Guest author Jason Epstein, chief information officer for Worcester Academy in Worcester, Massachusetts: Edtech leaders should no longer be relegated to basement offices and regarded only as “tech guys.” Now, more than ever, technology in schools impacts long-term strategies for operations as well as for education. Edtech leaders have to look at the risk versus the reward. They have to ask if a new product will help the faculty or create a stumbling block; they have to think about the impact on students and look at issues of equity; they have to consider its efficacy as a learning tool; and they always need to look at how long something may take to fully implement. Whether you’re a CIO, a technology director, or some similar title, you’re charged with helping guide your school forward and you’re a strategic leader in your district. While sometimes other decision-makers infer or assume that technology leaders will be consulted when it’s deemed necessary, many decisions require input from technology leaders from the start of the conversation. Like our counterparts in the business world, we are high-level essential personnel in all aspects of modern education. [Read more tips for edtech leaders by becoming a member of SchoolCIO here].
