Back to School

That time of year that all Ed Tech leaders and K-12 CIOs love...back to school. It is the time of year when your inventory of (in our case 2,500+) computers are turned on - most of which have been sitting idle for weeks and months. Users forget passwords and usernames, data and voice cables get plugged into the wrong ports and it never fails that no matter how much time you alot for certain projects, the time goes faster than the project itself.

Our summers seem to get shorter and shorter. The work we need to do each summer grows more and more. No matter how hard we try, it is inevitable that we start the year "behind".

But then the fun begins. Students and teachers start filling the buildings. Computers fire up. Projectors, boards, pads, document cameras are all calibrated and tested. New technology in a classroom is tested by the teacher (with a smile on his/her face). The students walk through the doors and see a 21st century classroom filled with gadgets, technologies and most importantly a means to accomplish tasks in a fun and enjoyable way.

The Technology Department scrambles those first few days and weeks, making sure every device is functioning as it should. There are some long hours, hard decisions, blood, sweat and tears. But in the end as my good friend ujdmc would say "it is all about the kids". Everything we do in this industry must be about the kids, every decision we make and every piece of technology we place in a building must have the students best interests in mind. When your school district and staff believe in that concept - it is ok to have a few forgotton passwords and fried machines along the way.

JDS | CIO