Setting+Technology+Standards

**Setting Technology Standards Kayser Hall 341 Facilitators: Tom McClung Omaha Public Schools Notetaker: Regina Lupo Omaha Public Schools Description: This session is for those interested in setting technology standards for equipment and software across a school district. Talking Points: Key questions that will be addressed include: What is the process for setting standards in school districts? What is the involvement of IT and Curriculum Departments in setting standards? How frequently are standards reviewed and updated? What steps are taken to enforce technology standards?**  

Notes OPS – Technology Standards Committee – reps from School, departments and technicians – to review existing standards or set new standards in regard to hardware. Also decisions made on operational software. Set standards for school level use i.e., Elem – Mac, 2ndary -PC with exceptions. Magnet schools are those that have unique programs that may require exceptions to standards if unique for the school program. Approve or disapprove. Tech Curriculum Committee – approval of curricular projects (software and technology) Approve or Disapprove.
 * 1. What is the process for setting standards in school districts?**

Gretna – Tech people with little outside input. Meet and revisit technology matrix that sets the standards for grade level technology. Try to fit into curriculum. Hardware and software, especially curricular software decisions. Asst Super is responsible for decisions for purchase. Fit into current hardware structure. PTA purchases require adapting by tech department. Typically techs make computer purchase.

Council Bluffs, Has curricular admin tat reviews and initiates software purchase. Put through the tech department to ensure ability to use. Needs to stay on standard.

Pap-LaVista – not sure if there is a standard for purchases.

Does Curriculum dictate standards? CB – Curriculum decisions dictate hardware Gretna – Collective decision on what is going to be used - some leeway on the purchase. Hardware and Software is prescribed by the district. Teachers cannot purchase other software although some may provide additional support software on their own, but is limited. OPS – Hardware is prescribed but software is not always. Problem because current standard may not support the new software, which may not work on the older OS.
 * 2. What is the involvement of IT and Curriculum Departments in setting standards?**

OPS – Regular meetings for review of new requests, and review of older hardware as new versions emerge. CB – Once a year review of standards (hardware), software, not sure, although the committee reviews monthly. Subcommittees review and send to main committee. Staff drive a lot of the decisions. IT department drives as well. Gretna – annual review o hardware, software annually as well. Decisions made but Superintendent and curricular committee. Finances can drive decisions as well. Are there joint meetings of people that look at this? CB – executive committee (IT, major reps and CFO) Pap-LaVista – IT OPS – Executive Council (Super and 5 Asst Super’s)
 * 3. How frequently are standards reviewed and updated?**

CB – Hardware purchase, get no support if not standard and cannot use it in the district. OPS – Hardware purchase, no support, no network, not allowed to bring to site to use. Source of money makes no difference, cannot purchase outside standards – volume discounts and support of hardware affect purchase decision. Gretna – Could buy outside standard if principal approves.
 * 4. What steps are taken to enforce technology standards?**

__Does purchasing support these requests?__ CB – attempts to catch and send to IT to make the decision. OPS – Purchasing supports IT. Gretna – Superintendent reviews purchasing and will red-flag.

__Who uses Procurement cards or PTO purchases? Does it go back through IT?__ CB – Sometimes gets missed – PTO bought refurbished computers but problems arose. OPS - Often gets missed until after the fact. Sometimes thought to be used to override District Standard decision.

__Do you feel standards are necessary and are there others that want to do whatever they choose? Yes and Yes.__


 * 5. Additional discussion. Why necessary? Is there too much emphasis on conformity of standards?**

For volume discounts, learning community consistency, etc – should we look at something broader than individual standards? May not work because across state lines there may be different standards. Within the Omaha districts, could this work? We can learn from one another.

Gretna - We need to adapt better. We lag behind the business world. We need to try to fit the real world into our classrooms.

OPS – On a bell curve, we need to get to a stable position, and know what is the advanced range. Money plays a large roll in this decision. So does the speed at which technology changes and advances. Standards should be all about learning, the curriculum. Technology is a powerful tool, but still just a tool.