ve got your answers.
Annual technology initiatives should fall along a multi-year strategic plan – one that outlines the objectives for the use of technology in the classroom, driven by curricular goals. And just like with any annual plan, seasonality determines what the priorities are – in the fall, your technology team is supporting a successful back-to-school season; in the spring, we’re supporting testing; and in the summer – we’re tackling larger technical projects to ensure an optimized technology environment for all stakeholders to return to.
As a building administrator, you have a critical role in ensuring the success of these initiatives. Your daily interactions with teachers and students put you in a great position to know how technology is serving them well and how it could be improved, so gather as much intelligence as you can about your building’s technology environment before everyone becomes scarce for the summer. The six steps below can help you help your technology team prioritize its technology initiatives.
Make sure you are up to date on your school’s technology vision. Knowing where school leadership wants the IT environment to be on a macro level helps you have more meaningful conversations about school technology on a micro level.
Related: A Roadmap to Purposeful Technology Integration
Ask teachers and students about everything from login times to network reliability to wireless signal strength. Their answers could prompt a shift in your upgrade strategy.
Find out if there are minor but persistent frustrations with technology that could be taken care of with a simple fix. Paying attention to little things creates good will that lasts a long time.
Observe a variety of classrooms at various times of the day and week and take note of how students and teachers are (or aren’t) using technology. This will help you plan relevant training sessions for the fall.
Ask other building leaders what they’re hearing from their teams about school technology. It’s always good to have information that balances and corroborates what your team is experiencing.
Report your findings to your school leaders. You are their ears and eyes on the ground.
What are other ways you have been successful in supporting your school’s technology vision? Let us know!
Vartek Services is a professional services company partnering with K12 schools to provide IT Leadership, Implementation, and Technology Integration to enhance the teaching and learning environment.
Click here to sign up to receive updates from Vartek Services, including professional development opportunities, podcast episodes, or upcoming webinars.