Interview with Ken Potter, Conference Chairman for the Educational Technology Leadership Conference

Last week, I had the chance to talk with Ken Potter, the Conference Chairman for the Educational Technology Leadership Conference, coming up Nov. 30th to Dec. 2nd in Roanoke, VA. Here's a sneak peek at what to expect in Roanoke:



NOTE: I will be presenting at the Conference on the following topic:

“The top 10 ways your district’s Student Information System can DO MORE to support and accelerate students learning, teachers teaching, and parents participating”

Please stop by the Follett Software/Aspen booth at the conference and join me for my presentation. If you CAN'T make it but would like an audio/video of the presentation, please email or call me (703.679.8239) and I'll make that your early Christmas gift!

Educational Technology Leadership Conference November 30 - December 2, 2010

The 16th annual Educational Technology Leadership Conference will take place at the Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center in Roanoke, Virginia. Virginia's Educational Technology Leadership Conference once again brings technology leaders to an event that inspires, informs, and provokes discussion. The Educational Technology Leadership Conference is designed to provide a forum for individuals who are responsible for the planning, coordination, and implementation of educational media and technology programs. Coordinators of instructional technology, library media, distance learning, instructional television, and instructional computing applications continue to find this event a valuable source of information and innovative ideas. Division superintendents, curriculum coordinators, staff development specialists, administrative computing specialists, university teacher education professionals, and telecommunication professionals benefit from the program and contact with colleagues from across the Commonwealth. The 2010 conference continues to provide a wealth of presentations designed to align with and explore the goals and objectives of the five major components of Virginia's 2010 - 2015 educational technology plan: environment, engagement, application, tools, and results. Added to the program are special sessions that focus on successful approaches to virtual learning and the technologies that make virtual learning work. These sessions will assist school divisions as they consider safe and productive uses of virtual learning technologies while developing policies to ensure educationally sound uses of these technologies. Virginia's Educational Technology Leadership Conference promises opportunities to explore new technologies, establish new contacts, and review trends and issues related to the effective integration of technology in Virginia's classroom. This key event will be an invaluable experience for technology leaders charged with planning and implementing technology in Virginia's schools. The Educational Technology Leadership Conference is sponsored by Virginia Tech's Center for Instructional Technology Solutions in Industry and Education.

Dr. Curt Bonk Dr. Tim Tyson

"Let's keep it clean, gentlemen" - How to use your SIS to validate user-entered data

I was on an Aspen demo yesterday with a couple of local Virginia school districts and one of the attendees was curious how the Aspen SIS could support the tech departments goal of getting uniformity and standardization of data.

Well, ensuring data cleanliness with multiple (and distributed) users entering data is like herding cats -- if you don't create a narrow, defined passage for those feline wanderers to pass through, you're going to lose your herd! (Not sure what the penalty for losing a herd of cats is, but let's just assume for the sake of the metaphor that it is SEVERE!)

So how to create that herd-controlling narrow and defined passage way?

Make sure that you dig in to find out what kind of "pre-input" data validation tools your SIS provides you with. The effective use of these will keep you from tearing your hair out because users "do what they do" when entering data...which is whatever the system allows them to do. The more structure you (are able to) provide, the less time that you'll have to spend cleaning up the mess (or rounding up the herd).

Aspen's robust and extensible data dictionary, for example, allows administrators to create controls for all user input fields - whether those are the "standard" fields or the over 250 user defined fields that can be placed anywhere on any template in Aspen. What that means is that you are completely in control of what data your users are able to input.

Want it to be a 3 character numeric field? Done.

Want a 17 option drop down menu? Your wish is Aspen's command.

Want a 3 month mediterranean cruise as a surprise bonus as a reward for your amazing job as your district's CTO? Absolu....Hey...wait a minute!

The takeaway here is to fight to ensure that you understand the tools that your system has available to support you.

The tools in your system may or may not be as robust and flexible as those in Aspen but that doesn't mean that they - as they are - can't help you in your cat herding endeavors!

Peel Back the Onion - How to Think About Total Cost of Ownership

Yesterday, I interviewed Follett Software's Mark Lamont about how school business officials should think about Total Cost of Ownership when evaluating their current student information systems or thinking about looking for a new SIS.





Some of what we covered:

• The three layers of Total Cost of Ownership evaluation
  
• Questions to ask to suss out potentially "hidden costs" of ownership
• a guide for non-CIOs about how cloud computing can benefit schools

Want a written summary of this conversation? Email me at Frazier@SISsuccess.com

"Trust but Verify" - When it's time to take a Road Trip

On Friday, I interviewed Chuck Muller, the Manager of School Support Systems for the
Information Technology Department of Baltimore City Schools, and in his "Words of Wisdom" section, he talked about the importance during the SIS search process of digging in to documentation and going on the road to visit the actual users of the systems that you're evaluating:



Chuck also talked about the importance of getting the user community involved in the search and evaluation from the beginning:

"SIS isn't a technology department project; it's a district wide project with a technology backbone"

Had two great interviews on Tuesday from two very different Virginia school divisions (Fairfax and Gloucester) which will be included in the guide.

Some of the upshots:
1) Fairfax (Largest School District in the area - 160,000+ students):
Maribeth Luftglass, CIO, stressed the importance of not seeing this as a technology project that you just bring other departments into, but rather ensuring that there is "buy in" and whole district involvement from the start (and throughout the process. - "This shouldn't be seen as a technology project but rather a district wide project with a technology backbone.")

Also, during their exhaustive search for an SIS, one of the most important "due diligence" actions Fairfax took was a scripted (and penetrating) investigation of references. Maribeth said that some real eye opening revelations (about response to change requests and other support issues) came out of their interviews of the current clients of several of their "finalists".

Maribeth's advice: Call references, and not just the ones that the SIS providers give you (dig deep). Have a script for the interview - ask about costs, migration, support.

2) Gloucester:

Most important issues to explore during the RFP process - "hidden costs" and data migration process. (These are the issues that you really have to grill the sales people about (but even then won't get answers) so you HAVE to talk to existing/past clients and ask the tough question.

Thanks to all of the CIOs/CTOs/SIS managers who have been responding and scheduling interviews...looking forward to adding insights and experiences on Friday and early next week!

"Can it Really be that Easy?" - An Overview of the Potential of Scheduling Programs with Stephen Lyle

Most student information systems present a scheduling solution but is there a crucial distinction between a schedule BUILD and a schedule LOAD that is keeping you from saving staff hours (and headaches) as well as providing a fully optimized experience for students and teachers.

On Friday I discussed the intricacies of scheduling with SIS Expert, Stephen Lyle:



Some of what we covered:

• How schedule BUILD (rather than just schedule load) can make your schedulers' (and teachers') lives easier
  
  
• How to use static and dynamic teaming in scheduling
  
  
• Why "proximity matters" in scheduling, or "How to keep your floating teachers from pulling their hamstrings running from one end of the building to the other"
  
  
• "I just can't handle the Olsen twins being in my class": Creating teacher/student, student-student rules for happier students (and teachers!)

Email me if you're interested in getting the transcript of this conversation!

Launch of Project

The Keys to SIS Success for Virginia School Divisions:

How Virginia’s School Divisions are Choosing (and Using) Their Student Information Systems for Maximum Benefit

SIS Success Blog (www.SISsuccess.com) is launching a “Share and Learn” project during which we are interviewing the technology and information management leaders in the school divisions throughout Virginia to discover how they chose their current Student Information System and to spotlight specific ways that they are leveraging their systems to streamline processes, improve parental access, and support student and teacher excellence.

Over the next 45 days, we will be interviewing CIO/CTOs from Virginia’s 135 school divisions, other district stakeholders who have been involved in selecting and implementing their student information systems, representatives from several “leading edge” Maryland divisions who are using their SISs in innovative ways, and the education, technology, and information management leaders in the State government and board of education.

The end result of this project will be a resource guide which we will share with the CIOs/CTOs and stakeholders in each school division so that they are able to “stand on the shoulders” of their colleagues and accelerate their success in choosing, funding, implementing , and leveraging the RIGHT Student Information System/Educational Platform in their school district.

Some of the topics that will be covered in the guide:

• “Is it time for a change?”: Diagnosing your current system and doing a “cost/benefit” analysis
  
  
• How districts are funding their systems...and what to do if money is tight
  
  
• Scheduling an implementation rollout for maximum success
  
  
• Going “Beyond SIS”: How to use your system as an educational platform to support teachers teaching and improve student performance
  
  
• “One Big Happy Family”: Top ways school divisions are getting buy in from students, teachers, admin staff, and parents
  
  
• “If I knew then what I know now...": CIOs share their mistakes to avoid
  
  
• Getting the Data: The top reports schools want and need
  
  
• “I didn’t realize it could be this easy!”: Making the leap from manual scheduling to a schedule builder
  
  
• A comparative analysis of the primary SIS providers
  
  
• Red flags and signs of trouble
  
  
• Becoming the Squeaky Wheel: How to get the training and service you need...and what to do when your providers fall short
  

Answers to our two most frequently asked questions:

• “How do I get my copy?”

Please visit www.SISsuccess.com to register to receive your copy (once completed).

• “How do I provide my information? When/where is the interview?”

I will be reaching out to the School CIO/CTOs over the next few weeks (beginning Sept 15th) to inform them about the project and to provide them with a couple “things to think about” prior to the interview.

During the 15-30 minute interview, I will confirm your mailing address and find out whether you’d like additional copies for additional stakeholders.

Process for Surveying/Interviewing:

1. Online interview – complete at your own leisure through our online process
2. Email interview – review questions and answer via email (I will call to confirm and to get clarification on any points)
3. Telephone interview (PREFERRED) – I will go through the questions, recording the answers for later use/transcription (no “60 Minutes” gotcha questions, I promise!)

*Want to peek “behind the scenes” as the guide is being created? Visit us for daily/weekly blog updates at www.SISsuccess.com.

Sponsors:

X2, the producers of the Aspen Student Information System, provider to some of the largest (and smallest) school districts on the East Coast (from Miami-Dade, Florida to Howard County, Maryland to Bedford, Massachusetts).

Lead:

Frazier O’Leary is the editor for SISsuccess.com. He is also the Student Information Systems Advisor for Virginia, Maryland, and DC for X2 (Aspen). A former high school teacher in Washington, DC and Arlington, Virginia, Frazier has 15 years experience facilitating networking between business organizations and supporting school districts with curriculum resources and technology. Before joining X2 Development, Frazier worked with the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship and the Stargazer Foundation, both organizations which use technology and innovation to promote educational excellence.

Frequently Asked Questions:

• Why are you doing this?

Our mission at SISsuccess.com (supported by X2) is to enable technology and information management officials in our school divisions to have breakthrough success with leveraging student information systems. We ensure that our product, Aspen SIS, is the most stable, innovative, and comprehensive student information system on the market by staying connected to and supporting CIOs/CTOs in our local school divisions. We believe the more CIOs/CTOs know about what CAN be done with their SISs, the more teachers, parents, and ultimately students benefit and succeed.

• Who is funding this project?

Frazier O’Leary, the lead editor/publisher for SISsuccess.com, is employed by X2 and is the Student Information Systems Advisor for Maryland, Virginia, and DC.

• What will be done with the results?

We will be sharing the relevant results of the interviews (and the research) through the blog and then, once assembled and organized, through the Resource Guide, which will be distributed to school district CIOs/CTOs who participate or who are interested.