1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,000 Episode 5. 2 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:16,000 In previous episodes, I set out the characteristics of good IT systems in schools. 3 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:19,000 I suggested they are appropriately designed for teaching, 4 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:22,000 properly configured for security and functionality, 5 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:25,000 and reasonably implemented so they can be sustained. 6 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:32,000 In this episode, I focus on the continuous improvement that happens as appropriate designs are properly configured. 7 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:36,000 We know there are different groups responsible for design and configuration, 8 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:40,000 but they must cooperate and collaborate if the system is going to be both. 9 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:46,000 And this cooperation and collaboration is iterative, so they never really finish their work. 10 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:48,000 So, it is really a cycle. 11 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:51,000 Yes, it is, and it must be. 12 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:55,000 Teachers change along with curriculum and instructional practice, 13 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:58,000 and IT must be prepared to respond to those changes. 14 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:01,000 New tools emerge and are integrated into the system, 15 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:07,000 so together educators and IT professionals create the systems that meet everyone's needs. 16 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:12,000 Teachers can teach with it, and IT knows it's a cure, and it can be managed. 17 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:15,000 Most IT projects begin with system requirements. 18 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:18,000 Is that where you suggest they begin? 19 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:23,000 Yes, but with the understanding that the system requirements for educational projects 20 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:27,000 and the system requirements for business projects are really much different. 21 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:31,000 Yes, IT needs to know what it's building, and so we begin there, 22 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:37,000 but those requirements are clarified when the system is used with students, but not before. 23 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:41,000 We can test all we want, but until the IT is deployed with students, 24 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:47,000 we really don't know what we need, so our system requirements are really just a guess. 25 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:51,000 This really is different from what IT professionals experience in business settings. 26 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:56,000 There, they clearly know the hardware requirements, the software requirements, the data requirements. 27 00:01:56,000 --> 00:01:59,000 We know who exactly is going to be accessing the systems, 28 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:03,000 so our test environments can closer resemble our production environments. 29 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:10,000 Students are a reality in production environments that we just can't reliably replicate in test environments, though. 30 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:13,000 How do IT professionals respond to this? 31 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:19,000 I have heard IT professionals in schools say, you know, hey, I built what they asked for. 32 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:21,000 If they needed something else, they should have asked for it. 33 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:23,000 Now, I understand that response. 34 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:24,000 I mean, they're all overworked. 35 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:26,000 They're trying to get a thousand things done in a day, 36 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:32,000 but I think those who have that attitude are really ill-suited for IT work in schools. 37 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:35,000 Educators in IT folks speak different languages, 38 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:40,000 so as educators, we might not be able to clearly explain what they want, 39 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:43,000 or IT folks may hear something different. 40 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:45,000 Can it be avoided? 41 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:48,000 Yes. No. Well, maybe. 42 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:52,000 I have found that communication that follows a circular path does help. 43 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:57,000 So, like I said, it is a cycle. How should we start? 44 00:02:57,000 --> 00:03:01,000 We do need to recognize that whatever is built needs to be secure. 45 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:03,000 Remember, we're dealing with students PII. 46 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:08,000 They're personally identifiable information, grades, and other sensitive data. 47 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:11,000 Our systems also need to be robust and reliable. 48 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:13,000 If it isn't, then they won't function at all, 49 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:16,000 and then it doesn't really matter how they're designed. 50 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:22,000 So, whatever is built must be configured in a way that IT folks believe is proper. 51 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:23,000 How do they decide? 52 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:25,000 There are several things that affect their decisions. 53 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:29,000 The existing systems affect what they can do and what they can change. 54 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:35,000 The skill set of the available technicians and system administrators matters also. 55 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:38,000 Most IT leaders are happy to train their staff, 56 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:43,000 and most IT folks are happy to be trained to enhance and expand their skills, 57 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:47,000 but it takes time and other resources that just might not be available. 58 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:51,000 Industry standards also affect the decisions that they make. 59 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:53,000 Several organizations define good practices, 60 00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:58,000 and schools may also be affected by legal or regulatory requirements. 61 00:03:58,000 --> 00:04:01,000 So, we start building all IT systems in schools 62 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:07,000 with a shared understanding of what needs to be built, or at least as close to a shared understanding as we can get. 63 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:10,000 And then IT builds that in a way that they can sustain, 64 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:13,000 and that's aligned with other limits that are placed on them. 65 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:18,000 Once it is built and properly configured, what happens next? 66 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:20,000 Yeah, training, training, training comes next. 67 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:25,000 The reality is that today IT is still not as intuitive as many would like it to be. 68 00:04:25,000 --> 00:04:30,000 So, IT folks have a responsibility then to be sure that others know how to use the system 69 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:32,000 once it's up and running. 70 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:34,000 This is not as difficult as it used to be, 71 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:37,000 and now there's so many applications are cloud-based, 72 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:40,000 but IT does have responsibility to get folks going 73 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:44,000 and give them some initial troubleshooting steps for the systems that they're going to use. 74 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:49,000 Even reassuring folks that they can safely close and restart is good advice. 75 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:54,000 Of course, IT isn't responsible for teaching the folks how to teach with it, 76 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:59,000 unless, of course, you include instructional technology specialists within the IT department. 77 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:03,000 And actually, in schools where there's good communication between IT, 78 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:07,000 instructional technology professionals, and educators, 79 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:10,000 training folks so they know how to use it might be completed quite quickly. 80 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:12,000 Okay, it's properly configured. 81 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:14,000 Teachers know how to use it. 82 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:16,000 So what happens next? 83 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:18,000 Yeah, this is where the fun begins, right? 84 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:22,000 Teachers can then use what has been built with students, 85 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:24,000 all keeping an eye on robustness. 86 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:27,000 You know, does it work well under load and reliability? 87 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:31,000 Does it do what teachers and students need it to do without latency? 88 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:33,000 You know, is it secure? 89 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:37,000 Teachers, of course, are the judges of the degree to which the technology meets their needs. 90 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:39,000 That's that whole appropriate design thing. 91 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:42,000 You know, they have to answer the question, does it do what they need 92 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:44,000 and what their students need? 93 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:49,000 Is it efficient, or, you know, are they keeping an eye out to see just how appropriate it is? 94 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:52,000 And what do they do if they find it isn't? 95 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:57,000 Yeah, first, the IT and instructional technology folks should check that educators are actually using the system 96 00:05:57,000 --> 00:05:59,000 in the way that was designed. 97 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:04,000 We don't want to redesign IT if it's an issue that can be resolved with a little coaching. 98 00:06:04,000 --> 00:06:07,000 Assuming teachers are using things as they should, and let's be honest, 99 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:10,000 this might not always be because they weren't trained. 100 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:12,000 They may not have been paying attention, 101 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:16,000 but if things are not working well, then they can complain. 102 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:19,000 I hope you aren't saying they can just gripe about what they don't like. 103 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:21,000 No, not at all. 104 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:24,000 Complaints need to be framed in terms of technology acceptance. 105 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:28,000 Remember that tells us that ease of use, effectiveness, social influences, 106 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:33,000 and facilitating conditions are all positively associated with technology use. 107 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:39,000 Complaints need to be clearly articulated in terms of how it will improve one of those. 108 00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:43,000 If the IT department has adopted technology acceptance as a guiding framework, 109 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:48,000 then they perceive those complaints as suggestions of improvement rather than just people griping. 110 00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:51,000 If technology acceptance is a model that's shared by all, 111 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:56,000 then the complaints are more focused and are going to improve the system. 112 00:06:56,000 --> 00:07:02,000 So, what happens once complaints are framed in terms of improvements according to technology acceptance? 113 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:06,000 If the complaints are done right, then the appropriate design is now clear to everybody, 114 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:08,000 and we'll write back where we started. 115 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:12,000 IT is still responsible for security, reliability, and robustness, 116 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:16,000 so as they're making changes that are recommended by educators, 117 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:22,000 then they get to decide what is the proper configuration of any changes that are made. 118 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:24,000 Then it all starts again. 119 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:26,000 Then it all starts again. 120 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:32,000 Redesign, train, use, complain with technology acceptance in mind, and redesign again. 121 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:33,000 Sounds easy. 122 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:35,000 Yeah, not always. 123 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:37,000 I was called in to help troubleshoot an issue one time, 124 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:43,000 and in a school the students were unable to access the online grade book in the math classrooms. 125 00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:46,000 The teacher's workstation was connected as expected, 126 00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:49,000 but none of the students using their school-issued laptops 127 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:53,000 and connected to the Wi-Fi network for students could connect. 128 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:57,000 As it turned out, the network administrator had disabled access to the grade book 129 00:07:57,000 --> 00:08:01,000 from the SSID or the Wi-Fi network used by students. 130 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:04,000 From the network administrator's point of view, 131 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:07,000 the network was properly secured to maintain security. 132 00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:12,000 He reasoned students would try to hack into the grade book if they had access while on campus. 133 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:17,000 The workaround he proposed was that students could use the teacher's workstation to check their grades. 134 00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:21,000 The teachers complained that they could be more effective and more efficient 135 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:24,000 if students could check their grades on their own. 136 00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:29,000 So they were really arguing that it would be more appropriate to open the grade book to students while on campus. 137 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:33,000 There was some disagreement, and it wasn't resolved until the school administrators 138 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:37,000 directed the system administrator to open up access to the grade book. 139 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:42,000 The school leaders in this case initiated the redesign by deciding what was reasonable.