COMPUTERS AND TECHNOLOGY
This chapter reviews the organization and management of information technology (IT) at Dallas Independent School District (DISD) in four sections:
- A. Technology Planning
- B. Training and Technical Support
- C. Instructional Technology
- D. Infrastructure
B. TRAINING AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Technology is useless if employees aren't trained to use it. Teachers must be comfortable with instructional technology and must know how to operate the equipment and how to integrate it effectively in their teaching. Technology-related training must be ongoing in order for it to benefit the teachers, the district and the students. Training is important both for teachers and for the technical staff who support the technology services operation of the district.
Teachers, even those who are experienced computer users, often encounter technology-related difficulties that interrupt their planning or classroom activities. Unless they receive quick responses to their questions, their effectiveness is diminished. The district's schools receive support from the Equipment Software Support-Instruction group, which provides technical assistance with equipment problems, and through the Teacher Technologist program, promotes integration of technology into the curriculum.
Equipment Software Support-Instruction supports school computers, peripherals, copiers, network repairs and maintenance services. The group has 12 technicians, including the supervisor and the parts inventory clerk, plus one administrative support person. The technicians are certified on various platforms and most technicians are continuing training for additional certifications.
FINDING
The district's Teacher Technologist program is designed to provide a direct link between each school and the Instructional Technology Department. The purpose of this link is to promote the efficient integration of technology throughout the curriculum. The teacher technologist responsibilities include:
- School hardware and software support;
- Support for new technology purchases;
- Sharing expertise through school and districtwide teacher training;
- Technical Assistance Center liaisons and minor troubleshooting; and
- Inventory updates.
Teacher Technologists perform support duties not included in their job descriptions. There are 220 teacher technologists employed by the district and they receive a stipend of $2,000 annually, supplementing their pay. Exhibit 9-19 compares the original scope of responsibilities for Teacher Technologists and expectations that are often placed on them.
Exhibit 9-19 Source: DISD Teacher Technologists handbook and interviews with DISD Instructional Technology personnel.
Teacher Technologists' Role
Initial Scope of Responsibilities Expectations beyond Initial Scope
- Promote classroom technology integration activities.
- Maintain local school technology hardware and software inventories.
- Conduct school-level technology training and disseminate information about districtwide training sessions.
- Acts as liaison with the Technical Assistance Center for hardware repair and software support.
- Distribute, install and monitor instructional technology software site license utilization.
- Promote classroom technology integration activities.
- Serve as primary technical support for principals.
- Provide informal training to individuals who have not attended formal training sessions.
- Set up and configures hardware.
- Assist with non-technical matters, such as assisting with word processing, creating documents with graphics and assisting with e-mail messages.
- Are viewed as first line of support for all technical problems on campus.
The person assuming the teacher technologist duties is a certified, experienced teacher who, in the majority of schools, performs the duties of a teacher technologist in addition to being a full-time classroom teacher. Eight area superintendents and 15 instructional technology personnel said the teacher technologists are overwhelmed with the magnitude of their responsibilities and demands for their time.
The Instructional Technology Department has recommended to the Board of Trustees that the position of Teacher Technologist become a formula-based, nondiscretionary position much like the current media specialist and school counselor positions.
A full-time teacher technologist is paid $44,874 per year in salary and benefits. Some schools can afford to have full-time teacher technologists, but for those that cannot, a regular teacher who assumes duties of a teacher technologist is paid an extra stipend of $1,000 per semester or $2,000 annually. The majority of the teacher technologists have normal teaching assignments and do not receive any release time from their classes.
Recommendation 147:
Double the number of teacher technologists employed by DISD.
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES AND TIMELINE
1. The instructional technology representative on the Technology Steering Committee reviews the teacher technologist job description and requirements and provides this information to the assistant superintendent of Human Resource Services. August 2001 - October 2001 2. The assistant superintendent of Human Resource Services recruits teacher technologists and additional teachers to teach during the technologists' release periods. August 2001 - December 2001 3. The instructional technology representative assigns teacher technologists to schools. June 2002 FISCAL IMPACT
A teacher technologist is paid an annual stipend of $2,000. Designating 220 new teacher technologists would require an annual expenditure of $440,000 (220 teachers x $2,000 annual stipend).
Recommendation 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 Double the number of teacher technologists employed by DISD. ($440,000) ($440,000) ($440,000) ($440,000) ($440,000) FINDING
Many teachers and administrators complained about the speed and effectiveness of computer service, particularly from the Technical Assistance Center and Equipment Software Support-Instruction. Most complaints were about the timelines of service. Most customers, however, said they understand the technical support groups are understaffed and are doing the best they can.
DISD's Tech Services Group does not have Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with their customers. SLAs are promises or guarantees between users and their internal technology support that define acceptable performance levels. Typical measures include: network availability, network response time, email administration, PC support, LAN access, callback/repair dispatch response and application performance/availability. Without quantifiable measures, it is difficult for Technical Services Group to demonstrate improvement. Without SLAs established by service providers in Tech Services Group, users often have unrealistic expectations for what the division can do.
To be effective, a service level agreement must incorporate service and management elements. The service elements clarify services by communicating:
- The services provided;
- Conditions of service availability;
- Service standards, such as the timeframes within which services will be provided;
- The responsibilities of both parties;
- Cost versus service tradeoffs; and
- Escalation procedures for critical problems.
The management elements focus on:
- How service effectiveness will be tracked;
- How information about service effectiveness will be reported and addressed;
- How service-related disagreements will be resolved; and
- How the parties will review and revise the agreement.
Recommendation 148:
Develop internal service level agreements between the Tech Services Group and its customers.
Tech Services Group needs to clarify the level of service it can provide computer uses. Timelines for each type of service should be published.
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES AND TIMELINE
1. The Technical Assistance Center supervisor conducts a survey to assess customer satisfaction. August 2001 2. The Technical Assistance Center and Equipment Software Support-Instruction supervisors determine realistic timelines for each service provided. September 2001 3. The CTO facilitates an open discussion between service providers and users to ensure a basic level of agreement on the expected levels of service. September 2001 4. The CTO assigns someone to document and communicate the agreed-to service levels. October 2001 FISCAL IMPACT
This recommendation can be implemented with existing resources.
FINDING
The Equipment Software Support-Instruction parts room inventory is tracked using an Excel spreadsheet, not an inventory control application. The Excel spreadsheet does not work with the Technical Assistance Center system, nor does it serve as an effective inventory control system.
Each day the parts room clerk manually updates the spreadsheet based on parts removed and received. When parts are needed from the parts room, the desktop support staff complete an online form for the part requested. The forms are printed in the parts room, and then the parts ordered are entered onto the Excel spreadsheet.
Also, parts information is documented on the incident report through the Technical Assistance Center system. Because there is no link between the Technical Assistance Center system and the inventory control application, parts usage is not automatically updated. The Excel spreadsheet does not provide useful information such as economic reorder points when a specific part should be ordered, reports on parts usage, inventory value or defective parts to return.
Recommendation 149:
Implement an asset management application for the desktop support parts room.
Implementing an asset management module would make inventory control of Equipment Software Support-Instruction's parts inventory more efficient. Equipment Software Support-Instruction needs an application that works with the Technical Assistance Center system and serves as an inventory control system. The inventory control system tracks parts usage to established thresholds and provides reports that state which parts could be ordered. Improved inventory control saves the district money and cuts inventory levels. The district would also be able to take advantage of volume discounts.
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES AND TIMELINE
1. The CTO analyzes and acquires licenses for an asset management application that works with the Technical Assistance Center system. September 2001 2. The Equipment Software Support-Instruction supervisor and the parts inventory clerk receive training from the vendor. October 2001 3. The Equipment Software Support-Instruction supervisor implements the new asset management application to replace the Excel spreadsheets. November 2001 FISCAL IMPACT
An asset management module that works with the Technical Assistance Center system would cost $35,000 plus $7,000 for five licenses.
Recommendation 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 Implement an asset management application for the desktop support parts room. ($42,000) $0 $0 $0 $0 FINDING
Instructional Specialists often perform technical service that is not reported or tracked in the Technical Assistance Center system. The technical services they perform range from general troubleshooting of a PC or copier to installing a server for a computer lab. Users benefit from the skill and knowledge of these individuals to resolve computer, peripheral, copier, or other equipment and software problems.
The volume of incidents requiring technical support is not known if the work performed by these individuals is not recorded. Equipment Software Support-Instruction also needs to know what actions these employees have taken if they are later called to work on that piece of equipment. Teacher technologists also perform technical service that is not reported or tracked in the Technical Assistance Center system. Some teacher technologists have a process at the local schools for trouble ticket reporting. However, these tickets may or may not be reported to Technical Assistance Center. The standard process to record an incident is for the user to call the Technical Assistance Center, where an employee will complete a trouble ticket for the repair.
The teacher technologists can enter tickets into the Technical Assistance Center system from the local schools. The Instructional Specialists have access to trouble tickets, but must call the Technical Assistance Center to make sure the repair is documented in the Technical Assistance Center computer system.
Recommendation 150:
Report and track all technical support work through the Technical Assistance Center system.
Recording this activity provides a more accurate account of incidents that require technical support. Undocumented repair work can make it difficult to determine how many support personnel are needed in the district. If the Instructional Specialists have incidents to report, they should enter the incident or request the teacher technologists to enter the incident into the Technical Assistance Center system.
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES AND TIMELINE
1. The Technical Assistance Center supervisor arranges training for individuals who will be entering tickets. August 2001 - September 2001 2. The Technical Assistance Center supervisor defines the type of technical service incidents to track on the Technical Assistance Center system. September 2001 3. The Technical Assistance Center supervisor informs district personnel of the change. October 2001 FISCAL IMPACT
This recommendation can be implemented with existing resources.
FINDING
Equipment Software Support-Instruction personnel receive limited training on Remedy, the help desk system used by the Technical Assistance Center. An employee in the Technical Assistance Center provides a one to two hour overview that covers the basics on how to retrieve trouble ticket information. As a result of limited training, Technical Assistance Center personnel do not get the full benefits of the system. For example, the Equipment Software Support-Instruction supervisor does not use the management reporting system because he has not been trained to use it.
Recommendation 151:
Train technical support supervisors to use the help desk system.
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES AND TIMELINE
1. The Equipment Software Support-Instruction supervisor arranges for Equipment Software Support-Instruction personnel to receive management reporting training for Remedy. August 2001 2. The Equipment Software Support-Instruction personnel are trained to use the Remedy system. September 2001 - October 2001 FISCAL IMPACT
This recommendation can be implemented with existing resources.