As the technology committee was forming, it became quickly apparent how much the other stakeholders were interested in participating and helping to solve the apparent problem of the lack of a digital storage area for Art and Tech Ed classes. This made it encouraging to begin the planning stages of the project. Most department members were eager to participate, but they were worried about the amount of time and attention that the initiative would require. This fear was eased by explaining the use of a Wiki site and being able to communicate with the whole group, making time consuming face to face meetings less important, and freeing up time for the very busy end of school year.
As the plan for the project came together, it was important to clearly communicate the potential solution to the problem. With the help of our district technology staff, a NAS device was identified as a potential solution. Next making the complex technology of a NAS device simple to understand was one of the first tasks. The scope of the project was narrow which I believe assisted in making the solution clear, however the solution to the problem is not very tangible to most users. I was able to use the existing system of network storage provided by the district as a comparison model, which made most members feel a little easier about security and reliability.
The issue of security was a very important issue to all members and one that I did not include in the original survey that was sent out. I understand that when working with high school aged students the possibility of hacking and tampering exists. I was able to calm the committee's fear with the fact that all the existing school security systems would be in place. Also with such a large amount of unique data even the minuscule chance of losing some of it to equipment failure is terrifying. One of the committee members voiced the concern that “what if a student’s work from Art 1 class disappeared and was not there for when they need it for Art 2”. The concerns are very real and significant, however I was able to remind them that students would always be able to also save their work to a flash drive or CD, but I reminded them that the built in redundancy systems make the potential loss of data nearly impossible.
As the committees work was winding down, the need for professional development was made clear. However making the decision on who would be running it and when it would take place was not an easy one. There was only one other committee member who volunteered to help with the planning, this worried me that it would be left solely as my responsibility. With the help of Clint Jones, we were able to work with the school administration in making the new NAS the department’s new initiative. This granted us the ability to make PD occur during the required monthly department meeting.
With the help of the committee and the support of the school district, we will be able to implement the initiative which will help students build a portfolio of work assisting them in the advancement of skills and techniques.
Step 10 Reflection
As the technology committee was forming, it became quickly apparent how much the other stakeholders were interested in participating and helping to solve the apparent problem of the lack of a digital storage area for Art and Tech Ed classes. This made it encouraging to begin the planning stages of the project. Most department members were eager to participate, but they were worried about the amount of time and attention that the initiative would require. This fear was eased by explaining the use of a Wiki site and being able to communicate with the whole group, making time consuming face to face meetings less important, and freeing up time for the very busy end of school year.
As the plan for the project came together, it was important to clearly communicate the potential solution to the problem. With the help of our district technology staff, a NAS device was identified as a potential solution. Next making the complex technology of a NAS device simple to understand was one of the first tasks. The scope of the project was narrow which I believe assisted in making the solution clear, however the solution to the problem is not very tangible to most users. I was able to use the existing system of network storage provided by the district as a comparison model, which made most members feel a little easier about security and reliability.
The issue of security was a very important issue to all members and one that I did not include in the original survey that was sent out. I understand that when working with high school aged students the possibility of hacking and tampering exists. I was able to calm the committee's fear with the fact that all the existing school security systems would be in place. Also with such a large amount of unique data even the minuscule chance of losing some of it to equipment failure is terrifying. One of the committee members voiced the concern that “what if a student’s work from Art 1 class disappeared and was not there for when they need it for Art 2”. The concerns are very real and significant, however I was able to remind them that students would always be able to also save their work to a flash drive or CD, but I reminded them that the built in redundancy systems make the potential loss of data nearly impossible.
As the committees work was winding down, the need for professional development was made clear. However making the decision on who would be running it and when it would take place was not an easy one. There was only one other committee member who volunteered to help with the planning, this worried me that it would be left solely as my responsibility. With the help of Clint Jones, we were able to work with the school administration in making the new NAS the department’s new initiative. This granted us the ability to make PD occur during the required monthly department meeting.
With the help of the committee and the support of the school district, we will be able to implement the initiative which will help students build a portfolio of work assisting them in the advancement of skills and techniques.