ET and OT

In the beginning Steve Jobs said "Let there be a computer that ordinary people would enjoy using" and he created the Macintosh then he said "It is good". Twenty-five years later the concept of personal computing has gone far beyond what Bill Gates, Paul Allen, Steve and others envisioned.    The use of technology in school districts has also changed substantially over the years.  Initially technology use was championed by trend setting teachers who could see the potential for this tool in the classroom.  Often these teachers served as District Technology Coordinators, developed technology plans, wrote grants, wired classrooms, managed servers, installed software and were involved in all aspects of technology use.

Today however the situation in most school districts is significantly different.   Given the requirements of filtering, anti-spam software, firewalls, wireless networking, video conferencing, managing the bysantine  E-Rate process it is almost impossible for an educator to be  a District Technology Coordinator and still have involvement in teaching.   The need for "operational technology" support in school districts has grown exponentially during recent years.

What is "Operational Technology" you ask?  Well, basically it's the same as "IT" or Informational Technology" in most contexts.   I thiink "Operational Technology" or "OT" is a better description of the work that these professionals do.  OT also avoids the inevitable confusion with the IT  acronym being used for "Instructional Technology" as many school districts refer to it.  The terms "Educational Technology" and "Operational Technology" clearly communicate the two primary aspects of technology use in schools without any "IT" confusion.

Today, these two essential, required leadership/direction roles for technology use need to be present in school districts.  Both the Educational and Operational aspects must be addressed if technology is going to be used effectively in schools by students and staff.  In some cases the same person can do both roles but in most school districts the two roles are done by different (groups of) people. 

But, a concern of mine is that It seems that the primary focus of some school districts is now "operational technology" rather than "educational technology".  Educational Technology, being used for instruction (Tier 2) and/or student-centered learning (Tier 3), should be the first focus within schools.  Operational Technology is obviously essential and required as well, but the reason schools exist is student learning.  Technology is a powerful, research-supported tool that can have a positive effect with student learning, motivation, engagement and retaining students in school.   I'm concerned that a lack of focus on Educational Technology is resulting in schools missing a powerful opportunity to help teachers and students.

 So .... do you agree?   Am I completely off -base here?  Does your district have both ET and OT clearly identified and supported?    How are these two aspects functioning in your district?