Director of Technology: Reflection on Year 1

In the fast-paced environment of an international school, it is tempting to view technology through the lens of urgency—constant patches, reactive repairs, and the perpetual hunt for the "next big thing." However, true innovation requires a shift in perspective. At St. Johnsbury Academy Jeju, we are recalibrating our foundation, prioritizing stability, security, and support to ensure our technological ecosystem serves our students for the next decade.

Created with Gemini

We are moving away from reactive cycles toward a structured, multi-year strategic roadmap. This isn’t just about hardware; it is about budget predictability and ensuring that every device, from our student iPads to our refreshed teacher MacBook fleets, aligns with a sustainable growth model.

Our infrastructure is undergoing a similar evolution. By phasing the replacement of our wireless access points and repurposing equipment for dormitories, we maximize value without compromising connectivity. Furthermore, our proactive commitment to data security, exemplified by the integration of dedicated backup servers, eliminates single points of failure, ensuring that our classrooms remain resilient against the unexpected.

Managing this transition with a lean, efficient team requires discipline, but the goal remains clear: creating a seamless, reliable experience that empowers teaching and learning.

Technology should be the invisible scaffolding of an exceptional education, not a source of friction. As we build this foundation, we must ask ourselves: Are we investing in the sustainability of our tools, or are we simply maintaining the status quo? At SJA, I like to think, we are investing in sustainability that will power further innovation in teaching and learning.

Reflecting on the Start

This image was created with Gemini.

It has been a whirlwind start. I know that is a cliche, but it is the truth. (There will be more cliches in this post, so if that bothers you — feel free to pass this post by without a read. Most of my blog is shouting into the void anyway, so your lack of engagement won't bother me.) Last week, we made it to the Chuseok holiday in Korea and it was the first time I felt like I could really catch my breathe. All transitions are difficult, even with the best laid transition plans in place, so the chaos isn't surprising or unexpected by me. This isn't my first rodeo as they say in Montana. But now that I'm having time to reflect, I want to look back at the successes and failures of the first few months as the Director of Technology at St. Johnsbury Academy Jeju.

Success #1: The team is coming together nicely. I need to commend my IT team. Jason, Kihyun, and Howon have really pulled together and stepped up to the challenges. It has been a pleasure to see. They seem happier, more confident, more ready to meet the problems we face daily. Teachers and students feel more comfortable asking for support. 

Success #2: Giving a facelift to some of the old and tired digital items. I have created a new digital subscriptions website where teachers can explore the digital tools that we have available. Previously it was a list of links on a Google Doc. Not very engaging and little explanation of the products. Teachers have limited time, so presenting some simple, quick explanations of what the tools actually are gives them the opportunity to decide if they want to invest time in learning about the tools. This led to another new website called Who-Should-I-Ask that explains the different roles of the IT and EdTech positions at SJA. Again, previously this was a Google Doc with an explanation of each person, but no photos or clear reason to look at it. Both are works in progress, but the change is an improvement.

Success #3: We made it to Chuseok! Things are working. Teachers are teaching, students are learning, and the admin team is making lasting changes for the better.

Failure #1: The paperwork involved in purchasing the digital tools is cumbersome. I didn't fully appreciate just how difficult the process was for Kihyun until really seeing it in action. Unfortunately, during summer, with the time difference and trying to squeeze in time to see family, the flow of the documents needed and the process wasn't completely clear to me. This led to confusion and frustration for both Kihyun and myself. But to be fair, this situation was mostly my fault. It was one part the system itself, and two parts my understanding of it. Once I was back on the ground in Jeju, I quickly started to see my errors and adjusted my approach. I was more careful about the quotes, invoices, and receipts that are all part of the documentation process. This definitely made things better, but the initially failure was mine.

Failure #2: There are always blindspots in any position, but PowerSchool is a definite one for me. I'm working on up-skilling my knowledge, but it is a huge hole. Luckily we have Jason King and Dave Griffith who both know the system, but they are continually having to "fix" things for me or help me understand the system better. I appreciate and respect their support, but I sincerely hope to reach a level where I will be able to know the answers with regard to PowerSchool.

I recall a job-a-like for tech directors and coaches hosted by Matt Harris for 21st Century Learning HK several years ago where he said we needed to lean on our skills, but be accountable to our deficits. Those words are just as wise and true today as they were when he said them back then. Thanks again for those words, Matt.

Make One Thing Better Everyday 2

For those of you who have followed my blog for awhile, you probably remember a post from the past I wrote called Make One Thing Better Everyday. It was moderately popular as far as my blog goes. The idea came again to me today at my new job at ASP. One of our teachers was struggling with Google Classroom. For some reason, she wasn't able to make a Google Classroom on our domain. I guessed that as a new teacher, she was never added to the Google Group for teachers at ASP. Later after several discussions with the IT ladies, we determined that the teacher was, in fact, on the Google Group. We had her log out and log back in, restart the computer, checked to make sure she wasn't on a different Chrome account — everything was set up as it should be. I told the IT ladies, "I have one last idea. Take the teacher off the list and put her back on." They did me one better; they removed every teacher and then put them all back on... And it worked! Now the teacher's account can create Google Classrooms in our domain. So that was my making one thing better for today. One teacher is now very happy, because she can use Google Classroom and the IT folks know one more trick to try if something isn't working for a teacher. I guess it is really like making two things better, but who is counting? LOL.

21CL Innovation & Technology Symposium — Building from the Ground Up

 My presentation slides from the 21st Century Learning Innovation & Technology Symposium. You can watch the entire video on their website.

GarageBand Basics Part 2

 

EdpuzzleLIVE: Developing a Professional Learning Network with Tech

 

2021 ADE Reflection

New My Meetings Button in Gmail

 

A new feature has been added to Gmail! Now you can check and manage your Meetings from your Gmail account. I have right-side chat enabled, so mine appears on the right-top corner of my screen. If you don't have right-side chat enabled, it will be on the left-hand side of your screen beneath your labels. This makes managing your Meetings even easier. Nice!

Cell Phones in the Classroom

The year started off with a great personal success for me -- I was quoted in the January issue of Empowered Learner. Of course, I support the use of devices in the classroom when it is appropriate. My feeling is that we should be teaching our students how and when to use technology. If we only ban the device, we only make it more alluring and fail to teach appropriate use and self-regulation. The devices aren't going away; they will have them in college and in the work place. If the student was doodling on a notebook with a pen, would you ban the notebook and the pen? No! Why not help them learn to use it effectively and efficiently? Isn't it our job to help them learn?

Happy New Year! Let's make 2020 a great success for all learners.

GooseChase -- Scavenger Hunts Made Easy

How to Use Calendly.com

Our school started using Calendly.com to help parents book appointments for Parent-Teacher Conferences, so I made a series of short videos to support teachers in setting it up. Here is the entire playlist.

Chrome Web Store & Extensions

Priority in Google Drive

Google Classroom in 7 Slides

Updated version of the Google Classroom presentation. Still good, but now in less Slides!

#21CLHK11 Takeaways -- Standing on the Shoulders of Giants Part 1: David Lee

Back in my days at KIS, I worked with an amazing team of coaches. It has been, and will continue to be, the high water mark of my coaching career. I've written about "the boys" before, so I really don't want to get into that whole story in this post, because this post is about one member of the team -- David Lee (@davidleeedtech). If you don't know David, you really should. He is a super kind, humble, and amazing educator. He is the sort of person who makes you want to be a better person. We don't see each other often, so at #21CLHK11, he tweeted me asking me where I was. To be honest, I needed a short break and I was at my hotel room just getting some rest, but hearing from David re-energized me. I got up and dashed over to the conference again. As I was walking, I spotted David sitting by myself and doing some work. It was great to catch up with him and hear how he is enjoying and adjusting to his new role at SAS. I'm a little jealous because he is working with Ben Summerton (@bensummerton) again, but I'm super happy for him and to know that part of the band is back together. And David is a

big deal in EdTech, but he is so humble and genuinely down to earth about the whole thing. As soon as he saw me, he gave me a copy of his book. Of course, me, being me, gave him a hard time about it because it wasn't signed. He smiled and laughed and then went ahead and signed it. But look at what he wrote to me... And the thing is I never felt like I did enough for the guy and I have always felt like I'm the one that grew from our relationship and work together. I felt like he was my mentor and I learned so much about working with elementary students from him. So David, if you read this, thank you! Thank you for including me in your PLN. You are a rock star, buddy. I miss working with you. But one big takeaway for me from the whole #21CLHK11 conference is the affirmation of PLNs. This whole community of people mentoring each other and collaborating with each other. It has the power to transform, gang. It really does.

It is really easy to look at the world we are in right now and feel a little depressed. I still believe that social media can help us change the world. Sure, it has problems, but the upside is also really great. We just need to focus on the good stuff -- real human interactions and engagement with each other as educators. We need to continue sharing and collaborating whether it is face-to-face or online. Stay strong, support each other, and we can make things better. And by the way, Carlos (@clos_gm), did you like how I worked my #PubPDAsia swag into that photo of David's book? Blogging skill +10.

Bummer News about Google

Unfortunate news about Google. The widgets will no longer work, the buttons will no longer work, and the comments will be lost.

Flipgrid & Padlet

Book Creator in Nine Slides

Final Comments in PowerTeacher Pro

WriteReader -- a free storybook creation tool