School Technology Resource Teachers

Bath County Public Schools has employed part-time school technology technicians and technology resource teachers since the 2005-2006 school year, per Virginia Department of Education requirements.

Historical Perspective

Our school division has long benefited (since 1982) from the assistance of school computer coordinators who worked on technology topics/projects in addition to their full-time duties as instructional staff members. In addition, full-time computer lab managers were designated in 1995 to provide supervision of elementary integrated learning labs and the high school resource lab. The lab managers have also provided school-wide technology support for staff and students throughout the past ten years. Additional technology support has been provided by advanced contracted service providers, student technology assistants and the division technology director.

Current Response

The Virginia Department of Education now requires that school divisions designate a full-time equivalent technology technician and full-time equivalent technology resource teacher for every 1000 students. In an effort to provide on-site services to all students and staff every work day, the division has designated school-based part-time technicians and teachers to serve these required roles. These employees perform their technology services for 1 to 2 hours per day, and then fill other roles during the remainder of the day. When technology projects require that staff work beyond contract hours, these staff members are paid by the hour to complete these special tasks.

The VA DOE technology technician requirement is met by the services of our part-time technicians (who also serve as computer lab managers), advanced contracted service providers, student technology assistants and the division technology director. Likewise, there may be times when technology resource teachers may contribute to the technician full time equivalent requirement.

Specific Duties of Technology Technicians and Technology Resource Teachers

In the course of any given week, needs are present that cross lines between the technician and resource teacher roles, and all technology staff will do what they can to assist. That said, technicians will refer 'resource teacher' requests to appropriately licensed staff whenever possible. Likewise, resource teachers will need to protect their 'resource teacher' time availability for 'resource teacher' tasks whenever possible. Division technology personnel will continue to work together to ensure that staff and students have full access to available technologies, and that staff have the range of skills necessary to more thoroughly integrate technology into their curricula and job roles.

Technology Technicians

According the the Virginia Department of Education, the technology technician:

• Provides school-based and/or division-wide support for information networks

• Provides network selection, configuration, installation, operation, repair, maintenance, software installation, troubleshooting, and security management.

• Installs and upgrades servers, computers, and networks.

• Maintains multi-media devices, which include but are not limited to computers, telephony, monitors, and projectors.

The duties of the technology technician would not include data entry, computer programming, data collection and analysis, webmaster services, or administration and management.

Technology Resource Teachers

The intent of providing funding for instructional technology resource teachers in the Standards of Quality is:

• to assist teachers with the integration of technology in the classroom,

• to train teachers to use technology in an effective manner, and

• to assist with curriculum development as it relates to educational technology.

Technology resource teachers may be responsible for modeling instructional strategies with students, providing training and professional development, developing the curriculum, or performing similar kinds of duties and responsibilities as the school division may deem appropriate. Instructional technology resource teachers are intended to serve as resources to classroom teachers, but are not intended to serve as classroom teachers. As technology resource teachers must be licensed teachers, then only 'teachers' with special technology skills can fill this role.