Stop the summer slide - in your tech department

I love hearing the comment "Now that summer is here, you must be able to relax in the technology department. How do you keep busy until the kids come back?"

Anyone who works in educational technology knows that while summer work is different than school year work, we do manage to keep rather busy. Gee, what's on our list this summer...?

• Support professional development for teachers and summer school (school never really lets out)
• Upgrade servers and networks
• Train and orient new staff
• Replace end-of-life computers and other equipment (we'll be swapping out about 175 wireless access points this summer and up to 200 teacher computers )
• Participate in digital literacy curriculum development
• Move equipment within and between buildings (lots of old desktop labs going away this summer due to 1:1 programs expanding) Recycle, recycle, recycle.

• "Roll-in" our 1:1 Chromebooks from seniors - wipe, clean, repair, store, etc - only about 600 or so
• Plan "roll-out" of 2100 Chromebooks to middle schoolers in August, including distribution and staff training
• Re-image computers throughout district
• Move teachers who change classrooms
• Meet one-on-one with all principals for planning
• Monitor new construction activities
• Gather and pay invoices for yearly licenses
• Attend conferences and do personal PD
• Get caught up on well-deserved vacation time before it is lost

Probably the biggest challenge I face is that there is a sense that summer will last forever and there is little urgency to any of these tasks. My own version of the summer slide. Then come early August and the to-do list has not shrunk as much as it should have. Our department continues to meet during the summer, discussing our tasks and setting priorities and deadlines, moving forward rather than sliding back like the director.

Summer work is challenging. Not as much fun without as many kids and teachers around. Bat least we can wear our jeans and tennies.

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Comments

[Mwela Hillary]

Very true.