WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.059 OK, so let's dive in. Right. We're talking about 00:00:04.059 --> 00:00:07.179 school IT networks today, specifically looking 00:00:07.179 --> 00:00:09.300 at it from the perspective of school leaders. 00:00:09.419 --> 00:00:12.820 Yeah. And our guide for this is Gary Ackerman's 00:00:12.820 --> 00:00:17.339 EdTech for Ed Leaders. A rationale. Some really 00:00:17.339 --> 00:00:19.420 good excerpts there. He kicks things off with 00:00:19.420 --> 00:00:22.320 this image, this analogy that I think a lot of 00:00:22.320 --> 00:00:24.899 people can picture, the school's wiring closet. 00:00:24.960 --> 00:00:27.859 Oh, yeah. That's slightly intimidating, Rome. 00:00:29.850 --> 00:00:32.350 buzzing fans, blinking lights everywhere, just 00:00:32.350 --> 00:00:34.729 a mess of cables. That spaghetti tangle, exactly. 00:00:34.969 --> 00:00:37.710 And racks holding all sorts of, well, things. 00:00:37.869 --> 00:00:39.929 Important things, though. That's where the critical 00:00:39.929 --> 00:00:42.850 stuff lives, like the source mentions the UTM, 00:00:42.929 --> 00:00:44.869 the Unified Threat Management Appliance. Right, 00:00:44.869 --> 00:00:46.630 which is basically the school's main defense, 00:00:46.750 --> 00:00:49.049 like a security guard against malware and hackers 00:00:49.049 --> 00:00:50.909 and all that. Pretty much, yeah. It's filtering 00:00:50.909 --> 00:00:52.829 all the incoming traffic. And then there's the 00:00:52.829 --> 00:00:54.950 gateway. The gateway, okay. What that doing? 00:00:55.109 --> 00:00:57.229 That's the single pipe, the connection between 00:00:57.229 --> 00:00:59.310 everything inside the school network and the 00:00:59.310 --> 00:01:01.729 actual internet. So every device goes through 00:01:01.729 --> 00:01:04.549 that point to get online? Every single one. Yeah. 00:01:04.709 --> 00:01:08.269 And if either the UTM or the Gateway has a problem. 00:01:08.390 --> 00:01:11.189 Uh -uh. Things stop working. Things grind to 00:01:11.189 --> 00:01:14.109 a halt, like no online resources, maybe no email, 00:01:14.549 --> 00:01:17.829 testing goes down. It's a big deal. OK, so that 00:01:17.829 --> 00:01:20.450 brings us to this core problem, Ackerman points 00:01:20.450 --> 00:01:23.650 out. You've got the IT folks, the experts, who 00:01:23.650 --> 00:01:26.230 need to keep this complex system secure. And 00:01:26.230 --> 00:01:28.549 they understandably want to limit who touches 00:01:28.549 --> 00:01:32.549 it. Right. To avoid, well, accidents. Exactly. 00:01:32.609 --> 00:01:34.269 But then you have the school administrators, 00:01:34.549 --> 00:01:37.430 the principals, the superintendents. They're 00:01:37.430 --> 00:01:39.349 the ones ultimately responsible for everything, 00:01:39.689 --> 00:01:41.549 including when the tech fails. Right. So there's 00:01:41.549 --> 00:01:43.409 this built -in tension, isn't there, between 00:01:43.409 --> 00:01:47.329 access for security and access for oversight 00:01:47.329 --> 00:01:49.650 or responsibility. Who gets the keys to the kingdom, 00:01:49.950 --> 00:01:51.750 essentially, or at least who needs to understand 00:01:51.750 --> 00:01:54.129 how the kingdom runs. And Ackerman's point, which 00:01:54.129 --> 00:01:56.890 I think is interesting, is that while IT's concerns 00:01:56.890 --> 00:01:58.969 are valid, administrators have to have enough 00:01:58.969 --> 00:02:00.590 understanding. They need to know what's going 00:02:00.590 --> 00:02:04.109 on, maybe even how to get access if the main 00:02:04.109 --> 00:02:06.250 IT person isn't around and something critical 00:02:06.250 --> 00:02:08.770 happens. It's about leadership accountability 00:02:08.770 --> 00:02:12.110 meeting technical reality. Exactly. So our mission 00:02:12.110 --> 00:02:14.889 here, using the source, is really to unpack why. 00:02:15.250 --> 00:02:18.030 Why can't leaders or even teachers just ignore 00:02:18.030 --> 00:02:20.330 this stuff anymore? Why isn't avoiding it OK? 00:02:20.770 --> 00:02:23.289 Because, as the source puts it pretty bluntly, 00:02:23.669 --> 00:02:26.650 these networks, the UTM, the Gateway, all of 00:02:26.650 --> 00:02:30.830 it, they're core infrastructure now, like electricity 00:02:30.830 --> 00:02:33.490 or plumbing. Ah, OK. That's fundamental. Yeah. 00:02:33.610 --> 00:02:36.650 too valuable, too critical to just be the domain 00:02:36.650 --> 00:02:39.189 of a couple of IT specialists. The risk is just 00:02:39.189 --> 00:02:41.710 too high if the leadership doesn't sort of get 00:02:41.710 --> 00:02:44.509 the basics. And that tension we mentioned, IT 00:02:44.509 --> 00:02:46.870 focused on lockdown, admins needing oversight. 00:02:47.050 --> 00:02:48.889 That's a real dynamic. Oh, absolutely. It happens 00:02:48.889 --> 00:02:51.250 all the time. And it's not about mistrust, usually. 00:02:51.669 --> 00:02:54.150 It's just the structure. The responsibility lies 00:02:54.150 --> 00:02:57.340 here. technical control lies there. Bridging 00:02:57.340 --> 00:02:59.639 that gap requires understanding from the leadership 00:02:59.639 --> 00:03:03.120 side. So how do we or how do they get past that 00:03:03.120 --> 00:03:05.400 feeling of being intimidated? Because let's be 00:03:05.400 --> 00:03:07.800 honest, that wiring closet analogy, it feels 00:03:07.800 --> 00:03:10.199 intimidating. Yeah, it really does. And Ackerman 00:03:10.199 --> 00:03:13.969 argues that mindset just has to shift. Leaders, 00:03:14.069 --> 00:03:17.169 teachers, they can't afford to just avoid trying 00:03:17.169 --> 00:03:19.830 to understand the tech they rely on every single 00:03:19.830 --> 00:03:21.590 day. It's like saying you don't need to know 00:03:21.590 --> 00:03:23.330 anything about the school budget because the 00:03:23.330 --> 00:03:25.909 business manager handles it. You still need oversight. 00:03:26.370 --> 00:03:28.770 Precisely. Computing and networks are just woven 00:03:28.770 --> 00:03:32.129 into everything now. Teaching, management, operations. 00:03:32.530 --> 00:03:34.930 So everyone needs some baseline knowledge. Okay, 00:03:34.990 --> 00:03:38.210 so what kind of baseline does the source give 00:03:38.210 --> 00:03:42.169 specifics? What do leaders really need to... 00:03:43.310 --> 00:03:45.949 Grass. It does give some concrete examples. One 00:03:45.949 --> 00:03:48.050 really key distinction is understanding the difference 00:03:48.050 --> 00:03:50.590 between the Sewell's local network, the LAN, 00:03:51.310 --> 00:03:53.349 everything inside the building. Okay, the internal 00:03:53.349 --> 00:03:55.689 stuff. Right. Versus the connection to the internet. 00:03:55.909 --> 00:03:58.150 They seem linked, but they're distinct systems. 00:03:58.370 --> 00:04:00.889 Why does separating those matter for, say, a 00:04:00.889 --> 00:04:03.389 principal? Well, think about costs. Yeah. What 00:04:03.389 --> 00:04:05.090 you pay your internet provider is different from 00:04:05.090 --> 00:04:06.969 what you spend on switches and Wi -Fi inside 00:04:06.969 --> 00:04:09.610 the school. Or management, you control your LAN, 00:04:09.930 --> 00:04:11.750 but your provider controls the internet link. 00:04:11.900 --> 00:04:15.840 Ah, and support too, right? If the Wi -Fi is 00:04:15.840 --> 00:04:18.860 slow, is it our Wi -Fi or is the pipe coming 00:04:18.860 --> 00:04:22.079 into the building the problem? Exactly. It's 00:04:22.079 --> 00:04:25.160 knowing whether to call your IT team or your 00:04:25.160 --> 00:04:27.779 internet service provider. Knowing the difference 00:04:27.779 --> 00:04:31.180 between like a leaky pipe in the school versus 00:04:31.180 --> 00:04:33.420 a water main break down the street. Okay, that 00:04:33.420 --> 00:04:35.379 makes total sense. Knowing where the responsibility 00:04:35.379 --> 00:04:38.199 lies. What else? Another big one is realizing 00:04:38.199 --> 00:04:40.860 school networks aren't like your home setup. 00:04:41.000 --> 00:04:42.939 Not even like a small business network usually. 00:04:43.120 --> 00:04:46.079 They're complex. They're enterprise level. Enterprise, 00:04:46.480 --> 00:04:48.540 meaning built for lots of users, high demands, 00:04:48.720 --> 00:04:51.040 more security. Yeah, hundreds or thousands of 00:04:51.040 --> 00:04:53.139 users hitting it hard all at once sometimes. 00:04:53.500 --> 00:04:55.480 It needs robust equipment, specialized management, 00:04:55.779 --> 00:04:57.560 proper IT staffing. It's not just plug and play. 00:04:57.980 --> 00:04:59.699 So leaders need to understand that complexity 00:04:59.699 --> 00:05:02.439 to budget realistically, staff appropriately, 00:05:02.720 --> 00:05:04.740 and just have the right expectations. You got 00:05:04.740 --> 00:05:07.199 it. It shapes so many decisions. OK, so pulling 00:05:07.199 --> 00:05:09.519 it all together, the main argument from Ackerman 00:05:09.519 --> 00:05:11.970 seems to be pretty clear. Yeah, it boils down 00:05:11.970 --> 00:05:14.389 to this. Networks and computing aren't just tools 00:05:14.389 --> 00:05:16.430 anymore. They're fundamental to how schools run 00:05:16.430 --> 00:05:19.389 and how kids learn. So understanding them isn't 00:05:19.389 --> 00:05:21.889 just for the techies. It's a leadership competency 00:05:21.889 --> 00:05:24.449 now. It affects everything from teaching strategies 00:05:24.449 --> 00:05:26.930 to safety plans. Right. You need to understand 00:05:26.930 --> 00:05:29.050 the engine. OK, so let's quickly recap the takeaways 00:05:29.050 --> 00:05:32.170 from the source then. First, these school IT 00:05:32.170 --> 00:05:34.550 networks, they're absolutely critical infrastructure. 00:05:35.029 --> 00:05:37.230 Way too important to be a black box understood 00:05:37.230 --> 00:05:39.889 by only a few people. Definitely. And second, 00:05:40.269 --> 00:05:43.350 that tension between IT security needs and administrative 00:05:43.350 --> 00:05:46.689 oversight is real, but manageable if leaders 00:05:46.689 --> 00:05:48.790 build their own understanding. Third, leaders 00:05:48.790 --> 00:05:51.029 and teachers just can't afford to shy away from 00:05:51.029 --> 00:05:53.769 this stuff anymore. Avoidance isn't a strategy. 00:05:54.009 --> 00:05:57.329 Nope. And fourth, they need to grasp key basics, 00:05:57.829 --> 00:05:59.910 like the difference between their internal LAN 00:05:59.910 --> 00:06:02.870 and the external internet connection, understanding 00:06:02.870 --> 00:06:05.930 costs, support, where issues might lie. And also 00:06:05.930 --> 00:06:07.970 recognizing that school networks are complex, 00:06:08.209 --> 00:06:11.850 enterprise systems, not simple home Wi -Fi, requires 00:06:11.850 --> 00:06:14.370 different thinking, different resources. Exactly. 00:06:14.610 --> 00:06:17.670 Leading to the ultimate point. Basic tech literacy 00:06:17.670 --> 00:06:20.730 around networks is now just essential for school 00:06:20.730 --> 00:06:23.670 leadership. Which leaves us and leaves you listening 00:06:23.670 --> 00:06:26.709 with a really pointed question based on Ackerman's 00:06:26.709 --> 00:06:29.970 argument. If a functioning network is truly this 00:06:29.970 --> 00:06:33.170 vital for modern education, what level of technical 00:06:33.170 --> 00:06:35.509 understanding is actually indispensable for your 00:06:35.509 --> 00:06:37.649 specific role in a school or district today? 00:06:37.889 --> 00:06:39.829 Yeah, what do you absolutely need to know to 00:06:39.829 --> 00:06:41.629 do your job effectively in this environment? 00:06:41.790 --> 00:06:42.550 Something to think about.