Managing Educational Technology Services Reflection

This was by far my most challenging class for two reasons.  First off, hubs, firewalls, and data speed are not something that I deal with on a day to day basis.  These are the items that make me dial 9-1-1 to our tech department.  Secondly, working with a group of six busy adults, all who work at different buildings in our district, made completing a group project seem overwhelming at first.  However, as with each of these classes, the take-away has been tremendous and I felt like I really learned a lot.  I may not ever put to use the hardware side of this class, but by going through the process of developing a district-wide technology plan, I know have an even greater respect for what the coaches, technicians, and IT department do.  I had no idea what was truly involved in a technology plan.  From the teacher's perspective it seems simple; give us iPads, load them up with apps, have a parent consent form.  However, I discovered that budgeting, repairing, disposing, and providing for professional development all play key parts of a well run technology plan that prepares 21st century learners.  I was happy to discover some of the good things that our District has in place like a help desk, coaches, and hardware replacement cycle.  Moreover, I was also able to see some of the areas in need of improvement, such as: professional development, more technology coaches, the need to address the digital divide, and a better way to be sure that we are educating our students on digital citizenship as well as plagiarism and copyright laws.