"Cloudy" Future of the School CIO - new article

Always fun to find an email like this waiting in the inbox

Hi Doug,

Greetings of the day!

Please find the attached online link of the magazine and high, low resolution reprint PDF's of your article.
http://magazine.cioreview.com/magazines/December2015/K12/

Thank you so much for your contribution, it was pleasure working with you for our edition. 

Best,
Kyle
___________________
Kyle Summers
Assistant EditorCIO Review

Here is how the piece begins...

For 23 years the sign above my parking space at the district’s technology department offices read “AV Coordinator.” That’s because that was the position for which I was hired in 1991. Intranets, large data systems, firewalls, VOIP telephone systems, and even e-mail were all mostly just a twinkle in eye of digital pioneers operating at universities and in research labs, not a part of the K-12 educational system.

As technologies became standard in schools, the title of the “AV Coordinator” morphed into that of “Technology Director” and the position now changed yet again to “CTO” or “CIO”, especially in larger school districts.

The change has not been in name only, but also in job responsibilities and skills needed to perform the technology leadership role in the district. Since 1991 computers have become ubiquitous on both teachers’ desks and in students’ backpacks. Networks have allowed the flow of data among lab machines, then among classrooms, then among buildings, and now out to the world via the web. Connectivity has gone from being wired to wireless. Data has become mission critical to administrators, teachers, and parents. Our databases have become integrated with the student information system synchronizing data with food services, transportation, HR, finance, communications programs, learning systems, and a host of other smaller, but critical applications. Telephones, video, and security systems all need the data network to function. Sophisticated learning management systems are replacing textbooks, gradebooks, and worksheets, plus offering a host of more interactive and differentiated experiences for students.

School CIOs are currently experiencing yet another seismic shift in responsibilities as our data systems become hosted by organizations and companies outside our district networks and support is contracted rather than hired. As our district has moved increasingly to “the cloud,” my role as technology director for the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage (MN) schools, a public school district of about 9300 students, is changing yet again.

Enjoy...

Comments

[Kenn Gorman]

Whether you are a CIO or CEO or AVC I hope the KEEP you!