We are an inner-city district with about 3600 computers (desktops and laptops). We have four technicians. You can do the math. Each tech is assigned to four schools. They work their tails off, but we have uncompleted work orders that are 4 and 5 months old. However, at least our techs are trained and certified to provide tech support. The fact that some schools are getting tech support from a teacher "who learned something about computers on their own" is distressing.
Yes, the lack of trained support (or adequate trained support) is slowing the implementation of technology, and not just in rural districts. Schools boards need to start treating tech support as a critical component of each school.

I do not believe we can make the gains with technology needed to prepare students to function in a knowledge-based economy with this support structure. Would we ever hire a trained computer technician and ask him or her to teach one or two periods a day because this person "learned something about teaching on the side"? This has long been my response when I encounter schools that rely solely on teachers for any semblance of technical support. I would advocate making very minor reductions to the teaching staff to add technology support if doing so were the only way to make it happen.

In a perfect world, a teacher would wait no longer than one school day to have a technical support issue addressed. But, we all know that the perfect world does not exist and we have to make the best of the situation in which we find ourselves. The best tool I've found for evaluating a school's or district's technical support effort is ISTE's Technology Support Index . It provides a rubric-based approach to documenting where one's strong and weak points are and provides common-sense suggestions on making improvements.

BTW, I am technology coordinator for a 4,000 student suburban school district with 1,200 computers. Our technology support team is not unified; the technical support side reports to the facilities superintendent and the instructional integration side reports to the curriculum superintendent. We have 5.5 approved FTE positions for technical support (technology coordinator, three computer technicians, .5 administrative software support, and one formative testing clerk). The instructional integration side is comprised of one district-wide technology integration trainer and three site-based technology integration specialists. The instructional integration positions are always the nearest ones to the budget axe and we strive constantly to keep them funded.

Ya gotta spend some bucks on people; technitions and teachers with the skills if you want to have a good program. Try all the half measures you want and I wish you well. But like anything else, you get what you pay for.

As a 442 student private school, we have an academic administrator and teacher who service day to day problems. We have a volunteer parent who is a systems operator to help with network problems. Utilize those with whom you are associated. Make them your "Champion" and show them they are appreciated. Helping is very satisfing to someone in that field because they love doing it.

Just recently come to work in the educational world, I was extremely surprised to see how behind schools are in terms of IT mentality -- great educational ideas, but poor operational grasp of what it takes to really make use of the equipment.

A different approach is needed -- and some schools are already undertaking. We have been fortunate to start shifting that mentality and now we have 1 technician on each of our inner-city four sites. Running approximately 600 desktops for 1400 students (pre-k to 12), things have been working well on the support site.

Also, it has allowed us to really drive technology use -- HS students have both email accounts and websites (digitial portofolios). Middle Schoolers are following suit next academic year -- all users have storage shares, etc.. And it keeps growing.

It is great to see the enthusiams of teachers and students alike when the tools are there for them to use. But, first, the investment must come from visionary administrators that understand the power of technology...

Consider creating internships for local college IT students through universities and community colleges to assist you with the manpower issues. Also, consider creating partnerships with federal, state and local governments that have large IT staffs that may be able to volunteer time, co-op students, equipment and technology associations. Finally, consider creating partnership with large and small employers who have expertise in this area. Technical schools can also provide you with students and support staff with internship opportunities. I work for a large federal organization that has utilized these partnerships to assist two local school districts and it was successful.

I am the "tech" person at of 180 student inner-city charter high school. Our little mini-district is made up of three high schools and one grade school. We have a two level approach to technology issues. The first level in my building is me. Any problems that occur with student or teacher computers are brought to my attention and I fix what I am able to fix. If I don't have the knowledge I then send it on to the next level which is a contracted company that costs a ton to bring in for issues so we usually wait until there are multiple ones to cut down on costs. The problem with this set up is I teach a full corse load and have to find the time to deal with the "minor" computer issues myself, which means I bring a lot of my other work home with me becasue I spend the majority of my time when I not teaching dealing with the various computer issues. I think the lack of trained support is part of what is slowing the implementaion of technology in our school, but I think the other part of it is a lack of knowledge and familiarity among some of the teachers and administration with what is actually available and how different aspects of technology can be used in the classroom. Granted to implement any more than we have we would need much stronger tech support put into place becasue adding on to what we already have will only increase the problems that we have to deal with. But I also think that the staff needs training. Then we run into the problem of budgeting for technology and there not being enough money to add new technology resources let alone train the staff and have a permanent technology person or two on staff.

I teach in a small K-8 school district with about 300 students. I have one computer in my 3rd grade classroom which is to be for my use to receive and send email, communicate within the building and for students to take AR tests through the Accelerated Reading program that we use in our library system. We do have a computer lab and one young man, Terry, our computer tech. It is his job to take care of all the computers in the building.
The problem is- our computers are old-and often cannot support the software or program we are trying to run. My class of 24 students can't always go to the lab, because there are not enough working computers so that each child can work on one by themselves. We do not have a technology teacher, so it is up to me to develop and implement a technolgy curriculum. This is not easy to do, since I am not that savvy on the internet myself.
I know that the school board professes to want to keep up with the times, and parents always ask about technology training. But, in truth, it is just not happening in an affective way without the dolars to fund it. Like everything else, if the classroom teacher can't pull it out of his/her "bag of tricks", it just isn't going to be a quality program. We need more money.

My district, in rural Minnesota, shares our wonderful tech support with the county, each paying half his salary. The problem with this compromise is that both employers expect him to be working on their tech support issues. This man simply can't be in two places at once. Our district has chosen not to pay his full salary (plus benefits), and that decision leaves us all with broken computers, a network that often fails, and students without access to the necessary technology. Here's one example. I teach a ninth grade English class of twenty-three students. There is not a lab in our building with enough working computers to take my class that allows each student to have his/her own computer. They have to share. I think this technology issue comes down to money and priorities. Too many times "good enough" is the norm.

I totally understand everyone's concerns. I teach at the Model Technology School in my county. We have a wonderful tech. support team. But like many have stated, they can't be in two places at once. When I first received my smartboard and CPS units I was very intimidated, but after using it for two years it has almost become my life. Once my smartboard was broken and it took four days for the parts to arrive. It was the worst week of my life, It is very easy to become dependant on great technological equipment. I realized that week that technology has made my job much more productive.