The Role and Responsibilities of a

K-12 Technology Coordinator

By Amy Tvedt

Ever since the campaign to integrate computers into the classroom, there has been a developing need for someone to be in charge of all the responsibilities that come with such an endeavor. These duties are what led to a specialized position found in many schools today, known as the technology coordinator. The purpose of this paper is to look at the factors that determine the role of a technology coordinator, what the different roles of the technology coordinator are, and the responsibilities involved with this position.

What factors determine the role of a technology coordinator?

Different schools have different needs and the role of the technology coordinator depends on the school. It is possible that a school may not even need a technology coordinator. In this situation, often times an instructor is given the duties of a technology coordinator in addition to their teaching obligations. This can be too much for one individual, which will be clearer when we look at the numerous responsibilities put on the position and the different roles that they may have. Whether the technology coordinator serves a single school or an entire district also affects the role they will have. Most likely larger schools and districts will have multiple coordinators. Another obvious factor would be the amount of technology available to the school. “A more important factor is the nature and extent of use of the equipment” (Russell 1). In other words, how much is the equipment used and what are the expectations of the administrators and school board? All of these will play a part in determining the role of a technology coordinator.

What are the different roles of a technology coordinator?

Although the position of technology coordinator has been around for years in the business world, it is relatively new to education. When computers were first introduced to schools in the late 1970’s to early 1980’s the main focus was to be sure that the computers were properly set up. Over the years additional roles have been placed on the technology coordinator; such as network administrator, integration specialist, and teacher.

According to Chamberlin, while a technology coordinator should have knowledge of the following, they “should not be expected to run cable, set up computer lab furniture, back-up computer data, ensure computer security or perform other maintenance tasks. This can easily become a full-time job and should be assigned as such.” (1) This role should be filled by a network administrator. When computers were first placed in the classrooms, “It was believed, apparently, that the green glow from those cathode-ray tubes washing over our children’s faces would make them smarter” (Warlick 1). For years teachers were responsible for figuring out how to incorporate these machines into their classroom. The fact still remains today that some teachers are resistant to integrating technology. Due to this attitude, another role that is often pushed upon the technology coordinator is that of an integration specialist. The final role that is frequently placed on the technology coordinator is that of a teacher. Schools want the technology coordinator to teach the different computer courses offered. It should be understood by school administrators that “the preparation and qualifications to be a computer teacher may not be (the same as) those that are needed to be a technology coordinator.” (Russell 3)

If one considers these roles in addition to what a technology coordinator is responsible for, they should be able to realize that it would be very difficult for one individual to accomplish everything. Again as stated earlier, what a school needs depends on the school, but if a school needs all of the above, they need to be looking for more than one person. In most situations, I think that at least two individuals would be able to divide these duties. Ideally, the integration specialist and teacher would be the same person because they would have the classroom experience.

What are the responsibilities of a technology coordinator?

Depending on where you look, the responsibilities of a technology coordinator vary. Listed below are the responsibilities I found from two different sources, although some of the responsibilities are the same, I felt that where the lists came from was important. The first list comes from Russell’s article, “The Role of a Technology Coordinator” (2-3).

1. Providing immediate help to teachers and students.
2. Planning for long range school and district technology integration.
3. Addressing technology-related curriculum articulation questions.
4. Developing short and long-range plans for implementation goals.
5. Helping teachers develop technology-related materials and lessons.
6. Providing computer-related inservice education and training.
7. Responsible for school hardware, software and other materials.
8. Technology budget responsibilities.
9. Acting as a resource for a wide range of technology questions.
10. Assisting in the teaching of computer-based subjects.
11. Developing and implementing evaluation procedures.
12. Assisting school non-teaching personnel with technology use.
13. Maintain personal professional growth to keep up with the field.

The second list comes from a web site that talks about the ideal technology coordinator position. I included the examples and explanations of each responsibility for a better understanding. These responsibilities include the following (Chamberlin 1)

• Collaborate with teachers in implenting technology into the curriculum. In partnerships, the coordinator and a teacher will work towards integrating computers in a relevant way that strengthens content, assists teacher in meeting state and national standards for content and technology.
• Structure technology education of students, teachers and staff. Though the technology coordinator may not directly conduct all training, lab work or classes regarding computer use, he or she should coordinate instruction to meet technology proficiency goals. Additional instruction of parents or community members may also strengthen technology skills of students.
• Coordinate budget for computer resources including hardware, software, learning resources and training needs.
• Develop monetary resources for school/district. Successful candidate will be expected to collaborate with others in school/district to establish grant funding, corporate sponsorships, community partnerships to enhance computer resources.
• Recommend and, in some cases, purchase hardware, software and related resources.
• Provide troubleshooting on a limited basis. Coordinator will be available for simple troubleshooting of software and hardware for teachers, and will serve as a liaison with systems analysts and network coordinators ensuring technical problems are resolved. As coordinator of training in software, the coordinator will be expected to provide software guidance as needed as well.
• Identify trends in software, curriculum, teaching strategies and new resources.
• Create, maintain and oversee integration of technology plan for school.
• Create learning resources for teachers, staff and students. These may include web sites, interactive programs, databases, etc that support teachers in integrating technology. Ideally, teachers will be guided and encouraged in developing their own resources and the coordinator will support these efforts, providing additional support as needed.

Conclusion

With the constant changes and improvements in technology and increases in hardware, it is not feasible to place all these roles and responsibilities on one person. The technology coordinator position is becoming more common in schools; however, “the responsibilities and decision-making ability of (the) position vary greatly” (Russell 5).

References

Chamberlin, B. Redefining the Role of the K-12 Technology Coordinator. Retrieved Jun. 25, 2003, http://www.people.virginia.edu/~bc2j/techcoordinator/about.html

Russell, K. The Role of the Technology Coordinator. Retrieved Jun. 25, 2003, http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~kenr/RevLitDox/techcoord.html

Warlick, D. (2003). Stop Integrating Technology. Retrieved Jun. 27, 2003, http://www.edtechnot.com