Discussion on:

Director of Technology (school district)

Hi,

Any one out there the Director of Technology in your school district? I need to know what to expect in this job. What areas do you supervise? What do I need to plan for the start of the school year? What is your job description?

Nothing has been finalized as of yet, but it looks like my job is leaning towards becoming the Director of Technology in my school district. Right now I am the educational specialist which has kept me very busy.

Thanks!
MsSpanky55

I am not a school Director of Technology, but have some strong personal views based on 30 plus years in technology.

Some of government technology statements I have seen have rubbed me the wrong way. I am most interested in how your district perceives the role of technology in education and hope you will either post in the forum or email me at ken@hilving.com

Is this a new position within your district, or are you replacing some one else?

If I had to bet, I'd say that:
a) This position hasn't previously existed.
b) Your district's school board has come to the realization that it needs to get a handle on this "technology thing."
c) You are possible getting this position because you are already familiar with how your district operates, and are probably the most technically savvy person they could lay their hands on.

Probable responsibilities:
Development and implementation of standards and policies
Determination of how to BEST use technology to meet the district's education goals
Determination of WHICH technologies will give the district the biggest bang for the buck (given that education budgets are tight all over).
Budget development and implementation
Development of training for end users of the chosen technology
Definition of requirements
Development of RFPs (Requests for Proposals) when acquisition time arrives
Probably lots more!

As a starting point, there are a LARGE number of organizations and associations (non-profit and otherwise) that specialize in the use of technology in education. Run a Google search (www.google.com) using the keywords "technology in education" and you should find many resources that can help you out.

Hope this helps.

Hi,

I am the Supervisor of Information Technology for a school board in Ontario, Canada. My job includes the following:

-Supervision of technical staff (technicians, software support, network support and helpdesk)
-Purchasing, RFP processes and communicating with vendors
-Arranging for and supervising contracted/outsourced services esp. network services
-Strategic planning
-PC lifecycle management
-Ensuring software license compliance
-Advising other school board staff on computer issues (this means staying abreast of the latest developments in computers and educational technology)
-Prepare and manage the IT budget

I started out as a technician but find I am far removed from that world now. I am on the phone/email a lot more and depending on the time of year spend a lot of time in excel preparing budgets, collecting prices for quotes and managing IT purchasing.

Hope this helps!

Sean

Yes! i am...What type of school are you going to be working at k-12,k-8 or just a High School District?

I work with some of the best Director of Technologies in the State of WI, and a couple other states. I have made some of them look really good by being a vendor who can bring several things to teh table, espeically cost savings and IT consolidation on the hardware side. John Orcutt over at Jefferson School Districts is one of the best I have worked with. Give him a call... he is really on top of technology, and the cost savings initiatives that are available.

Which district do you take care of?

Thanks!

Kevin