Monthly Tech Survey {November Results}

Last month, we sent a survey to our staff members asking them to respond to two statements in regards to our GLPS Tech & Media Team:

1. I NOTICED...
2. I WONDERED...

We had 36 employees in the district respond to the the survey and the results were VERY helpful to our team.  Each response was read, categorized, and calculated to give a snapshot of respondents' insights and comments.  A quick overview of the responses and some explanations are provided below.

Listed below are items that respondents NOTICED.

When reviewing these comments, we were so happy to read that the majority of people felt as though we were actively working hard to help and support them, as well as being timely in our response in helping teachers and students.  In hoping to address some of the items you noticed:

1. Staffing, Professional Development, and Support Tickets - Please see below for further explanation.
2. Correcting Issues - Some of these responses indicated that issues were corrected in a timely manner, but others indicated they were not being addressed.  In regards to issues not being addressed, we hope that we never make students and teachers feel as though they are not being taken care of.  Sometimes issues are not reported to us right away, so it takes us a bit longer to diagnose what the issue at hand might be as well as a resolution.  The best way to help us resolve any issues you may be having are to submit a Support Ticket when you experience a problem/issue.
3. As stated below, this fall has been a transition time for our team and we sincerely apologize for any network/devices issues you may have encountered.  Our team has put in many hours outside of the work day working to resolve device and network issues.  We have been in contact with many outside organizations to work and resolve these and appreciate your patience while we work through some of these problems.

Listed below are items that respondents WONDERED. We truly value each response and hope that we were able to address some of the items people mentioned.  We would like to share some of these responses here for all to see.

1. Staffing - This was clearly the number one item that was mentioned in the wonderings.  At the beginning of the school year, one of our team members moved on to another job.  We wanted to make sure that we were taking time to find the right person to fill that position, so it was not filled immediately.  As each member on our team has a specific role/speciality, but we always support each other and the students and teachers we work with. Being down one person drastically changes this dynamic and we have tried our best to meet everyone's need the best that we can.  In 2011, Superintendent Britten wrote a blog post about his expectations for our team, and although our team members have change since that, his expectations for our team (and our team for one another), have not changed.  Since issuing the survey though, we have hired a new Network Administrator and hope that we can resume in providing a close to a seamless digital environment as possible.  In a nutshell, the responsibilities of our team members are:
1. Daniel Townsend - Director of Technology & Media Services
   Daniel oversees the members of the team ensuring that the vision set forth by Superintendent Britten is being appropriately implemented.  He also handles the business end of technology operations and phone/voicemail support.
2. Kelly McGee - District Media Specialist & Technology Integration Support
   Kelly is the District Librarian oversees all libraries and assists Sarah with technology integration, including (but not limited to) Rebel U and Rebel U Outreach.
3. Sarah Wood - Technology & Media Integration Specialist
   Sarah provides technology integration support and professional development to teachers in working to effectively use technology as not only an instructional tool, but as a resource for student learning.
4. Jason Faasse - District Technology Technician
   Jason works with supporting hardware, software, and audio/visual requests to ensure that students and teachers are able to effectively utilize the resources provided to them.
5. Freddie Avalos - District Network Administrator
   Freddie is responsible for all things related to the network both wired and wireless. He manages our server infrastructure and data center and he also assists with other hardware duties as necessary.
6. Mohamoud Nur - Network Technician
   Mohamoud works alongside the Freddie to ensure our network is secure and capable of supporting State testing initiatives as well as future device roll-outs, as well as assisting Jason with support.


2. Professional Development - Professional development (as it relates to technology) is something that is always offered.  Our team provides a couple of formal offerings a year (Rebel U and EdTech Cheer), but Sarah is always willing to meet with anyone to talk or plan ways that technology can be implemented for instruction and student learning.  Our goal is to empower teachers to feel comfortable with what is available to them to help enhance student learning.
3. Support Tickets - Over the years, we have heard from many teachers about how they don't know which team member to contact in regards to issues that may arise.  To eliminate this guessing game and improve our resources, the ticket system was implemented (this is the same system used by the Operations Department).  All you need to do is let us know what your problem is and the ticket gets send to the appropriate person.  A couple of commonly heard statements about this system:
1. It takes too much time to fill out a ticket.  We know that everyone is busy everyday working with many students and we appreciate everything you do to help them become successful!  Another great thing about the Support Ticket system is that it helps us collect all the information we need from you at one time instead of having emails sent back and forth.  The more information you can provide up front to us helps us help you faster and resolve a problem that you (and others!) may be having.
2. I submit tickets but never hear a response.  As soon as you successfully submit a ticket, it is send off to the appropriate member of the tech team in our system as well as email.  As the person submitting the ticket, you also receive an email copy of that ticket.  If you do not receive an email, it is possible that the ticket was never actually processed.  You may always check your ticket history to see if the ticket was submitted.  Someone should respond within 48 hours to let you know work on the ticket has begun, set up a time to meet with you, or let you know a resolution to your problem.

We hope this has clarified some of the concerns and items you brought to our attention.  We always appreciate any constructive feedback that can help us serve you better!