| Overview and Position | | | | discounts the role of older technologies, but places |
| For over 19 years, Techcare has been providing | | | | the focus on the incorporation and integration of |
| technology solutions for K-12 education clients in | | | | newer forms of technology and instructional |
| ways that can lower the overall cost of support | | | | delivery methods. Often we only look at those |
| while increasing the impact technology has on | | | | systems that students have access to during |
| student learning and the learning process. | | | | their instructional periods, but we must not forget |
| Techcare believes that a District or School’s | | | | the systems, tools, data and processes that allow |
| technology support should align with educational | | | | educators to |
| goals and maximize the instructional impact of the | | | | 1) design instruction, 2) produce instructional |
| technology tools and resources deployed. Our | | | | products and services, 3) deliver and manage |
| team of education specialists and cross-platform | | | | instruction, and 4) evaluate technology tools being |
| technology experts allow us to advise, plan, | | | | deployed along with a comparison of the of the |
| implement and support a district or school’s | | | | old instructional model vs. newly developed |
| specific technology vision and mission. It is this | | | | methods. |
| philosophy that has allowed Techcare to create | | | | Operational technologies include the overall |
| and maintain strong and extended relationships | | | | infrastructure that supports the collaborative |
| with our educational clients. We truly partner with | | | | aspects of district operations, including: |
| our clients, allowing them to focus on their core | | | | • Network Infrastructure • Servers and |
| mission by lowering the time on task, system | | | | backup systems • Data Security • |
| downtime, total cost and complexity of IT | | | | Communication tools, including e-mail, Intranet, |
| support in general. Background and Understanding. | | | | phone systems (VoIP), web servers, etc. • |
| Many Districts have completed or have plans to | | | | Databases, including financial • Office systems, |
| complete significant upgrades or rollouts of various | | | | including e-mail, for collaboration and |
| instructional and office technology systems. With | | | | communication, and calendars • Systems used |
| the right leadership and vision, we see an ongoing | | | | by administrative non-educators within the District |
| commitment to a strong educational technology | | | | include security systems, lunch systems, student |
| initiative over the short and long-terms, including | | | | information, human resources, health and PE |
| an appropriate refresh plan. However, there are | | | | trainer systems. |
| growing concerns being expressed that traditional | | | | Technology Support in a District should be |
| district technology support teams might not have | | | | designed to enable all users to gain greater |
| (or maintain) the skills, budget or time to support | | | | benefits from the investment in technology by |
| the environment going forward. These conditions | | | | using the right resource at the right time in |
| afford an opportunity to consider alternative | | | | managing network infrastructure, security, data |
| models for providing technology support, | | | | and communications and providing desktop |
| management and strategic direction. | | | | support services Outsourcing certain of these |
| Over time, a District’s various stakeholders | | | | requirements would also allow a District’s |
| often communicate the desire for maintaining or | | | | staff to focus their efforts and resources on |
| improving the objectives that should result from | | | | elements of the technology investment that are |
| the use of Educational Technologies, as well as | | | | instructional in nature, unique and core to the |
| Operational Technologies. And while there exists | | | | district mission. At the end of the day, a good |
| excellent staff, solid curriculum and a strong | | | | technology support plan will help a District move |
| technology infrastructure in many Districts, the | | | | away from simply managing the problems on the |
| need to sustain the momentum or at least | | | | network and computers, towards managing |
| maintain the installed base, presents a perfect | | | | end-user expectations – so that the use of |
| opportunity to review and update existing | | | | the tools will meet the specific and identified |
| technology support and deployment. | | | | needs of the user(s). |
| Technology and Technology Support Definition | | | | Over time, and with proper organization and |
| Within the buildings that make up our school | | | | leadership, the IT support team can move up the |
| districts, there are two primary types of | | | | curve from “fire fighting”, past |
| technologies; Educational/Instructional Technology | | | | “reactive support”, past basic |
| and Operational Technology, defined as follows: | | | | “proactive support”, to the level of |
| Educational or instructional technology can at times | | | | providing the right resource at the right time to |
| be hard to define. At its simplest, it can be the | | | | the various users in the Schools. |
| use of technology to support learning or assist in | | | | In 1987, Steve left his career as a CPA to take |
| the teaching/learning process. This would include | | | | the “easy” road of starting a networking |
| any recently created tool (within the last 10 | | | | VAR. Steve, his partners and staff have worked |
| years) used in the educational environment to | | | | to grow Techcare to, be a successful and |
| improve student learning (see | | | | profitable company serving healthcare IT services |
| NCREL-“engauge model”). This in no way | | | | chicago and K-12 Education markets. |