School Technology Services
Alberta Education Consultation and Information SessionsSpring 2012
Tell us who you are
A. Superintendent
B. Trustee
C. Secretary-Treasurer
D. IT Leader
E. Other Senior Leader
Tell us your story
A. Very involved in all decisions
B. Involved in many but not all decisions
C. Sometimes consulted or included in technology decisions
D. Advised or informed, but not involved in technology decisions
E. I am not involved in any strategic technology decisions
How involved are you in making strategic technology decisions in your jurisdiction?
Tell us your story
A. Very comfortable making technology decisions
B. I consult with others before making technology decisions
C. I let others take the lead in technology decisions if possible
D. I avoid making technology decisions
E. I am not included in making technology decisions
Considering cost, risks, and benefits, how confident do you feel in your knowledge of technology to make technology decisions for your jurisdiction?
An Aha! Moment
Conversations about technology: then
Teacher Principal Superintendent Parents Treasurer IT Leader
It’s too expensive.
I didn’t have technology
when I was in school. Why do we need it
now?
Technology is a nice-to-
have.
How does technology contribute to improved PAT and Diploma Exam
Results?
There are more important ways to
spend limited funding.
I’m not comfortable using
technology.
How are we going to
support it all?
Tell us your story
A. We cannot enable change without it
B. Enabling change without it would be very difficult
C. Enabling change without it is possible, but would take longer
D. Except for very specific things, it is not necessary
E. It is not at all necessary to enable change
How important do you think technology is or will be to enabling change in your jurisdiction?
Conversations about technology: now
Teacher Principal Superintendent Parents Treasurer IT Leader
How do we pay for all of
this?Is my child learning the right skills?
Technology is necessary – so
why are we fundraising for
it?
How can we be sure that our technology
investments will help us achieve our educational
goals?
My staff want to innovate but we don’t
have enough technical support.
Our network is “locked down”
How are we going to support
it all?
Conversations about funding: today
Education IT
New ideas
New practice
New models
New needs
Fixed budget
Fixed resources
Existing stuff
Conversations about funding: today
January-AprilBudgeting
September
We require funding for IT
IT Leader Budget Committee
We are funding education first
We require IT services
IT LeaderPrincipal
We don’t have any capacity
Tell us your story
A. Essential part of planning for operational and capital funding allocations
B. Considered after all other program and administrative planning is identified
C. New project requests are reviewed if required
D. Discussed as a cost centre/expense
E. Not considered in strategic planning and budgeting, just a budget line item
How is technology included in strategic decisions and budget planning by the leaders in your school jurisdiction?
It’s time for a different conversation.
Education IT
How do we balance financial control and innovation so that we can get the maximum benefit from
technology?
Conversations about IT service: today
IT Leaders
IT is a strategic partner and
needs a seat at the table
IT is a service provider that
needs to meet expectations
Tell us your story
A. Regularly meet expectations
B. Usually meet expectations
C. Sometimes miss expectations
D. Often miss expectations
E. Have not set expectations for them to meet or miss
How reliable are critical IT services to meet the needs of your jurisdiction?
EducationIT
How do we work together to ensure that service level expectations are reasonable and are met as
required?
It’s time for a different conversation.
Tell us your story
A. A cost centre
B. A service provider
C. An education partner
D. Leading significant educational innovation
The IT department in my jurisdiction is…
Tell us your story
A. A cost centre
B. A service provider
C. An education partner
D. Leading significant educational innovation
The IT department in my jurisdiction should be…
EducationIT
What should the role of the IT department be in our jurisdiction and how do we get there?
It’s time for a different conversation.
Education Legal
Too risky…
What are the risks?Too risky…
IT
New ideas
New practice
New models
New needs
Leaders
Conversations about IT risk: today
Tell us your story
A. Risks are identified, analyzed, defined and categorized
B. Risks are identified, but are not very clear, defined or categorized
C. Major, high impact financial risks are considered sometimes
D. Don’t know how to identify, analyze, define or categorize technology risks
E. I am not involved in making decisions about technology risks
How well do you understand the risks associated with technology decisions?
How do we make sound decisions about risk in order to speed technology-enabled innovation?
It’s time for a different conversation.
We’re in IT together
Are we doing the right things?
Are we doing things right?
Are we managing the information
risks?
Helping leaders answer three critical technology questions.
Self-Evaluation Guide
12th Dimension for School System
Success
Educational Technology Risk
Assessment Framework
Training for IT Professionals
Workshops
Presentations
Implementation Tools
Case Studies
Cloud Computing Guide for
Superintendents
Technology Briefings
Building Capacity
Supporting Implementation
Emerging Issues Support
Supporting and engaging leaders.
What it takes.
• Communication
• Commitment
• Patience
• Time
• Commitment
The payoff.
• Greater confidence in IT-related decisions
• Improved oversight of IT
• Improved risk management
• Faster decision-making
What next?
• Talk to your colleagues about what you’ve heard here today
• Learn more at our workshop at the CASS and Alberta Education Annual Conference
• Build capacity in your jurisdiction by encouraging IT professionals to take training
• Begin the journey by contacting us to book a workshop
• Share your successes and challenges
Let’s hear from you.
We’re in IT together.Angie Tarasoff
Senior Manager, Technology Planning &
Management
Alberta Education, School Technology Sector
Erwin Loewen
Advisor, Emerging Technologies
Alberta Education, School Technology Sector