Interview with a Middle School Technology Coordinator Will Sanders

Where did your journey with middle school technology begin? Are you self-taught?

"I looked at the different opportunities in the school system and decided on library science. So I went back and got a Master's of Library Science at East Carolina University and it leaned heavily in technology ... so that's where that came in and the courses I took at East Carolina in Library Science program. And I have always been a button pusher! I have always been interested in that kind of thing. I just fell into a job to where I had an opportunity to learn, an opportunity to do things ..."

What's your official title?

"Technology coordinator."

What do you see as your role in the school?

"Well, we have right at eleven hundred students ... which warrented having two media coordinators. I was hired with the idea that I would deal with the technology end and the other person would deal with the daily operation of ordering books and dealing with classes when they came in. I guess my official duties here consist of making sure the network is up and running, trouble shooting any problems we have with the file server, and to keep all the computers up and running."

Which seems like it is easier said than done ...

"We have three computer labs here ... two labs that deal directly with the vocation department, which teach keyboarding and we have another computer lab directed by the media center." The media center's computer lab is "where classes sign up to bring their classes in for projects they are working on, whether it's multimedia projects, or just word processing for reports."

Do you frequently provide instructional support for teachers and students?

"It depends on the teacher. If they feel comfortable, then they come in and take care of the class. If I have a teacher who is doing something new, or if they are using a piece of software they are really uncomfortable with, then I stay in and help them with it and usually by the end of the day they are able to do it. I am there if they need me and I always float in and out so that if they have problems I can troubleshoot for them."

Can you give examples of some of the latest projects you have worked with?

"We have three classes going right now in the seventh grade, who are doing Hyperstudio stacks. I like Hyperstudio. They are coming in every other day. They stay in their classes to draw their cards, so when they come into the lab they pretty much know what to do. It's fun helping them with 'new button' actions and whenever I walk in all those hands go up."

How do your students use Hyperstudio? Do they use the software for presentation purposes or for instruction?

"They have chosen a country and are making cards to present the data. But in most of the classes we have scanning converters, so what we are doing is saving their work and going back to their classrooms so they can have a show and tell and go through all the stacks so the whole class can see all the work."

Do you find a lot of your students have technology at home?

"I think so ... plus a lot of the students are introduced to technology and computer skills in the lower grades. All the elementary schools' libraries have been networked, so kids who come here in the sixth grade already know about service stations. For the most part, the kids are pretty savvy about what's going on."

Is there a lot of resistance to using technology in the classroom?

"I don't think there is any resistance going that way. Because if for some reason the network goes down, then the phone just starts ringing and I hear lots of 'I can't get on the Internet.' So they do utilize the Internet a lot. Our county has an Internet guideline policy, so that the kids have to take it home and have their parents read it, sign it, and send it back and show that they will be responsible users of the Internet. And so they do utilize the Internet quite a bit, because if something goes down ... two or three minutes later - I find out about it."

Do you see the Internet used as a "new" encyclopedia in the classroom?

"Yeah ... and that will develop more because the state has just made an agreement to include Grolliers and InfoTrak on an online encyclopedia. It is called Wise Owl and it was done through a grant, so the state is providing the online information ... they may provide access for students at home."

Where would you like to see technology go in your school?

"Well, it is changing so quick, so fast ... it is just like when you go buy a computer and you get the fastest thing on the market and a month later there is something that is twenty megahertz faster. My goal is to try to use the technology that we have now. Teachers always come in asking for a new piece of software ... and I try to do a lot of that. But it is kind of hard because technology has so much out there ... I mean it is just mind-boggling. I would love to get some more computers in the classrooms - we only have one per classroom now. But we have a real financial block there because roughly one computer is one thousand dollars. When you start talking four to five computers per classroom you go up to four to five thousand dollars per classroom. But we are on the network here, so... just utilize what we have and build as the technology grows. Use digital cameras more in class ... utilize Hyperstudio, or any other means of presentation, more because that is where the workforce is going. No matter what occupation you go out in today's world, you have to be computer literate."

Are any middle schools designing web pages? Would you like to see your kids designing webpages?

"Yes, we have one eighth grade class and that is going to be their project ... they will design a class webpage."

What are some words of advice to help teachers beginning to use technology in their classroom to integrate technology into their curriculum?

• "It would be to be open to all new kinds of technology that are coming out. There is so much software out there right now that is more user friendly, it's not the old Dos commands."
• "It's fun; don't be afraid to go in and try a new software package."
• "The state requires that when you go in to renew you teaching certificate that so many hours are technology related (3-5). But go out and take courses to where you may not see what you need it for right now, but if it is technology than you will use it somewhere."
• "Participate in the school workshops that your school and county put on."
• "You just have to sit down with and play with it and figure out what's going on."

Some final words from Will on being the Technology Coordinator for Clayton Middle School.

"This is a challenging job ...It really is ... A day doesn't go by that you don't have some problem that you you've really got to sit down and do some logical thinking to get things figured out ... It is a challenging job... I love it."