The Wonders of Technology...

I spend a lot of time thinking about technology and learning and the impact it has had on promoting the integration of 21st century skills. I also think about how amazingly adept today's students are with all forms of technology and how they are able to use it effectively to get things done almost without any effort. Sort of the way most of us use a pencil or a paper notepad. Of course, I am growing increasingly concerned over the ways some of our students are using technology inappropriately, but that has been a topic of a past posting and, I suspect, it will resurface again and again in the near future. But this past week I began thinking of all of the ways that technology has changed the landscape for me as an administrator. I guess what triggered it for me was when I received an email late one evening from a parent regarding difficulties she was having with iParent and I responded within ten minutes to assure her that I would fix the problem the first thing next morning when I got to my office. (The amazing thing about technology is that I actually could have logged in to IPASS from my home computer immediately and fixed the problem but it was late and I was reluctant to stop reading my book for a problem that was not an emergency).

So, I guess that is one of the first things that struck me about how my job has changed due to technology. With the availability of email and the functionality and immediacy of my school issued BlackBerry, parents have access to their child's high school Principal 24/7 and I have no problem with that. Back in the not so dark ages, parents would either have to write a letter or call the school and get past the Principal's gatekeeper, the school secretary, to leave a message on a little pink slip or a voice mail. Of course, with email all of that has been eliminated and that is a good thing. It frees up my secretary to do other things and it most often results in a more immediate response and, hopefully, a successful resolution of the parent's concern. The only down side is that with such direct access there really is no filter and occasionally when someone is angry or frustrated and wants to vent (and we have all done it!), their message comes through loud and clear. And, while that can often be disconcerting, it too, is not necessarily a bad thing. For me it's sort of like yanking a band aid off a cut that is healing. It stings for a bit but getting concerns out into the open air and being able to respond to them is always helpful. I take pride in being able to respond to parents as quickly as possible regardless of the issue. Your time is as valuable as mine; your concern is important to you; and I see it as my job to respond and do what I can to address it in a timely fashion.

I believe that iParent has been an amazing tool for parents by allowing them to have access to their child's grades, attendance, discipline etc. But it has also been great for me as an administrator. By demystifying student information, especially grades, it has reduced the number of queries about student performance and, when there are questions, they are now more specific thanks to the information which parents can access online. Actually, the whole IPASS student management system has definitely changed my life as an administrator. Because it is web-based and totally integrated, I have the ability to access student or staff information anywhere and at any time. Information that used to be stored on a Rolodex or in binders is now only a click or two away.

The wonders of the world wide web and powerful search engines have provided me with access to an amazing array of educational resources to assist me in doing my job. Information which a few decades ago would have required me to spend hours in a university library researching various sources and reading microfiche is now available on my desktop in a matter of seconds. In fact, there is so much information available that I often feel overwhelmed yet I occasionally wonder what else might be out there when I only peruse the first two or three pages of a Google search when it says there are 2,478,391 other entries relative to my search query! That troubles me but I would never have the time or the patience to actually find out what I might be missing.

Of course, what would any information delivery system be with out the inevitable junk mail. Conservatively, I receive over one hundred unsolicited offers for various educational services such as assembly programs, professional development opportunities, anti-bullying programs, webinars on virtually any conceivable topic related to education, and, of course, the odd offer for discount prescription medications from Canada or elsewhere. The delete key on my laptop gets a daily workout!

I guess the bottom line is that for me technology has enhanced my opportunity to communicate with those who are important to me: parents, faculty and staff, members of our community, and even students. I can tolerate the occasional unwanted communication as long it allows me to continue to appropriately respond to those messages that truly matter. So, whatever your issue, if you feel the urge to reach out and contact me, please do so. Just understand that if I do not respond within a few minutes or even an hour, it is not because I am ignoring you, that is unless you are trying to sell me something. If that is the case, your message has already been deleted.

If you have any thoughts or comments about what I have written, send me an email!