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All right, let's jump into another deep dive.

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Today, we're gonna be looking at something

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that I think is really relatable to,

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especially anybody who has ever gotten excited

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about trying to use new technology in the classroom.

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We're diving into this blog post.

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It's called Don't Be the Department of No.

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It's by Gary Ackerman.

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Oh yeah.

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And we're exploring this kind of push and pull

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between educators who are really enthusiastic

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about new technology and IT departments

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that sometimes, well, maybe aren't so enthusiastic.

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Yeah, it's like, you know that classic movie scene, right?

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The teacher gets back from a conference,

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like all excited, you know,

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ready to totally transform their classroom

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with the latest and greatest tech tools.

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Yeah, and then they hit this wall

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and it's not even always about the budget, right?

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Not always.

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Ackerman has been going to these conferences

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since like right back in the mid-80s.

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Oh wow.

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And he points out that this excitement

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for new teaching methods,

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especially those involving technology, like that's a...

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Yeah, you know, what's interesting to me

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is that like the specific technologies

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have obviously changed so much over the years.

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Oh yeah.

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But this tension between educational vision,

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you know, what teachers wanna do

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and then like how IT implements that,

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that just seems to keep coming up over and over.

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Right.

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Makes you wonder like what we can learn from all of that,

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you know, and how we can maybe like get out of that cycle.

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That's a really good point.

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So let's break down these two roadblocks

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that educators often face.

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The budget constraints.

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And then the IT pushback.

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I mean, we all know budgets are tight,

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but even when funding isn't the issue,

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there's this feeling that IT departments

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are just the department of no.

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Like why do you think that perception exists?

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Well, you know, it's important to remember

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that IT departments, they have a really big job.

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Imagine managing a network, right?

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With hundreds or even thousands of devices.

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Thousands, yeah.

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And they have to make sure that student data is private.

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Of course.

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Prevent security breaches.

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Keep everything running smoothly.

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It's a lot.

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It's a lot.

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And a lot of times they're working

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with limited resources themselves.

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You know, they don't always have everything they need.

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That makes total sense.

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And Ackerman even gives an example

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of IT departments sometimes

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having to like standardize laptop brands

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across a whole district.

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Oh, right.

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Even if faculty might prefer something different.

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Yeah, because for IT, consistency,

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that means they can manage it.

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Makes sense.

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It's easier to troubleshoot problems,

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roll out updates, keep things secure

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if everyone's on the same system.

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So it makes sense from their point of view.

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But Ackerman's arguing that like,

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even with all of these legitimate concerns that IT has,

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their role should be to enable,

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to help teachers use technology rather than restrict it.

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I see.

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You know?

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Yeah, he makes this really compelling analogy in the post.

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He says like, just as we expect teachers

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to always be improving their methods,

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we should hold IT departments to that same standard

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of sporting innovation.

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I love that analogy.

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It really highlights how we need to change our mindset.

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Instead of thinking of technology as this like potential threat

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or a burden, like what if we thought of it as a tool

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that empowers both teachers and students?

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Absolutely.

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And that's where things get really interesting

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because Ackerman doesn't just criticize IT.

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You know?

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He actually tells this story about a meeting

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where he saw IT staff just like totally dismissing

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these requests from faculty members

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who were just asking for like what seemed

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like a really necessary tech upgrade.

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Wow.

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And it wasn't just that they said no,

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it was like the way they said it.

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Yeah, how they said it.

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Yeah, it really bothered him.

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Uh-huh.

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Yeah.

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Interesting.

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It was rough.

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Yeah, I can imagine that would be frustrating.

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Yeah, so he describes like these lower level technicians

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just talking over, you know, faculty who knew a lot more

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than them.

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Oh, wow.

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And it really damaged the trust between those two groups.

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It wasn't just about the technology.

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Right.

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It was about respect.

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Yeah.

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And feeling heard.

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Exactly.

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Exactly.

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Yeah.

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He even said that he like felt like he had to apologize

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to the faculty afterward.

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Oh, wow.

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Which is crazy, you know.

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But this gets at a bigger question, right?

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It's like, is this just a few bad apples in IT?

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Yeah.

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Or are there like bigger systemic issues

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that contribute to this kind of us versus them feeling?

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Yeah, that's a great question.

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I think it's probably a little of both.

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You know, you have individuals who maybe are just like

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more resistant to change or, you know, stuck in their ways.

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But then there are these bigger things, right?

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Like the institution itself, maybe they

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don't have enough resources.

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Or the security protocols are super strict.

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Or maybe the whole culture just prioritizes keeping things

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stable over like trying new stuff.

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Yeah, it's all about just keeping the lights on.

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Exactly.

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And I think about all the teachers

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who are like so tech savvy.

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Yes.

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And they're passionate about bringing new tools

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into the classroom.

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Yeah.

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But they hit these walls.

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And it's got to be so discouraging.

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It really is.

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And that's where leadership needs to step in.

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OK.

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Ackerman says that like school administrators and district

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leaders, like they have a huge role

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to play in setting the tone.

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Right.

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And creating a culture where people actually work together.

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Yeah.

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They can't just be like, oh, yeah, we support technology.

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Lip service.

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Yeah, like they got to put their money where their mouth is,

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you know?

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Provide resources like training for both teachers and IT staff

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and be really clear about what they expect from everybody.

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Be on the same page.

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Exactly.

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I imagine it's also about making sure that there are

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actual spaces for people to talk.

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Yes.

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Absolutely.

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Right.

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Where educators and IT folks can actually sit down together,

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share their perspectives, and work together

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to figure out solutions.

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Right.

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Because I mean, think about it.

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Teachers, they're the experts in teaching, right?

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Of course, yeah.

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They understand how students learn

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and what tools can help them learn better.

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Right.

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They're the pedagogy people.

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Exactly.

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And then you have IT, and they're

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the experts in the technology, right?

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Yeah.

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They know how to make those systems work,

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how to keep them secure, how to implement them.

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It's two sides of the same coin.

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Yeah.

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It's like when those two groups actually work together,

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it's magic, you know?

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It's like the Avengers, yeah.

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Exactly.

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And so instead of IT being the Department of No,

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they become the Department of How.

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The Department of How.

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I like that.

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Yeah.

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It's a small change in words.

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Yeah.

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But it changes the whole relationship.

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Fully reframes it.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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And it doesn't mean saying yes to absolutely every request.

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Right?

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Oh, no, of course not.

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Because there are going to be limitations.

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Yeah, there are always going to be limitations.

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Budget, security, sometimes things just aren't practical.

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Exactly.

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Exactly.

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Like something might sound amazing at a conference.

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Right, the shiny new toy?

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Yeah, but then it's like, oh, this

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isn't going to work for us at all.

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Totally.

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Yeah.

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But the important thing is to approach those conversations.

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With this attitude of, OK, let's work together.

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Let's solve this problem.

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If we can't use this specific tool,

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is there something else we can use that gets at the same goals?

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Could we try it out with just a small group first?

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It's like a little pilot program.

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Exactly.

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Can we come up with some clear guidelines

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for how we're going to evaluate these new technologies

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before we just jump in?

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Yeah, like some rules of the road, right?

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Exactly.

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So it sounds like what Ackerman's really getting at here

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is we need to go from a culture of control

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to a culture of empowerment.

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Absolutely.

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Right.

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So instead of IT being the gatekeeper,

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they're like a partner working with teachers

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to really use this technology in a meaningful way.

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And that empowerment, it has to go both ways, right?

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Teachers also have to speak up about what they need,

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like really articulate their vision

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for how they see technology making their teaching better.

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And they've got to be willing to learn new things

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as new tools come out.

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Yeah, technology is always changing.

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Exactly.

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So it's like we're moving away from this idea of technology

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being something that's done to teachers.

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Right, right.

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And it's becoming something that teachers are actively

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shaping and using to reach their goals.

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It's a partnership.

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Exactly.

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And this actually reminds me of something

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else Ackerman talked about in the post.

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He was talking about how we need to rethink

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professional development for teachers.

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Like it's not enough to just teach them

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how to use this one specific software or this one device.

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We have to teach them how to evaluate these new tools,

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like figure out, is this actually good for my students?

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Yeah, does it actually make sense?

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Yeah, and how to ask for what they need to be successful.

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To advocate for themselves.

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Yes, exactly.

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Yeah, and that ties back to what we were saying about leadership.

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Absolutely.

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If school districts really want to embrace technology,

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they're going to invest in professional development that

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goes beyond just the basics.

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It's about creating a culture where everybody's constantly

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learning and trying new things.

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Both teachers and IT.

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00:09:24,960 --> 00:09:25,600
Yeah.

281
00:09:25,600 --> 00:09:28,320
And we have to remember that technology and education,

282
00:09:28,320 --> 00:09:29,520
it's always changing.

283
00:09:29,520 --> 00:09:30,560
Oh, constantly.

284
00:09:30,560 --> 00:09:34,000
Yeah, what's cutting edge today might be obsolete tomorrow.

285
00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:37,960
So how do we create systems and structures

286
00:09:37,960 --> 00:09:40,200
that let us be flexible?

287
00:09:40,200 --> 00:09:42,560
So we're not constantly playing catch up.

288
00:09:42,560 --> 00:09:44,600
Right, always trying to get to where we need to be.

289
00:09:44,600 --> 00:09:45,480
Exactly.

290
00:09:45,480 --> 00:09:47,440
That's a really good question.

291
00:09:47,440 --> 00:09:49,800
And I think that's something that a lot of schools and districts

292
00:09:49,800 --> 00:09:50,920
are struggling with right now.

293
00:09:50,920 --> 00:09:52,600
Yeah, for sure.

294
00:09:52,600 --> 00:09:57,240
It's hard to find that balance between keeping things stable

295
00:09:57,240 --> 00:10:00,520
and also being innovative.

296
00:10:00,520 --> 00:10:02,960
But maybe that's where collaboration is,

297
00:10:02,960 --> 00:10:04,000
even more important.

298
00:10:04,000 --> 00:10:05,600
Yeah, I think you're right.

299
00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:08,120
Yeah, it feels like the big takeaway here

300
00:10:08,120 --> 00:10:11,040
is we really got to move away from this us versus them

301
00:10:11,040 --> 00:10:11,560
thinking.

302
00:10:11,560 --> 00:10:12,280
Totally.

303
00:10:12,280 --> 00:10:14,080
And really focus on working together.

304
00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:16,560
Yeah, when teachers and IT folks,

305
00:10:16,560 --> 00:10:18,320
when they see each other as partners,

306
00:10:18,320 --> 00:10:20,600
like working toward the same goal,

307
00:10:20,600 --> 00:10:22,520
that's when you get amazing results.

308
00:10:22,520 --> 00:10:24,000
That's when the magic happens, yeah.

309
00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:24,640
Think about it.

310
00:10:24,640 --> 00:10:28,880
You have teachers who really care about their students.

311
00:10:28,880 --> 00:10:30,720
And they love their subject, right?

312
00:10:30,720 --> 00:10:31,240
Yeah.

313
00:10:31,240 --> 00:10:34,000
They're always trying to find new ways to get students engaged.

314
00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:34,640
Absolutely.

315
00:10:34,640 --> 00:10:39,160
And then you have IT who are amazing at solving problems.

316
00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:41,760
They understand these complex systems.

317
00:10:41,760 --> 00:10:43,440
And a lot of them, they just want

318
00:10:43,440 --> 00:10:45,600
to make sure that technology works well.

319
00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:46,720
Yeah, reliably.

320
00:10:46,720 --> 00:10:47,240
Exactly.

321
00:10:47,240 --> 00:10:50,560
So it just seems like a huge missed opportunity

322
00:10:50,560 --> 00:10:53,320
if those two groups aren't talking to each other all the time,

323
00:10:53,320 --> 00:10:56,000
sharing what they know and figuring out solutions together.

324
00:10:56,000 --> 00:11:01,200
Yeah, and it's not just about formal meetings or committees.

325
00:11:01,200 --> 00:11:02,920
Yeah, it's got to be more organic than that.

326
00:11:02,920 --> 00:11:07,200
It's got to be like a culture of just open communication.

327
00:11:07,200 --> 00:11:09,200
Yeah, just being able to walk down the hall and say,

328
00:11:09,200 --> 00:11:10,120
hey, I have a question.

329
00:11:10,120 --> 00:11:10,880
Exactly.

330
00:11:10,880 --> 00:11:11,320
Yeah.

331
00:11:11,320 --> 00:11:15,840
Where teachers feel comfortable going to IT with questions,

332
00:11:15,840 --> 00:11:16,880
with ideas.

333
00:11:16,880 --> 00:11:17,200
Right.

334
00:11:17,200 --> 00:11:20,640
And IT folks see themselves as partners

335
00:11:20,640 --> 00:11:23,200
in helping teachers do their jobs better.

336
00:11:23,200 --> 00:11:26,480
Yeah, and Ackerman, he actually suggests something

337
00:11:26,480 --> 00:11:27,280
pretty interesting.

338
00:11:27,280 --> 00:11:28,480
Oh, what's that?

339
00:11:28,480 --> 00:11:33,680
He says that when we evaluate IT departments,

340
00:11:33,680 --> 00:11:37,120
it shouldn't just be about how good they are with the technology,

341
00:11:37,120 --> 00:11:39,960
but also how well they're supporting the school's goals,

342
00:11:39,960 --> 00:11:41,400
like the educational goals.

343
00:11:41,400 --> 00:11:44,160
Ooh, that's a really good point.

344
00:11:44,160 --> 00:11:46,400
Yeah, imagine if IT departments were

345
00:11:46,400 --> 00:11:48,800
rewarded for working with teachers,

346
00:11:48,800 --> 00:11:52,960
for finding new ways to use technology to help students learn.

347
00:11:52,960 --> 00:11:57,640
You know, if they were seen as these champions of innovation.

348
00:11:57,640 --> 00:12:00,320
Right, instead of the department that's always saying no.

349
00:12:00,320 --> 00:12:01,080
Right, exactly.

350
00:12:01,080 --> 00:12:02,880
Like shifting that whole perception.

351
00:12:02,880 --> 00:12:06,400
It would be a total 180 from that traditional role of IT

352
00:12:06,400 --> 00:12:08,000
as the gatekeeper.

353
00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:09,080
Yeah.

354
00:12:09,080 --> 00:12:09,840
The rule enforcer.

355
00:12:09,840 --> 00:12:10,800
The enforcer, yeah.

356
00:12:10,800 --> 00:12:12,600
Instead, they're like facilitators.

357
00:12:12,600 --> 00:12:12,920
Yes.

358
00:12:12,920 --> 00:12:13,760
They're enablers.

359
00:12:13,760 --> 00:12:14,320
They're partners.

360
00:12:14,320 --> 00:12:17,040
Yeah, they're helping teachers achieve their vision

361
00:12:17,040 --> 00:12:18,160
for the classroom.

362
00:12:18,160 --> 00:12:20,320
And I think to really make that shift,

363
00:12:20,320 --> 00:12:21,920
it takes a change in mindset.

364
00:12:21,920 --> 00:12:22,280
OK.

365
00:12:22,280 --> 00:12:23,480
Like on both sides.

366
00:12:23,480 --> 00:12:23,840
Yeah.

367
00:12:23,840 --> 00:12:26,520
Teachers have to be willing to learn

368
00:12:26,520 --> 00:12:28,960
about how these technology systems work,

369
00:12:28,960 --> 00:12:32,640
to understand the limitations that IT is working with.

370
00:12:32,640 --> 00:12:33,400
The challenges, yeah.

371
00:12:33,400 --> 00:12:39,600
And then IT folks, they have to be willing to try new things,

372
00:12:39,600 --> 00:12:43,280
be open to new ideas, and to really see themselves

373
00:12:43,280 --> 00:12:46,320
as part of the education team.

374
00:12:46,320 --> 00:12:50,040
Yeah, this whole deep dive has just been so eye-opening for me.

375
00:12:50,040 --> 00:12:52,960
It's just seeing the potential.

376
00:12:52,960 --> 00:12:55,720
When we break down those walls between departments

377
00:12:55,720 --> 00:12:57,120
and really work together on this stuff.

378
00:12:57,120 --> 00:12:59,560
When everyone's collaborating, that's

379
00:12:59,560 --> 00:13:01,080
when things get really exciting.

380
00:13:01,080 --> 00:13:03,840
It's like technology is more than just a tool, right?

381
00:13:03,840 --> 00:13:04,480
It is.

382
00:13:04,480 --> 00:13:09,440
It's like it can transform how we teach and how students learn.

383
00:13:09,440 --> 00:13:10,120
Absolutely.

384
00:13:10,120 --> 00:13:14,520
But that can only happen if we all work together.

385
00:13:14,520 --> 00:13:17,160
Teachers, IT, school leaders, all of us.

386
00:13:17,160 --> 00:13:18,760
All pulling in the same direction.

387
00:13:18,760 --> 00:13:22,520
Yeah, so for everyone listening, whether you're a teacher,

388
00:13:22,520 --> 00:13:25,840
IT professional, or a school leader,

389
00:13:25,840 --> 00:13:29,200
we really hope you take Ackerman's message to heart.

390
00:13:29,200 --> 00:13:32,680
Yeah, don't let your school become the department of no.

391
00:13:32,680 --> 00:13:33,920
Embrace collaboration.

392
00:13:33,920 --> 00:13:35,160
Yeah, talk to each other.

393
00:13:35,160 --> 00:13:35,720
Be open.

394
00:13:35,720 --> 00:13:37,400
And support each other.

395
00:13:37,400 --> 00:13:41,640
To use technology in a way that really benefits all students.

396
00:13:41,640 --> 00:13:44,240
And remember, technology and education,

397
00:13:44,240 --> 00:13:45,520
it's always changing.

398
00:13:45,520 --> 00:13:46,360
Constantly, yeah.

399
00:13:46,360 --> 00:13:49,040
There will always be new challenges, new opportunities,

400
00:13:49,040 --> 00:13:50,000
new things to try.

401
00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:51,240
It's the wild west out there.

402
00:13:51,240 --> 00:13:53,680
But if we face those challenges together,

403
00:13:53,680 --> 00:13:57,720
and we all agree that we want to keep innovating,

404
00:13:57,720 --> 00:14:00,440
we can create learning environments that

405
00:14:00,440 --> 00:14:02,240
are truly amazing.

406
00:14:02,240 --> 00:14:03,600
And are truly transformative.

407
00:14:03,600 --> 00:14:04,960
Exactly.

408
00:14:04,960 --> 00:14:07,440
We hope this deep dive has given you some things to think about.

409
00:14:07,440 --> 00:14:10,080
Yeah, definitely check out Gary Ackerman's blog post.

410
00:14:10,080 --> 00:14:12,520
It's called Don't Be the Department of No.

411
00:14:12,520 --> 00:14:17,360
Yeah, it's got a lot of great insights and suggestions.

412
00:14:17,360 --> 00:14:19,680
And most importantly, start a conversation

413
00:14:19,680 --> 00:14:22,440
at your own school or district about how

414
00:14:22,440 --> 00:14:24,920
to break down these barriers and create

415
00:14:24,920 --> 00:14:27,000
a more collaborative approach to technology.

416
00:14:27,000 --> 00:14:30,080
Because together, we can make a real difference.

417
00:14:30,080 --> 00:14:31,240
Absolutely.

418
00:14:31,240 --> 00:14:33,520
All right, thanks for joining us for another deep dive.

419
00:14:33,520 --> 00:14:53,160
Thanks for having me.