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Technology Program Administrator

Lindsey Burnsed

FRIT 7739

Georgia Southern University Fall 2020

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Executive Summary

At Riverwatch Middle School, the technology center is part of the Media Center. The

Media Center falls under the purview of the principal of the school as well as the Department of

Technology and Information Services. It serves the staff, students, and community in the

mission, “Together we LEAD- Learn, Exceed, Achieve, and Dream” (Riverwatch Middle

School). The Media Center works to accomplish its mission by providing support to staff and

students through access to resources, training and help sessions, and digital citizenship lessons.

Organizational Chart

The Instructional Technology Specialist (ITS) at Riverwatch explained that both his role

and the center act as a bridge between the county and the school. He works under both the

county instructional technology department while also directly answering to the local school

principal. To show this, I created two separate organizational charts.

1. Forsyth County School System- Instructional Technology Department Organizational

Flowchart
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2. Riverwatch Middle School- Instructional Technology Department Organizational

Flowchart

Methods

During this assignment, I completed eight hours of observations in the Riverwatch

Middle School Media Center. I also interviewed the staff in the media center, specifically the

media para-pro and the instructional technology specialist. Interview questions and observation

checklists are included in the appendices. Artifact A is the checklist I used during my

observation of the media center. Artifacts B, C, and D are all interviews conducted with the staff

of the media center. Artifact E contains the websites that were recommended to be used to access

key information about the school and media center.

History of the Media Center

The Riverwatch Media Center, which includes the technology center, opened with the

school in 2003. Both positions of media specialist and instructional technology specialist (ITS)

were included in the opening of the school and center. It has changed from being what many
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would consider a traditional media center for checking out books over the years to include areas

for class learning and work space for students. With the recession in the 2000s, Forsyth County

made changes on allotments for positions in schools. Due to a special designation, the media

centers were allowed to be controlled by a media specialist paraprofessional. During that time,

that department staff at Riverwatch changed to match its current set-up, which is a media

paraprofessional and an ITS. The current media center supports students and teachers in

accessing books and technology.

Personnel of the Media Center

There are two personnel who staff the Media Center. The first is Julie Evans, the media

paraprofessional. She maintains the library, works with students on checking out materials and

technology, and completes other tasks around the library to support teachers and students. The

second is Brian Sudderth, the ITS. His job is to support staff and students with technology, coach

stakeholder on new technology, and help teachers transform instruction with technology.

Stakeholders

The media center is set up to support stakeholders in the community, specifically the

students, parents, and staff of Riverwatch Middle School.

Vision, Mission, and Goals

The vision and mission of the media center are the same as the Forsyth County

Instructional Technology and Information Services Department. Their vision is “to transform,

support, and personalize learning for teachers and students using technology.” Their mission is to
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“support effective use of instructional technology throughout the district by providing

technology-based instructional resources, innovative tools, professional development, and

instructional strategies” (Forsyth County Schools). They also state they want to “be a service-

oriented department that supports the teaching and learning of teachers and administrators” as

well as “use coaching and research-based strategies to encourage critical thinking, creativity,

communication, and collaboration” (Forsyth County Schools). The media center also focuses on

the school’s mission statement which says “Together we LEAD- Learn, Exceed, Achieve, and

Dream” (Riverwatch Middle School). The goals of the media center are to provide books and

technology in a clean, safe, welcoming environment (J. Evans, personal communication, October

19, 2020), as well as to provide support in technology and instruction to all stakeholders (B.

Sudderth, personal communication, September 3, 2020).

Media Center Activities

● Book and Technology Check-Out: The media clerk works with students to allow them to

borrow technology (such as computers or hotspots) for virtual learners, as well as

instructional materials and books for in-person learners. The purpose is to engage

students in their learning process as well as ensure equitable access to technology and

resources for all students at Riverwatch. This is for the students and families in the

Riverwatch community, and it is conducted both on site and online, as students can now

place holds on books and resources through the online portal.

● Book Fair: The media clerk and administration put on a book fair to raise money for the

media center and school, as well to increase the love of reading among students. Usually,

this is an on-site event. However, due to COVID-19, the book fair was moved online
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through JLG.org. The book fair provides an opportunity for students, families, and

teachers to increase their personal libraries (or classroom libraries), as well as have the

opportunity to research new age-appropriate books and resources.

● Technology Professional Development and Training: The instructional technology

specialist provides regular training and professional development to teachers on new and

existing technology to staff members. Each training he gives is to help provide support

for teachers using technology in instruction. His purpose is to help teachers use the

technology to the best of their ability, as well as to help the technology be accessible to

the students. Usually all of the training is provided on-site; additionally, due to COVID-

19, many of the training sessions have also been provided virtually through Microsoft

Teams Meetings, screen casts, and tutorials.

● Staff Technology Help Sessions & Troubleshooting (both group and individual): The ITS

also provides help sessions and troubleshooting by appointment as well as on-call

support. The purpose of this is to make sure the technology works when it is needed to

work. Mr. Sudderth commented that the greatest challenge in getting teachers to continue

to use technology is in helping them to not get frustrated when issues with the technology

arise (personal communication, October 19, 2020). He stated that he wants to provide the

help to make sure what needs to be working is fixed and provide support for both

teachers and students so that they have a great experience with the technology. He works

primarily on-site with the teachers; however, as needed, he will provide help online

through email or through Microsoft Teams.

● Build Digital Citizenship Lessons: The ITS at Riverwatch is in charge of creating digital

citizenship lessons that are provided during a time called “Restorative Circles.” The
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administration and leadership team who are responsible for the restorative circles lesson

designate certain times for there to be a digital citizenship lesson provided. The ITS

provides that lesson and presents it to teachers. These lessons are focused on helping the

students be citizens of the internet, understand personal responsibility online, act in

appropriate ways online, as well as understand responsible use of technology. This is

provided on-site to students and teachers, although the lessons are often sent online to

teachers and presented using technology to students.

Evaluation

The mission of Riverwatch Middle School is: “Together we L.E.A.D.- Learn, Exceed,

Achieve, and Dream” (Riverwatch Middle School). In order to achieve their mission, the media

center is providing opportunities for stakeholders to access resources and technology. They do

this by having staff and students check out books and materials from the library. In previous

years, they also provided a limited number of computers in every classroom as well as shared

carts of computers to supplement in classrooms where needed. The lack of a one computer to one

student environment has made it more difficult to implement technology based lessons.

This year, the instructional technology specialist (ITS) worked out a way for each student

that is present for face-to-face learning to have a computer checked out to them each day through

their homeroom teacher. This has allowed the students to meet COVID-19 health requirements

that recommend not using shared items between students. This has been very successful to

implement technology lessons to transform learning in the classroom. However, this will change

as more students return to face-to-face learning as the school currently has over fifty percent of

students completing virtual learning for the first semester. The staff will have to shift to meet the
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changes in second semester depending on the number of students who return. This could impact

the way the technology is used again in the classroom. I recommend revisiting the organization

of computer access once the technology department has access to student numbers for the second

semester so that computers can be reallocated in order to best serve the entire student body.

The ITS also provided a week of training at the beginning of the semester. According to

Mr. Sudderth, this was based on current technology and applications available to teachers. He

chose what he thought teachers would need most with both virtual and face-to-face students. He

also used his experience over the summer with providing a virtual class. This training was the

basis for the majority of what he thought teachers would need over the first semester. However,

he is now working on shifting his training so that he is working with teachers on truly

understanding digital citizenship and responsible use of technology. His goal is to help teachers

understand the background of applications, social media, and technology, so that they can more

effectively teach students responsible use. He is working on this in conjunction with school

safety meetings being held by the county with other ITS. I believe this is another way to help

students learn and exceed.

One issue I have seen within the media center is that circulation is down according to

communication released by administrators. This was already a problem in previous years;

however, the circulation has not improved as there are new requirements in place where students

must use an online hold system to check out a book, and they can only access the library during

their enrichment class period. I believe that the media center resources and books need to be

better promoted among the students and teachers. Students and teachers also need to understand

what they have access to through the library. I believe this could be provided through
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promotional posters around the school, announcements made about library events, and lessons

completed in class that include access to library resources.

Another step I would encourage is that the ITS create a schedule through a system like

Sign-up Genius, where it is easy for teachers to sign-up for time to work with him on technology

issues and more. Currently, he is consistently pulled in many directions as he receives phone

calls and emails about troubleshooting issues or getting help on how to use a certain technology.

I believe that having a scheduling system might benefit both the ITS and the teachers. This will

allow teachers to see the ITS’ availability, as well as keep the job from being overwhelming for

just one person. This also could ultimately be opened up to the parents and students especially

during this time when many are completing school virtually. This would allow the students and

parents to schedule time for help with using the school promoted technology. I also believe that

this will be good information to provide to stakeholders as the technology field in the schools

increases. This could influence decisions regarding technology. It can also provide evidence

when there may be a need for more roles within the technology department.

References

Forsyth County Schools. (2020, September 10). Instructional Technology. Forsyth County

Schools. https://www.forsyth. (n.d.)k12.ga.us/site/Default.aspx?PageID=1526

Riverwatch Middle School. (n.d.) About Us. Riverwatch Middle.

https://www.forsyth.k12.ga.us/domain/2852
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Appendix

Artifact A- Observation Checklist

Indicator Yes No

Students are able to access computers in the media center. X

Training and professional development is available to staff members. X

Instructional Technologist regularly share information with staff about technology X

updates.

Instructional Technologist regularly collaborate with teachers on instruction (to use X

technology to transform lessons).

The Media Center is open to both teachers and students. X

The Media Center provides development and help to students on a regular basis. X

Artifact B- Center Overview Interview

Question Answer

Who is being Brian Sudderth, ITS at Riverwatch Middle School.

interviewed?

Date of interview? October 19, 2020

How does the The ITS role acts as a bridge between the school and the county. The county has
organization of the its own structure that is found online at the county website. The ITS mainly
instructional answers to the principal. The principal is the one who completes observations
technology and evaluates the ITS. The principal is also the one that hires the ITS at the
department work? school. There is only one ITS at each school.

What is the history of The Media Center began in 2003. It began with both an ITS and a media
the Media Center? specialist. It has changed a lot from what would be considered a traditional media
center with a media specialist. With the recession in the 2000s, the county made
changes with allotments. The media center specialist became a parapro. The ITS
stayed as ITS and the media specialist allotment became a quality work specialist
who focuses on student support, breaking away from the technology department
as a whole.

What is the mission of ● Coaching and helping teachers use technology.

the Media Center? ● Same mission as the school- Together we LEAD – Learn, Exceed,
Goals? Achieve, and Dream.
● Tech department has a mission statement county wide.
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● Goal is to help teachers and students.

Who are the Teachers, administrators, students, parents, and community members.
stakeholders?

What are the center’s ● Focusing on not just giving more tools to teachers right now (feels we
activities? have a lot of tools).
● Working with teachers on troubleshooting problems with technology
(through emails from teachers, phone calls from teachers, and through
Unity tickets).
● Working towards building digital citizenship lessons for the month of
November in Restorative Circles Lessons.
● Complete one-on-one tech help and training.
● Deals with calls and emails all day long to deal with troubleshooting
problems.
● Worked with a teacher on issues on ItsLearning assignment with links
not working. Was able to access the ItsLearning page through his admin
side.
● Answered questions about grading and posting grades. (Q1 Grade
posting)
● At the beginning of the year, he created a week of technology training on
tech tools and virtual help that would be the most beneficial and helpful
at the beginning of the year. He worked to plan it out, and he found that
teaching an online class over the summer helped him prepare for what
teachers would need in order to plan the training.
● Over the entire first quarter he has offered a lot of one-on-one
technology support.
○ Some of it has been “this isn’t working.”
○ Some of it has been “ I have this working, but the kids can’t
access it.”
○ Some of it has been working with teachers on going from what
their end goal is to what kids are supposed to do on the
assignment. This included sitting with the teacher/content team
and going through the assignment. He would count clicks, find
out how many steps were involved, and see how many sentences
are involved in the instructions. He would work to help them
decrease the load so that it would be manageable, be more
effective to getting to the end goal, and be easily accessible to
the students. This would help simplify the process.
● He organized the Chromebooks and worked to make sure there was a
plan in place so that all students were assigned a specific Chromebook
while they were at school.

Other Comments? ● Job is shifting from fixing and teaching instructional technology to
understanding this as a tool and not a device/control.
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● Feels there is a disconnect between what is in digital citizenship and

what actually needs to be taught to the kids.
● Recommended watching The Social Dilemma. - Educating kids on what
happens on the back end of things that is programmed to keep you
addicted to the devices.
○ Redefine responsible usage.
○ Focus on approaching things factually, not with opinion.

Artifact C- Instructional Technologist Interview

Question Answer

Name? Brian Sudderth

Date? September 3, 2020

What is the title of your His title is the Instructional Technology Specialist (ITS) for Riverwatch Middle
job at RMS? School.

What type of degree is He states that you can have any degree with a teaching certificate.
required for your
position? *On a side note, he mentioned that this was one reason they had difficulty
finding me someone who was certified in ITEC to be my supervising field
mentor as his boss was not sure who (if any) of the ITS had their ITEC
certification.

What are your job Coach Sudderth’s job includes supporting teachers. He does this through the lens
responsibilities? of technology. He states that while his area of expertise is technology, his goal is
to make sure that every teacher has what they need to do the best job to educate
the students in their classrooms every day. His responsibilities fall into three
main categories (each of which supports teachers from a technological side):
1. Troubleshooting- While he considers it the most basic level of support,
he makes sure that teachers have what they need and that it is working
when they need it.
2. Teaching Tech Tools- He considers this the next level of support. He
considers this to be introducing and teaching how to use new hardware
(like the Cleartouch panels installed in the last few years), software, or
Web 2.0 tools.
3. Instructional Support- He considers this to be the highest and most
profitable type of support he can provide. He realizes that it is great to
teach people how to use the tools, but we need to use it to transform our
instruction not just replace practices. His goal is for us to transform the
way students consume information, process information, and how they
access information. According to him, trading a piece of paper for a PDF
may be using technology, but he wants to help teachers transform the
lesson and not simply replace paper with a web browser.
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How did you meet the During the transition to remote learning in the spring, Coach Sudderth supported
needs of faculty and teachers with a lot of screencasts. He states that teachers needed help getting up
staff during the to where they needed to be technologically. He truly believes that it was a good
transition to remote thing for many people in terms of forcing them to use technology they always
learning in the spring? thought was a good idea but never tried before.

He found that his biggest focus during that period was consistent
communication, especially with the state of online teaching. He wanted to
update if there were any known issues happening or helpful hints and tips that
could make the lessons go easier. He also sprinkled in some tools that he found
to be useful that would help teachers achieve the results they were looking for in
online learning.

How are you meeting Coach Sudderth states that he has continued the above practices in meeting the
the needs of faculty and needs of faculty and staff during the transition to the hybrid schedule. He is also
staff during the being intentional in his presence with the teachers. While his job could have him
transition to having both just sitting at a computer all day, he tries to make sure he gets out and sees
virtual and in-person people. He has found that teachers need encouragement and support. He has
students? found there has been many times that as he has walked around or gone door-to-
door to check on teachers, he will be met with an, “Oh! I am so glad you are
here…”. He finds that this makes some people more comfortable in asking for
help, especially those that are just not going to email or call with an issue. He
realizes that the teachers need to see his physical presence and not just have a
name on an email.

How are you meeting Coach Sudderth states that the county has a great structure that is helping with
the remote learning day to day tech issues. He does aid in this process as he receives many emails
needs of students and daily about troubleshooting issues through teachers whose students are
contacting them about an issue or from the students themselves. If there seems to
parents?
be an ongoing issue amongst the families, he will work with the administration
to have that added to the parent newsletter in order to communicate that with all
virtual families. He also has facilitated the checkout of chromebooks and
hotspots to any virtual learner in need.

What are typical daily He states that no two days are the same, so he can’t comment on typical daily
activities for your job? activities as it truly depends on the week. He finds that there are some weeks
where his schedule is filled with meetings due to the number of hats that he
wears (he is also the athletic director and head football coach among other roles
at the school). He tries to leave his mornings open so that he can help out anyone
who is having technical issues (especially as teachers begin the day with
students). He then works with scheduled groups (or one-on-one) needing help or
asking for some ideas.

Do you have a budget He does not have a large budget, and he finds that most of the budget goes
that you control? How towards printer ink. Any instructional resource is bought through instructional
do you make decisions funds even if they are digital, so they would not be part of his budget. Spending
is structured based on the department (i.e. Math, Science, Social Studies,
on selecting resources
Language Arts, etc.). If a department is interested in a digital resource or
for your stakeholders? technology purchase, he works with them to ensure that it is a quality product
that is being purchased (as well as meets privacy and county standards).
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Have you had an Yes, he has. This year with the enrollment of students at our school split between
opportunity to impact face-to-face and virtual, Coach Sudderth was able to create and implement a
technology plan that allowed for a student to have a chromebook with them the entire school
day.
implementation
throughout your school?
Would you describe a
specific example?

Does RMS have a RMS does not have a technology committee, but he thinks it's a great idea.
technology committee?

How are technology The county makes most major decisions, and it is sent down to the school level.
decisions made? Any other decisions are planned out and discussed with the leadership team
(administration and a few other key school members including the ITS) if
anything new is needing to be implemented.

What is the best part of He states that the best part of his job is helping people.
your job?

What do you find to be He finds that the most challenging part of his job is the amount of things he is
the most challenging responsible for (and the volume of problems he is called on to help fix).
part of your job?

What do you wish you He says that there is nothing he wishes he had known. He felt that he was able to
had known before walk in with a few guide rails from the county and make it his own, which he
moving to your current finds to be a great thing.
role?

What influenced you to He loves helping people. He was first approached by an assistant principal about
become a technology moving into the role. He was apprehensive at first because he doesn’t consider
specialist? himself to be a “tech guy.” However, he loves helping people and has found that
he can hold his own in the technology department.

Any extra comments or Coach Sudderth says that it should never be about the technology, but it should
insight you can think of always be about the teachers and the students. If you keep the most important
that was missed? thing important, you will always be successful in supporting teachers. As he
says, technology rolls over at a rapid rate, but your teachers and students are
always there-- so make it about them!

Artifact D- Media Parapro Interview

Question Answer

Name? Julie Evans

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Date? October 19, 2020

What is the title of your job at Media Paraprofessional aka Media Clerk
RMS?

What are your job Her job is to manage the media center and textbooks, as well as watch
responsibilities? the In-School Suspension (ISS) students.

What is the mission statement or The mission of the Media Center is the same as the school. “Together
mission of the Media Center at we LEAD…” However, she also wants to promote the love of
Riverwatch? reading.

What are the goals of the Media Her goal is to provide books and technology in a clean, safe, and
Center at Riverwatch? welcoming environment.

What are typical daily activities
for your job?
● Assist students with books, chromebooks, log in issues, minor
computer issues, printing, shelving, processing new books
and equipment.
● Process payments for agendas, lockers, PE clothes.
● Supervise students in the media center.

What are some of the main
activities that have occurred
during Q1?
● She has an 8th grade Flex class in the MC.
● Check out process has changed due to covid - now using a
hold system. 6th and 7th grade students visit with their
enrichment or literacy classes only due to covid tracing.
● Online book fair - how successful is not yet determined,
Friday the 23rd is its last day.
● Ensuring covid guidelines are followed by all in the media
center.

Artifact E- Important Websites

1. Instructional Technology and Information Services Department Website:

https://www.forsyth.k12.ga.us/site/Default.aspx?PageID=1526

2. Riverwatch Middle School Website: https://www.forsyth.k12.ga.us/domain/2852