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TABLE OF CONTENTS
California Educational Technology Professionals Association
Winter 2013 | Volume 2013 | Issue 1
ARTICLES 6 President’s Message By Brianne Meyer
8 Planning Your Year 2013 ERate Update By Fred Brakeman
10 Delivering the Common Core Standards Using Blended Learning on a Robust Infrastructure By Catherine Banker and David Tokofsky
14 It’s ON [the] LINE: Technology Policies that Make Sense Today By Dr. Kelly J. Calhoun
18 Gatekeepers or Gurus By David Feliciano
20 Who’s Going to Pay For All This Future? By Mark Heydon
22 Cue View: Common Core Standards and Technology — A Non-Starter By David D. Thornburg
24 Member Profile DataBus Chats with Ian Byerrum
26 Resource Guide and Ad Index
DataBus is the official publication of the California Educational Technology Professionals Association (CETPA). DataBus is published twice a year as a service to our members and information technology managers for California’s K-12 and secondary education school systems. The CETPA and the DataBus assume no responsibility for the statements or opinions appearing in articles under an author’s name. The services of an attorney or accountant should be sought in legal and tax matters. All copyrights and trademarks are property of their respective owners. Except where otherwise noted, content in DataBus is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Publisher California Educational Technology Professionals Association Managing Editor Steve Thornton sthornton@menifeeusd.org
Advertising Manager Cici Trino Association Outsource Services (916) 990-9999 Fax: (916) 990-9991 cicit@aosinc.biz
Layout and Design Lori Mattas Printing and Mailing Copeland Printing
Editor Lisa Kopochinski (916) 481-0265 lisakop@sbcglobal.net
Winter 2013 • DataBus 5
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
The Year in Review
BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT
By Brianne Meyer
Brianne Meyer Chief Technology Officer
I
Irvine Unified School District bmeyer@iusd.org PAST PRESIDENT
Todd Finnell
Vice President of Technology Imperial Community College District todd.finnell@imperial.edu PRESIDENT ELECT/ COMMUNICATIONS
Steven Thornton
Director of Technology Menifee Union School District sthornton@menifeeusd.org TREASURER
Greg Lindner
Director, Technology Services Elk Grove Unified School District glindner@egusd.net SECRETARY
Kelly Calhoun Ed.D
Chief Technology Officer/Asst. Superintendent Santa Clara County Office of Education Kelly_calhoun@sccoe.org EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Andrea Bennett
CETPA andrea.bennett@cetpa.net DIRECTORS
Aaron Barnett
Director, Information Systems/Technology Moreno Valley Unified School District abarnett@mvusd.net
Stephen Carr
Chief Technology Officer Ventura County Office of Education scar@vcoe.org
Tim Goree
Director of Technology Support Services Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District TimG@fsysd.org
Julie Judd
Director of Technology Moorpark Unified School District jjudd@mrpk.org
Sean Rozell
Chief Technology Officer San Rafael City Schools srozell@srcs.org
Phil Scrivano
Chief Instructional Technology Officer Las Virgenes Unified pscrivano@lvusd.org.
Peter Skibitzki
Director of Administrative Operations Placer County Office of Education pskibitzki@placercoe.k12.ca.us CETPA officers, the President, PresidentElect, Past President, Secretary and Treasurer serve one-year terms, while a Director-at-Large serves a two-year term with an election following that term.
6 DataBus • Winter 2013
The record attendance at the conference is a reflection of a year of sustained growth in CETPA.
have a pattern. Each year, after the conference, I return to my desk and start my balancing act. I desperately try to work my way through an inbox that better resembles a cosmic black hole than a manageable to-do list. Meanwhile, I resolve to be more like the strategic, visionary leaders that fill the conference halls. My balancing act is the inevitable conflict between the inspiration brought on by a week of great connections and content, and the feeling of being overwhelmed by the work that remains to be done. CETPA’s 52nd Annual Conference was both a reminder of our organization’s legacy, and a preview of our future. The Monterey Conference Center has been a part of CETPA’s history. The beautiful backdrop it provides encourages reflection and immersion in our profession. This year, it became the venue for CETPA’s largest conference ever. With nearly 700 attendees, education technologists filled the halls, the sessions and the networking events all week long. CETPA continued the tradition of dynamic keynote speakers, a packed exhibitors’ show and engaging sessions. We brought back the popular Technology Shootouts. We introduced the Featured Speakers Strand, highlighting accomplished and visionary leaders in our field. Whenever exhaustion began to set in, the intense week was broken up by the musical talents of the incredible guitarist, Mike Rayburn, our truly (and questionably) talented colleagues in the CETPA’s Got Real Talent President’s Reception, and a very memorable performance by the 2012 CTO Mentor Graduating Class. The record attendance at the conference is a reflection of a year of sustained growth in CETPA. With Todd Finnell and Andrea Bennett’s leadership, CETPA truly transitioned from organizing around a conference, to delivering year-round, strategic value to our membership. We now have eight Regional Groups providing opportunities to learn from each other and lean on each other. The CETPA Board is immensely grateful to the officers of these groups for their work to connect education technologists in their areas. The CETPA and Microsoft Strategic Alliance (CAMSA) program delivered significant savings to more than 70 California Districts on critical licensing. CETPA’s Summer Clinic on Online and Blended Learning brought new perspectives on the legal, infrastructure, and practical issues and advantages of offering diverse learning options for students. DataBus magazine was reimagined as an online, continuously updated resource for education technology professionals (http://databus.cetpa.net). And CETPA transitioned Executive Director Andrea Bennett to a full-time employee. I can’t think of an easier or better hiring decision throughout my career.
Looking Ahead In 2013, CETPA will build on the strong foundation of more than 50 years as a leading professional organization. The four goals of our strategic plan will guide this year’s priorities: • Goal A: Professional Capacity — CETPA will develop the professional capacity of its members. • Goal B: Recognized Authority — CETPA will be a recognized resource and authority in instructional and administrative technologies. • Goal C: Member Experience — CETPA’s network of professionals will be strong and the membership experience will be engaging, rewarding, and invaluable. • Goal D: Organizational Capacity — CETPA will be organizationally and financially strong and be able to seize opportunities to create value for our members and institutions. We look forward to connecting with all of you through DataBus, the EdTech listserv, Regional Groups, the CTO Mentor Program, and our premier professional development events. We will be offering a one-day clinic continued on page 25
ERATE UPDATE
Planning Your Year 2013 ERate Project
W By Fred Brakeman
hat do you mean it’s time to start planning my Year 2013 ERate projects? I haven’t even been funded for my Year 2012 projects yet! Here’s my first word of advice. Start early and you will, most likely, be funded by now next year. Those that file their Form 470s early and file in the first week of the Form 471 filing window have a strong chance of being funded in Wave 1 next year. It is anticipated that the Form 471 filing window will open on or about January 7, 2013, and close on or about March 20, 2013. Wouldn’t it be nice to get funded early in the funding year so: (1) your discounts can start flowing sooner and; (2) you can order those new services sooner? You may be asking, where can I get some training or updates on new rules changes to the ERate program? Each year in the fall the CDE conducts four Beginners’s training events and four Intermediate/Advanced training events at four COEs up and down the state. Very soon, the CDE will send an email to all school districts in the state announcing the dates and locations for each of these eight training events. If you are concerned about missing the email, please go to www.k12hsn.org/. There are a ton of great training materials on the USAC SLD website as well at www.universalservice.org/sl/. What’s the biggest change to the ERate program coming up next year? For those of you that are seasoned ERate veterans, you know that there are two priorities of ERate funding. Priority One includes telephone lines, data circuits, long-distance, cell phones and netbooks, webhosting, ISP and other telecommunications services. Priority Two includes headend onsite equipment and cabling to run telephones, data networks and video system. All Priority One services nationwide must be funded before any Priority Two services can be even looked at and only those districts that have high free and reduced lunch rates tend to get their Priority Two services funded. This last year, Year 2012, for the first time there was not enough money left over after all Priority One services were accounted for to fund the 90 percent Priority Two funding requests. If it wasn’t that the FCC was able to roll over $1.05 billion from previous years, no Priority Two services would have been funded at all. The reason for this is because there is a $2.29 billion cap on ERate funding each year (plus a COLA) and more and more Priority One services are be asked for each year. Given the above, there is a likelihood that additional Priority One services will be asked for in this upcoming filing year leaving no monies available for Priority Two services at all. Should you try and apply for Priority Two services this coming year? If you are planning on doing the projects anyway with or without ERate funding, then probably yes. If the answer is no, then you need to make the hard decision if you want to take the time and expense to bid out the project knowing you may not get the funding. This same
8 DataBus • Winter 2013
comment applies to those school districts that have been applying for Basic Maintenance as a Priority Two service. On a side note, for those school districts and libraries that have Calnet 2 contracts, you may have a problem coming your way and not even know it. The current Calnet 2 contract ends on Jan. 29, 2014, halfway through the Year 2013 ERate filing year. The contract rates are about a 35 percent to 50 percent discount off tariffed rates. It is our understanding that this contract cannot be extended by the state. Also, remember that the actual contract is a contract between the state of California and AT&T and Verizon, not the district per se. School districts and libraries only piggyback off the state master contract so they are dependent on the state to negotiate and get a new contract in place by Jan. 30, 2014, but we have no direct knowledge that the state is working on a solution to this problem. Since this is a $5 billion contract, Infinity believes the state of California will figure out a way to get a new contract in place by the contract renewal date. If it doesn’t, the districts need to cover themselves and make provision for applying for additional ERate funding from Jan. 30, 2014, to June 30, 2014. While we are very confident that the state of California will make sure that the state and all member agencies won’t have to pay these higher rates, we suggest you make your own plans just in case. For those of you who file your own ERate forms and manage this process at your district, while there are companies like Infinity out there that do this work for districts, our experience is that you also have another great resource out there that is being underused, your fellow CETPA members. Many of these guys/gals have been doing ERate filing for years and would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have. Use them! Someday, believe me, you will be able to return the favor. Just look at all the great work that goes each and every day on the CETPA listserv. Fred Brakeman is President of Infinity Communications & Consulting, Inc., a full-service consulting firm including ERate/CTF and Microsoft Ed Tech K-12 consulting, technology design services, and low-voltage construction management and inspection services serving approximately 22 percent of all the school districts and county offices of education in California. Infinity Communications & Consulting is located in Bakersfield, Calif., with field offices in Hollywood, Fresno and Emeryville. He can be reached at fbrakeman@infinitycomm.com, office phone (661) 716-1840, or via mail at P.O. Box 6069, Bakersfield, CA 93386. Please visit www.infinitycomm.com. Infinity is a proud member of the ERate Management Professional’s Association and Brakeman is currently serving as the EMPA President of the Board of Directors.
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Delivering the Common Core Standards Using Blended Learning on a Robust Infrastructure California Education Trends: Mission, Motives and Money
C By David Tokofsky
and Catherine Banker
ommon Core Standards, introduced by the National Governor’s Association and Congress to create curriculum equity and commonality throughout the states, are driving change to today’s K-12 environment. To meet the needs of these Common Core Standards, publishers are quickly developing content they can deliver to students and teachers via technological tools. To provide accountability for these new standards and content, two organizations are developing testing strategies: the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (Smarter Balance) and the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC). To meet the evolving needs of students and teachers, it is imperative that education leaders view today’s changing landscape as the perfect opportunity to take an entirely new look at how educators teach, students learn, and curricula are organized – with a keen eye on how technology does and should support or even drive this process in the months and years ahead. Yes, these changes come at a price. But poor planning upfront promises to be more expensive. No DataBus reader needs to be reminded about California’s deepening cuts to the state’s education budget. The following from a December 2011 Huffington Post article said it all: “Midyear budget cuts hit California like a tornado. [With state] revenues falling more than $2.2 billion below projections, [Governor] Brown said the state has to cut another $1 billion in spending. Of that, about $328 million will come from K-12 education.” While anxiety over the upcoming November election might nudge some education leaders toward a “wait-and-see” approach to strategic planning, this is a mistake. Whether it’s desired or not, or properly planned for or not, technology is quickly supplementing pencil, paper, and traditional instruction in classrooms across the state.
Changing Role of Technology: Blended Learning Most administrators and education experts realize technology’s potential. One strategy to receive significant attention is blended or hybrid learning. Often, though, this approach becomes a “third rail” in the education discussion — a result of both misinformation about the concept, and in some cases, poor implementation. Blended learning is not a monolith. According to Wikipedia, blended learning “refers to a mixing of different learning environments. It combines traditional face-to-face classroom methods with computer-mediated activities. There are many different approaches to blended learning. It can take on many shapes or forms, depending on the teachers and learners involved. As of now, there is no consensus on a single agreed-upon definition for blended learning.” However, some leaders view blended learning as a strategy to close budget gaps, while some educators believe it’s a code phrase for eliminating teachers. Both are wrong! Both are too polemic. Implemented effectively, blended learning combines the energy, knowledge and creativity of a great teacher, with the images, video and sheer volume of realistic and relevant content that the Internet offers.
continued on page 12
10 DataBus • Winter 2013
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From Blended Learning to a Robust Infrastructure: Questions for Technology Leaders Applying technology to create the most effective learning environment should begin with asking a lot of questions of experts in education and technology. It’s easy to think that harnessing technology in a school is a matter of buying computer hardware, setting up a wireless network and installing some applications and if there’s a problem, calling the help desk. To get the most out of an investment in technology, leaders should dig much deeper. What demands will the new curriculum have on the existing infrastructure? Using technology does not remove the need to cover specific standards-based content. Some teachers may use technology concurrent with lesson delivery, while others may switch between traditional lecturing and viewing online content. Will the content be bandwidth-needy? Some teachers might encourage students to search online for content to be integrated into papers and assignments, while other teachers may favor downloading videos to complement materials taught in the traditional method. Selectivity of curriculum is still essential to teaching even with the volume of content technology offers. How many students will technology serve concurrently? If a teacher assigns viewing a video as a study hall assignment, there’s the potential for 25 students (or more) to download and stream that video all at once. That type of assignment has a significant impact on the network architecture that should be in place. What is the comfort level of students with technology? This is likely to vary significantly from some students who know more about the technology than their teachers, to those who will require remedial training just to complete basic assignments. Have you identified access and equity as key concerns? Inequities between students and schools, both with regard to resources and life experiences, should be a fundamental concern. And what devices provide opportunity for equity and excellence? Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) does not provide equity
12 DataBus • Winter 2013
and therefore might be quickly pushed aside by lawsuits such as the Williams Settlement, which demanded that all students have textbooks. Schools should offer special needs students adaptive technologies that match their abilities. How does the school protect student privacy? It’s highly likely that a student with Internet access is going to access personal content at some point, such as a Facebook page. The school device and connection is a gateway for cyber threats and viruses, against which the school must protect the students and its own network. How does the school protect its physical assets? The same portability that makes tablets and laptops an attractive and flexible teaching solution also creates the potential for theft. Camera systems that schools employ impact network performance, which of course, affects students. Safety will also enhance the liberty to learn. Answers to these questions will enable IT teams to design, purchase, deploy and manage a network architecture that achieves the goals of all involved. To maximize the impact and effectiveness of integrating technology into the learning process and to achieve the highest ROI possible, leaders must begin with a plan that considers the questions posed above, and more. Technology is not a silver bullet and implemented without deep thought and planning can have unintended consequences. Thoughtful planning in implementing 1:1 student-to-computer ratios requires, at a minimum, a robust infrastructure to deliver new standards, new content, and new testing strategies. This infrastructure starts with the bandwidth available to districts and schools and builds upon a reasonable network of routers, switches and fiber. This becomes the basis to place wireless access points, cameras for security, video distribution equipment, VoIP, 1:1 computers or tablets for students, and the myriad other technology devices that are dependent upon a strong constant signal that robust networks provide. This is not a “build it and they will come” scenario. Rather, state and federal government regulations are forcing districts and schools to integrate new technologies at a rate not seen before. Now the students are here,
demanding newer and faster technologies. And they would like them… now. California’s education leaders have endured several years of walking a tightrope when trying to balance budget and technology needs. And looking ahead, implementing the Common Core Standards – and the new content and electronic testing strategies that will come with – will once again challenge these leaders. Catherine Banker has been involved with Education issues since the mid 1990s, working for Senator Bill Leonard who was instrumental in developing world class curriculum standards for California, as well as many other education initiatives. She served on the Curriculum Commission for California from 1998 to 2002 and then on the Commission for Teacher Credentialing from 2004 to 2007. Banker currently serves as the Director for Education Compliance for Vector Resources, Inc. ensuring that both Vector Resources, Inc. and its clients work within the rules and mandates of the E-rate program in order to build robust technology infrastructures in schools and libraries throughout California. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and in Anthropology and a Masters in Historical Archaeology. She can be reached at cbanker @ vectorresourcesusa .com. A graduate of UC Berkeley, majoring in United Stated History and Spanish, David Tokofsky taught ESL and AP Government/ Politics in Los Angeles. Tokofsky coached the first National Academic Decathlon Championship Team in California. He won the United States Department of Education’s Christa McAuliffe Teacher of the Year Fellowship. He served 12 years on the LAUSD Board of Education. He served on the California School Board’s Board of Directors and the Steering Committee of the Urban Boards of Education for NSBA. Currently he consults and strategizes for education related groups. He can be reached at davidtokofsky@gmail.com.
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TECHNOLOGY
It’s “ON[the]LINE” Technology Policies That Make Sense Today! “So what’s your Facebook policy?”
By Dr. Kelly J. Calhoun
If you’re in educational leadership today, you’ve likely been asked this question, and a hundred others like it. And, if you’ve heard questions like these, it may have struck you as odd that you keep hearing them being asked again and again. That’s because no one ever seems able to land upon that elusive magic formula. The one where he or she feels certain their policies have adequately captured the ever-changing, crazy world that is technology use today. Trying to write “technology policies,” per se, in such a volatile and ever-changing environment is akin to what I refer to as the “nailing Jell-o to a wall” phenomenon. Just as you feel you have it “nailed,” it changes, moves and you’re right back where you started, unsure you’ve landed on policies that protect your organization, or serve and guide your students and staff. You’re surrounded daily with challenges and questions relating to technology use. Students and their cell phones. Staff members caught shopping excessively online. An anonymous, nasty online quote about a principal. Unauthorized video. Questions about teachers communicating with students on social media (Facebook being only one of several vehicles). The issues just keep coming, each one seemingly bringing yet another twist you haven’t seen before. You hear stories of potential complex legal pitfalls awaiting you at every turn. You keep thinking, Somebody’s surely figured all this out, right? Right? And yet the questions keep coming. So what’s the answer? How do we stop the leaks in a dam with a million holes in it (when here we are with only ten fingers)? And the answer? It’s to stop creating technology policies. What… wait a minute. Did she say, “STOP creating technology policies???” I’m up to my eyeballs in technology issues, and she’s saying to stop creating technology policies? What kind of crazy talk IS this?!?!?! The answer is astonishingly simple, fairly easy to apply and counter-intuitive all at once. And yes, it’s even something we can join forces and do together, with the help of some of our most trusted professional organizations around the state. CSBA (the California School Boards Association), CETPA (the California Educational Technology Professionals Association), ACSA, the Santa Clara County Office of Education, CUE (Computer Using Educators), Fagen, Friedman, Fulfrost, and others have joined forces to help develop resources to help every California district and COE. ON[the]LINE is a new statewide effort focused on tackling this challenge. This unique initiative seeks to
14 DataBus • Winter 2013
provide relief to beleaguered districts, county offices of education, and others, bringing together a suite of resources districts can use to either adopt new, CSBAapproved policies in alignment with this approach, or adapt existing local policies in alignment with the initiative’s guidelines. And it will additionally provide help in the development of local technology use guidelines, professional development, and more. So how’s it work? ON[the]LINE is built upon understanding a simple principle about technology use today and why our old approach for this doesn’t work anymore. You can understand it by answering these two questions:
What’s at the core of your typical technology policies today? Technology! And what’s the flaw to that? You’re building policies around a constantly moving target. For example, today’s “Facebook policy” becomes irrelevant tomorrow when students and teachers begin communicating via an array of other non-Facebook tools. Every scenario you imagine and try to capture will be a different one tomorrow.
And, what is it we’re really trying to influence with technology policies for our staff and students? Human behavior! What we discover is that the problems we’re trying to solve are not actually technology problems at all. Want to test this theory? Answer these questions: Johnny copies his entire essay from an article he finds online and submits it as his own work. • What is the principle at play here? • Is this a technology problem? Would it not be more accurate to say the challenges we need to confront are plagiarism and cheating, whether by photocopying from a book, copying somebody’s paper, or from the Internet? Mr. Smith, the science teacher, spends half his day in class gambling online. continued on page 16
It’s “ON[the]LINE” continued from page 14
• What is the principle at play here? • Is this a technology problem? Would it not be more accurate to say the challenge we need to confront is neglecting (sometimes criminally) his professional duties, whether by gambling online, surfing porn, or reading a book in class while neglecting his students? You’re getting the gist. It turns out we don’t need to list every imaginable activity online (not that we ever really could). We need to be able to clearly define what our professional behavioral standards are for our teachers and staff. Those standards should govern behavior and expectations, regardless of what technologies exist today or tomorrow. Are your teachers and staff clear on what yours are? As you test each policy against these guiding principles, we find that it’s the human behavior standards that can be applied consistently, regardless of the technologies rapidly changing around them. Your policies around specific social networking tools become policies around appropriate communications between staff and students (because isn’t that what your real concern is?). Your policies around cellphone use
merge into your policies on appropriate classroom behavior and academic honesty (because isn’t that what your real concern is?). Your policies around bullying are really about any form of bullying, whether in person or online. The examples go on and on. Even better, this new approach holds the promise of helping us in our quest to keep education relevant, and to help foster the development of students prepared to live and work in a 21st-century environment where technology is ubiquitous. Don’t kid yourself. Most students walking through your doors are already arriving with the Internet in their pocket these days. It’s no longer practical to imagine ourselves tightening our grip on the use of technology both in and outside school to confront these challenges. The genie’s out of the bottle and it’s not going back in. We need to adapt to this new world and prepare our students and staff for survival and success in this environment. Yes, there are very specific requirements associated with protecting students online (and seemingly new legislation being passed every year based on whatever’s the latest hot topic), but this approach allows for incorporating and addressing those requirements
into the appropriate areas of your policy. Okay, Kelly, this sounds like a good idea. But we have no time, money or people left to throw at this. Wouldn’t it be great if we didn’t all have to do this on our own? If we could join forces and come up with model policies and other resources that any district or COE could use? That’s where ON[the] LINE comes in, with each of its partners providing solutions. In a phased approach, CSBA is incorporating these principles into its policy updates as they come up for renewal. For example, you may have noticed the recent update to Bullying (BP 5131.2) which addresses the new requirements, but also incorporates the language around cyberbullying into this same section. This practice of consolidating technology references into the relevant areas of behavior, rather than creating separate (and often redundant) policies specific to technology, has the additional benefit of simplifying enforcement and reducing potential for confusion. Where you see key phrases like, “whether in person or online,” you know a policy is focused on the behavior, not the technology itself. (See also CSBA’s August Policy Brief, “A New Approach to Technology Policies.”) The development of policies is just one leg on this particular table and just a start. These need to be followed by additional guidelines and helpful resources for your staff, as well as appropriate professional development. ON[the]LINE’s other partners are working on the development of these resources as well. So how will all of this roll out? Work is being done now on the initiative’s website (http://onthelineca.org), which will be the clearinghouse of news, education, information and resources being shared. Some resources will be available right away, but updates and additions will be continuously added. This process of changing the relevant policies will take some time, as CSBA will only be able to address a few at a time, but eventually, it anticipates incorporating the principles of the initiative into all its policies. And the other partners in the initiative are gearing up to share available resources and ideas in the months to come as well. Dr. Kelly J. Calhoun is the Chief Technology Officer/Assistant Superintendent at Santa Clara County Office of Education. She has served on the CETPA Board of Directors in various positions over several years including President and currently serves as Secretary. Kelly can be reached at kelly_calhoun@sccoe.org.
16 DataBus • Winter 2013
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These are exciting times because the average consumer is now engaged in the very thing to which we have dedicated our careers.
18 DataBus • Winter 2013
he consumerization of technology is a controversial issue as it relates to the business of Information Technology (IT) management. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the K-12 sector of IT. One need only skim through the numerous trade journals and listservs to see that there are impassioned opinions on all sides. Although the term “consumerization of technology” is relatively new (think iPhone, iPad, Chrome Books, etc.) the fundamental IT management issues are the same: How to balance restrictive control, user autonomy and everything in between. K-12 IT professionals must decide whether they will take a gatekeeper approach to “lock down” IT resources, or empower their users to take advantage of powerful new technologies available to the average consumer. This is a brief case study of how my district has approached the proliferation of consumer tech, looking specifically at our strategy in providing iPhones to district staff. I began my career in K-12 tech in 2002 as a helpdesk technician at a county office of education. My position was unique in that I was hired by the IT department to be the dedicated technician to the Instructional Services department. This was a challenge to say the least. On the one hand, I was a proud member of team IT. On the other hand, I had to advocate on behalf of Instructional Services in order to support projects that were necessarily pushing the boundaries of what IT was willing to support. It was an invaluable and positive learning experience. As an IT professional, I knew what could and couldn’t be done; yet I was in the position of being both the user and the gatekeeper. I was coming to IT as one of its own, while at the same time wearing my Instructional Services hat. This allowed me to see the perspectives and needs of both end-user and IT alike. Even though my responsibilities eventually changed from helpdesk to network administration (which had me dedicated to IT 100 percent), my initial role as an equal player in both departments prepared me to step out and lead the way as an IT director for a school district. The expectations and challenges faced by managers of IT have evolved dramatically over the past five years. It might be argued that the strategies we employ to manage our mobile devices most clearly highlight our service philosophy as it relates to the consumerization of technology. Do we have a “lock down” mentality, even if it cripples the features and potential of these uniquely personal devices, or do we act as positive enablers and tech gurus to ensure that mobile devices are used to their fullest potential? Do we embrace the growth of consumer tech or restrict it? My district adopted the iPhone in 2008. We hit the
ground running with 40-plus iPhones for all administrators, managers, supervisors and technology staff. The launch was pretty simple: • We ordered, received, and inventoried our iPhones. • We provided instructions on how to connect to district Wi-Fi and set up district email accounts on the iPhone. • We then distributed the devices to our users. • We also provided a path for our users to port existing mobile numbers to their district phones, so they wouldn’t have to carry a personal and work device. • No official training. No provisioning. No locking down of features. Our strategy was to allow our users to manage their iPhones themselves. They are, in fact, consumer devices and can be efficiently managed as such. That is not to say that our users believed they could do anything they wanted with their phones. Rather, we drafted a mobile acceptable use policy (AUP) and use agreement. All users know, and formally agree to, the fact that the devices are district assets for the primary purpose of meeting the needs of the district. Four years later, our strategy hasn’t changed. We now have 75-plus iPhones assigned district-wide. Things have remained, for the most part, simple. We’ve been through one carrier change and four device upgrades. All have gone off without a hitch. Our focus has been to enable our users to use their mobile devices to their fullest potential rather than trying to exercise control over the use, functions, and abilities of the devices themselves. IT staff are regarded as gurus and practitioners of consumer tech rather than gatekeepers and enforcers. What about a mobile device management strategy? Given the case study above (iPhones for staff), we don’t think we need one. We have policies and procedures that outline the appropriate use of our mobile devices and employees are held accountable in following them, just as they are held accountable in following all district policies. But we do not lock down devices in order to prevent users from violating our policies. In my humble opinion, IT managers should only employ “lock-down” strategies when it is in the best interest of their users, and only when they have the approval (and full understanding) of their Superintendent. Restrictive measures should be implemented when they are necessary by law, and when they are necessary to secure district data from imminent threat. We do not bear the responsibility of enforcing behavior (or blocking behaviors). We must abide by applicable laws, district policies and regulations, making decisions based on what is best for our users and community. continued on page 25
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Who’s Going to Pay for All This Future?
M By Mark Heydon
If William the Conqueror was the disruptive technology of the 11th century, then William Caxton was the Steve Jobs of the 15th century and his printing press was the iPad
20 DataBus • Winter 2013
assive events have massive effects. On Oct. 15th, 1066, in what was the single greatest day in the history of the English language, William the Conqueror invaded England. Overnight, the “Norman I nvasion” changed “deer meat” to “venison,”a English women stopped “sweating” and began “perspiring,” and the map of the English language was permanently redrawn by taking first one language, German, and layering a second language, French, over it without a second’s thought for grammar, vocabulary, or spelling. Or lesson plans. So it is with invasions. They just happen. Invasions are 1) unavoidable; 2) change is immediate and extraordinary; and 3) the pressure on invader and invaded to figure out the future is immense. And, as we know, invasions cost money. Lots of money. Because massive events have massive effects. Who’s going to pay for all this future? Five hundred dollars, no surge in test scores, and no one knows where all this “future” is taking us. Take the iPad. If William the Conqueror was the disruptive technology of the 11th century, then William Caxton was the Steve Jobs of the 15th century and his printing press was the iPad. Caxton set up his printing press in London in 1476 and soon books were cheap, literacy was caused, and education—the unintended consequence of reading—spread. It was the first great techno-invasion. And it proved that cost is relative. In the late 15th century, no one knew what books would do to the masses. In fact, it wasn’t until the industrial revolution in the 19th century that teaching a person to read was found to be good for the functioning of the factories. Public schools were opened. Testing began. It took nearly 400 years to justify the costs. It also proves that although the future is inevitable, the present isn’t. What we invent, we use. If we can test, we test. If we can store data, we collect data to store. The entire advancement of human civilization is the history of creative self-victimization.
If we have a $500 iPad, we will use it because we can use it. Yet, the obligations of the present commit the future. If we use iPads now, we will have an iPad future. If we used pencils, we’ll have a pencil future. It is the dictatorial nature of the present. Second off, is all this future necessary? The problem with this, however, has to do with our expectations. It’s our educational theory that Huge is the result of Big and that if we can just take Big, jiggle it around a bit, it will cause the future of Great. The truth is: 1) technology has yet to be developed to an educationally usable level; and 2) we know more about Mars than we do about education. Google, Microsoft and Apple are not our friends. Their technology is for business. For personal use. For paying customers with lots of money or for those who don’t have a lot of money but who are willing to give up eating for an iPhone. They did not build anything for “classroom use.” Nonetheless, thousands of teachers are scrambling about, trying to incorporate their gadgets into lessons. This is scavenging, not teaching. Sadly, scavenging is natural to educators. How does a student learn? Does the teacher’s personality make a difference? Does method? Why do some techniques work one day in one class and fizzle the next day in a different class? Despite years of training and experience, teachers seem to be constantly changing how, even why, they teach. They feel as though they are constantly falling behind, yet the world doesn’t fall apart and students are strangely educated.1 No one would confuse a book with its contents. No one would say, “See, we gave you print books, now test scores should go up.” Books are a delivery device. We’re not even sure if there is a link between the wired device and traditional learning. A book is a book and its use is mono-purposed and its worth has been reasonably proven. We expect more out of 1 For an insight into the quandaries of a modern, techno-teacher: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/06/ opinion/06iht-edwolf.4.7405396.html
technology. We expect it to perform even if we’re not sure how we want it to perform. So, do we need all this future? The answer is, yes, we do. We’re stuck with the future. It isn’t going away. And we know the future is techno-centric, but it may be four hundred years away. So, who’s paying for all this future? The people who are asking this question are clinging to three misconceptions: 1) that someone is going to have to pay for this future; 2) that this is an important question, and; 3) that controlling how much the future is going to cost us is possible. No one pays for the future. It just happens. The costs, however, are defrayed, paid mostly by distant governments and the corporate rich. (It has been said that if everyone had an iPad, everyone would pay their taxes. It’s the Hollywood effect. Glamor buys iPads, but budgets buy textbooks, laptops and desks.). Who wants students to go mano-a-mano with a lump of metal? Few districts have been successful refusing technology. The question also takes no account of yet unknown revenue streams—that the future never fails to invent even newer and greater and more expensive reasons to spend money, and the popular misconception that the future depends on economics and not the reverse. The present will always tax its future. What happens when the inevitable meets the unaffordable? It is a misguided and false belief that we must “afford” something before we invest in it. We have never not funded a) a war; b) a pestilence; c) a new stadium; d) education. Okay, the last one we have reneged on. But I suggest two options. One is that we ignore the cost and, as with war, just do it. We pay too much time worrying about what economists say. It is, after all, the boring science. In 30 years of teaching teenagers, they have taught me that if we just ignore anything that’s boring, such as homework, it will eventually go away. The second is for us to select one person to pay all the bills and we send the invoices all to him. Whoa, hear me out. Here’s how it works: You send your IOUs to, say, me. I die. The executors distribute the proceeds. Leftover debts go away with me. My current estate consisting of a slightly worn, high mileage, ’96 Toyota pickup worth maybe a grand, covers the
costs. Okay, there’s a little overrun and there’ll be some clawback, but, hey, you choose some new shill, upgrade, and do it all over again. Before you start singing, “For he’s a jolly good fellow,” remember that this only works if we can find someone with just a few years left. To be sure of turnover, we may need to start taking volunteers on an either-“or else” basis. But that shouldn’t be too hard. The future is, after all, going
to be inevitable and expensive. We may all want to check out a little early. Mark Heydon is an English teacher at Shoreline Unified School District in Sonoma County and a Certified Chief Technology Officer as a member of CTO Mentor Program Class of 2008. He can be reached at mheydon@shorelineusd.org.
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CUE VIEW
Common Core Standards and Technology—A Non-Starter
A By David D. Thornburg, PhD
What saddens me is to see schools that would (properly) freak out if their libraries were closed, but that neither know nor care that the school does not have a shop in which kids can invent and build stuff.
t a time when NCLB is being dismantled piece by piece, the move to Common Core Standards should be applauded by those who feel we have been too standards centered, thus stripping teachers of the flexibility they need to do interesting projects with students. In their defense, the Common Core Standards are pedagogy neutral, meaning they can be used as easily in project-based learning environment as within traditional classrooms. By implication, the recent modifications to NCLB and the rise of Common Core can be seen as a revolt against the test-driven mentality fostered in the past. So why am I concerned? First, the new standards focus on language arts and mathematics. All other subjects are buried under a language arts strand: Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects. Under this category, one finds the need to use primary sources and to cite sources in reports. Yippee. Nowhere (and this is my major gripe) is the topic of technology explored in any meaningful way. Beyond doing research on the Internet, the Standards remain silent. On the positive front, this gives teachers the freedom to do what they want in this area, unencumbered by standards. On the downside, our romance with standards is far from over, and many will use these standards to avoid exploring the messy and creative domain of technology extending beyond web searches. For example, isn’t programming a language art of sorts? Why isn’t it mentioned? The Standards focus on learning about topics, not in learning how technologists work or think. And, as far as engineering goes, it is completely ignored, even though these Standards claim to relate to careers as well as college. “Stdents should build and operate their own computer-controlled robotic device representing an activity that takes place in industry.” No worries … I wrote that one; it is not from the Standards. The only context in which the word “build” appears in the Standards is the following, found in the College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing:
Research to Build and Present Knowledge
9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. In other words, all the “building” mentioned in the Standards relates to head work, not hand work. I’m sorry, but there is a heck of a lot of important learning that involves experimentation and the actual doing of a task. We have already seen that STEM education really means science and math education in many schools— with technology and engineering either minimized or completely ignored. (By the way, real technology use goes far beyond web searches, word processing, and the creation of presentations.) And, so, with the continued conscious abandonment of educational activities that are of actual value, it falls to Make Magazine, the Instructables website (www.instructables.com), and the local Radio Shack store to provide the kinds of projects and tools that kids should master if they want to learn useful things relevant to their careers. I’m not trashing literacy, language arts or even mathematics. These are truly important. Heck, I earn a living off my mouth and keyboard, so I’m the last one to criticize these fields. Yes, I once thought that a dependent clause was one of Santa’s helpers, but now I know better—all thanks to a robust language arts program. But this language arts program in public high school was conducted in a building where every kid learned how to build stuff in machine shops, foundries, electronics shops, etc. Yes, we learned to use our minds and our hands—every day. What saddens me is to see schools that would (properly) freak out if their libraries were closed, but that neither know nor care that the school does not have a shop in which kids can invent and build stuff. Our economic recovery depends on those creative minds that actually design and build things—the inventors tinkering in their workshops; the engineers who are as adept with soldering irons as we expect children to be with pencils. With Common Core, we had the chance to at least acknowledge the importance of these skills. Without their mention, they will likely continue to be ignored to our national detriment. As far as learning anything meaningful about technology, Common Core is useless.
7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation. 8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.
David D. Thornburg, PhD, is Director of the Thornburg Center for Space Exploration and is currently designing educational holodecks for schools in the U.S. and Brazil. More information on his current projects can be found on the briefings page at www.tcse-k12. org. He can also be reached at dthornburg@aol.com.
22 DataBus • Winter 2013
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MEMBER PROFILE
DataBus Chats with Ian
Byerrum
By Lisa Kopochinski, DataBus Editor
What are your responsibilities as technology coordinator for the Ackerman Charter School District? My job responsibilities cover just about everything technology related for my district. Ackerman is a small, single-school district in Auburn, about 30 miles northeast of Sacramento, and the technology staff includes myself and my part-time assistant. I regularly find myself changing job hats on an minute-to-minute basis, including I T support, EdTech coach, managing technology projects, developing tech plans and policies and many others. I also teach the robotics and computer science classes for our middle school students. Some days though, it feels like my responsibilities cover anything that plugs into an electrical socket. How long have you been in the computer industry? I’ve been working as the technology coordinator for the past six years. Before that, I was a middle school math teacher. What drew you to the industry? What do you like most about it? I grew up in a family of educators, and I made the mistake of thinking that I could escape the “family business.” Midway through college, I decided to change majors from computer science to teaching, and after receiving my credential, started work-
24 DataBus • Winter 2013
ing as a math teacher. I never lost interest in technology, and soon began teaching the technology electives. When the opportunity came to focus on technology, I felt like my career plans had come full circle. I love that I can work in both technology and education. When did you join CETPA and why? I formally joined CETPA in 2009 and shortly afterwards participated in the CTO Mentor program. I had known about CETPA for a year or two prior, but never really took the time to look into it. I wish that I would have joined CETPA earlier, as I’ve found the support, resources, and conferences to be invaluable in my professional growth. Where does CETPA need to grow? Working in a small school district in a rural community can feel quite lonely at times. I think CETPA is moving in a great direction by chartering and supporting regional technology groups. Our local Gold Country CETPA regional group has reached out to all of the area school districts in the area with the message of support and inclusion. As a result, we’ve seen several small district technologists in attendances who are new to CETPA.
What is the greatest challenge facing the industry and how can it be overcome? I think the greatest, or perhaps most immediate, challenge currently involves how to successfully prepare for the new Smarter Balanced assessments and Common Core curriculum. I am fortunate that my district greatly supports our technology programs, and with the new curriculum and assessments we are recognizing the need to heavily invest in new platforms and methodologies. The challenge that I see is implementing a strategy that fulfills the requirements of Smarter Balanced, encourages teachers and students to shift their ways of teaching and learning to best take advantage of any new tools, and turns out to be the correct decision the first time through. This last part is the one that keeps me up at night. Two of the primary hurdles I’ve faced are the limited information available and uncertainty in funding any new purchases. To overcome this challenge, I have invested countless hours researching, collaborating with other local districts, meeting with our diverse group of district stakeholders, and informing those stakeholders the various options we have available to develop our plan. Whatever strategy my district adopts will need to be both ambitious and cautious, as we can only do so much with the resources available.
Gatekeepers or Gurus? continued from page 18
There’s no question that these are times of exponential growth in technology. Connected consumer devices are becoming increasingly powerful, and prevalent. There was a time when any service provided by the IT department could only be provided by the IT department. If IT didn’t provide online file storage, you didn’t have it. If IT didn’t provide you with an online calendar, you didn’t have one. Those days are long past. Our users are now able to do more with consumer level technologies than we are able to provide with our limited expertise and resources. My
users should not have to take a technological step backward when they walk onto my campuses. My hope is that they would regard me as a tech guru rather than a gatekeeper. These are exciting times because the average consumer is now engaged in the very thing to which we have dedicated our careers. That will either scare us, and cement us, into the role of gatekeeper, or it will encourage us to continue to be leaders and gurus of IT, empowering our users to fully utilize the resources available to them in consumer technology.
David is the Chief Business Officer (formerly Director of Information Systems) at the East Whittier City School District, a K-8 of about 9,500 students, in Whittier, Calif. He has been with EWCSD for five years and lives in Whittier with his wife and two kids. David has been a CETPA member since 2004 and has been working in ED-Tech since 2002. He can be reached at dfeliciano@ ewcsd.org.
President’s Message continued from page 6
late this spring. The CETPA Clinic will be on May 17, 2013, at the Santa Clara County Office of Education. Then, we hope you will join us at our 53rd Annual Conference in Pasadena, Nov. 19–22. Registration will open early in 2013 on www.cetpa.net.
Transitions CETPA’s strategic plan will provide focus for our organization in a year of transitions. The expansion to K20, the rapid growth in our membership, new programs like CAMSA, and regionalization are all part of an exciting future for CETPA. We are also excited to welcome Phil Scrivano, our newest Board Member. Phil has a remarkably broad background in education, with a great depth of expertise in technology. He will be a great addition to our team. Phil will be taking the role vacated by our retiring Board Member, Sandy Ching. Sandy has been an active, dedicated CETPA Member and Board Member for many years. She will be sorely missed. As you face similar transitions in your organizations, we hope that DataBus can help you find solutions, take comfort and focus. In this issue, you will find great articles about planning for the transition to Common Core, from infrastructure to instruction. You will also see a roadmap for going one-to-one that withstands even our uncertain economic times. If you find yourself in the same balancing act as me —the immediate versus the strategic —this issue of DataBus is a timely and valuable resource. Enjoy!
Brianne Meyer is the Chief Technology Officer for the Irvine Unified School District in Orange County, California. She has been working in education technology for more than ten years. She currently serves as President of the CETPA Board of Directors and can be reached at bmeyer@iusd.org.
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Resource Guide & Advertiser’s Index CONTROLLER LESS WI-FI - LESS HARDWARE - MORE VALUE
STUDENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS
Aerohive (866) 918-9918 www.aerohive.com Please see our ad on page................................................................... 23
Eagle Software (888) 487-7555 www.aeries.com Please see our ad on page...............................................................2 & 9
ERATE/CTF CONSULTANT - TECHNOLOGY DESIGN SERVICES
Edupoint Educational Systems (800) 338-7646 www.edupoint.com Please see our ad on page..................................................................... 4
Infinity Communications & Consulting (661) 716-1840 www.infinitycomm.com Please see our ad on page................................................................... 16 FILE COMPRESSION SOFTWARE FOR STORAGE
Neuxpower Solutions Ltd. 44(0)2074248700 www.neuxpower.com Please see our ad on page................................................................... 25 FINANCIAL/HUMAN RESOURCES
Sungard Public Sector (866) 905-8989 www.sungard.com/K-12 Please see our ad on page................................................................... 17 Tyler Technologies (800) 431-5776 www.tylertech.com Please see our ad on page..................................................................... 3 INTEGRATED NETWORK SOLUTIONS PROVIDER
Vector Resources, Inc. (800) 929-4516 www.vectorusa.com Please see our ad on page................................................................... 11 MANAGED NETWORK SOLUTIONS
Vector Resources, Inc. (800) 929-4516 www.vectorusa.com Please see our ad on page................................................................... 11 NETWORK SOLUTIONS & SERVERS & PC SOLUTIONS
Sehi Computer Products, Inc. (800) 346-6315 www.sehi.com Please see our ad on page................................................................... 21 SOLUTIONS PROVIDER
Decotech (800) 597-0757 www.decotech.com Please see our ad on page..................................................................... 7
Infinite Campus, Inc. (800) 850-2335 www.infinitecampus.com/california Please see our ad on page................................................................... 15 Pearson School Systems (877) 873-1550 www.pearsonschoolsystems.com Please see our ad on page................................................................... 27 Sungard Public Sector (866) 905-8989 www.sungard.com/K-12 Please see our ad on page................................................................... 17 Tyler Technologies (800) 431-5776 www.tylertech.com Please see our ad on page..................................................................... 3 TURNKEY TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS AND CURRICULUM INTEGRATION
IVS Computer Technology (877) 945-3900 or (661) 831-3900 www.ivsct.net Please see our ad on page.......................................................Back Cover USER ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT
Advanced Toolware (888) 770-4242 www.tools4ever.com Please see our ad on page................................................................... 19 AD INDEX
Advanced Toolware............................................................................ 19 Aerohive............................................................................................. 23 Decotech.............................................................................................. 7 Eagle Software................................................................................2 & 9 Edupoint Educational Systems.............................................................. 4 Infinite Campus, Inc............................................................................ 15
NWN (800) 660-0430 www.NWNIT.com Please see our ad on page................................................................... 13
Infinity Communications & Consulting............................................... 16
STUDENT ASSESSMENT SYSTEMS
NWN.................................................................................................. 13
Pearson School Systems (877) 873-1550 www.pearsonschoolsystems.com Please see our ad on page................................................................... 27
Pearson School Systems..................................................................... 27
IVS Computer Technology................................................... Back Cover Neuxpower Solutions Ltd.................................................................. 25
Sehi Computer Products, Inc............................................................. 21 Sungard Public Sector......................................................................... 17 Tyler Technologies................................................................................ 3 Vector Resources, Inc......................................................................... 11
26 DataBus • Winter 2013
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