The two sessions I attended today were the most applicable to my job as an IT person, a personnel manager, and a one-to-one iPad coordinator.
The first was from the Val Verde Unified School District in Southern California, called
Build a technology support team people love! This is definitely one of my goals, so I noted the takeaways that will help me in my daily work.
And, it was apparently applicable to many other's daily work, as the space was packed.
When people call for tech support, how do you want them to feel after hanging up the phone?
The presenter repeatedly made the point that IT is not in the technology business, but in the people business, and we happen to use technology. As my boss says, remember that the relationships matter most. Even if the answer is, "I don't know, but I'll find out" or "I can't fix that right now," there is a way to deliver that answer in a way that makes the user feel supported rather than brushed off.
Collectively, we are the face of IT.
Everyone in the IT department has an effect on the reputation of the department. And, depending on the size of the department, like a big department in a multi school district, people in the IT department may only be known as
IT, rather than as individuals. So everyone needs to do their best to build the department's reputation.
It's not the teacher's job to know certain tech things. It's her job to teach.
I have to remind myself this one often. Just because I know something, especially something that I consider simple, does not mean everyone else knows it. Yes, I think there is a minimum. However, turn that table around. Are there simple things that all teachers would know that would baffle a non-teacher?
With teachers, speak their language and understand their time.
The presenter gave a great example of a tech support call from the tech's point of view, then from the teacher's point of view. The tech was eager to get off the phone so he could fix the problem, then he was happy to have the problem resolved in a pretty quick amount of time, like 10 minutes. The teacher was annoyed because did not feel like she was being valued by the clipped conversation, and she lost that window of 5 minutes she has between classes to enter her grades.
Don't meet half way. Commit to 75% to make up for the days when when you can't get to it.
This point was about inter-departmental relationships. The IT department depends greatly on other non-academic departments to help with IT's work. The presenter's example was the Buildings and Grounds department for room setup. At my school, it's the Business department for purchasing and inventory. We need to work extra hard to make those relationships positive, and there are days when both sides won't be able to do that. Aim for doing 75% of the work to make up for the days when you don't have the time, energy, or good will to build that relationship.
Be the department that people will demand to keep, to not cut.
In an age when budgets are being slashed, be so good that teachers openly revolt at the mention of cutting IT. Especially if your teachers are part of a union, do such a good job that the teacher's union advocates for you.
So, that's the tech support session. Next up, iPads.
