IT personnel positions associated with technology in schools.

IT personnel positions associated with technology in schools.

(Objective 4.1)

There are many jobs available to those of us with Educational Technology skills. Some companies think that they can hire any “IT person” for any position. Fortunately most companies now understand that there are many specialties in technology and nobody masters them all. I have selected some examples from positions available today, which require Educational Technology skills. Please note that not all positions are in schools. Educational Technology exists in other environments including higher education, professional development and consulting.

Some of the job titles match very well with the job description. However, in many cases this match does not exist. In many cases the educational background of the candidate is mentioned only in the title.  I have noted if, from the ingredients of the job description, we can presume that the company is looking for a person with a strong background in education (“educator”), who will directly support student learning, a person with a strong background in technology (a “tech person”), who will be in charge of technical aspects only, or a person with a strong background in management (a manager), who will manage a team.

These are the 5 cases I have studied:

Director of Educational Technology

Qualifications: Bachelor's Degree in Information Systems, Computer Science or other related fields.

Previous experience in network operating systems, data communications, and management of technology staff. Knowledge of design, installation, operation, maintenance and support of networks, computer systems, peripheral equipment; data processing hardware, software and procedures; software copyright and licensing laws; budget preparation and control; principles and practices of administration, supervision and training; applicable laws, codes, regulations, policies and procedures and applications of technology in classrooms and the education setting.

This is an example in which the company is looking for a tech person. Although the employer is a school and the word “Educational” appears in the job title, nothing suggests that a strong background in education is needed.

Source: http://www.applitrack.com

(Technology) Education Consultant

Qualifications:  4 year college degree, Masters Degree a plus Excellent training, facilitating and presentation skills. Experience with adult education, coaching, or mentoring. Thorough knowledge of educational pedagogy, especially literacy instruction. Understanding of current educational context and market (CCSS, teacher effectiveness, accountability, etc.). Upper elementary or secondary teaching background. 75% travel is required of the position

The objective of the Education Consultant is to provide premier customer planning, training, and job-embedded coaching to teachers and administrators using Scholastic programs to maintain the customer base and grow existing sales of technology products and related services.  In addition to providing product training and professional development, the Educational Consultants will drive proactive customer support approaches to ensure fidelity, success and to gather and report results.

This is an example of a job description in which a person with a strong background in education is needed. Even though the employer is not a school, the job description clearly describes an educator.

Source: https://scholastic.taleo.net

Educational Technology Professional 

Job Description Focused on the technical development of innovative academic educational technologies. This position involves expert level knowledge of programming and internet server technologies and works at least 35% of the time in direct contact with IT staff, administrators and faculty. 

Minimum Qualifications MS or its equivalent in Instructional Technology with 3 years of relevant work experience; In-depth knowledge of multiple computer operating systems (Windows, MacOS X, Linux and Unix), Web server & network architecture design and experience developing mobile learning applications; Computing programming languages, including C/C++, Java, JavaScript, HTML/CSS, XML, jQuery, Perl/CGI, Ruby on Rails, and PHP; installation, configuration, administration, and maintenance of databases (MySQL and Oracle); Web 2.0 technologies, search engine optimization, Google analytics, and social media integration. In-depth knowledge of instructional design and development, strong theoretical background and proficient hands-on experience in identifying, researching and evaluating the potential of emerging technologies in improving teaching and learning, are a must. 

This is an example in which the company is looking for a tech person. Although the word “Educational” appears in the job title, nothing suggests that a strong background in education is needed.

Source: https://jobs.nd.edu

Education Technology Specialist

The Education Technology Specialist supports the development and improvement of the integration of technology. Responsible for the development and implementation of strategies to promote, enhance and enrich programs to prepare educators through present and emerging technologies. Reports directly to the Dean of School.

Develop new programs using emerging technologies. Plan, develop and conduct faculty, staff and student workshops, and similar professional development activities in areas of educational technology, and the use of specific instructional technology tools

Visit classes by request, to provide demonstrations of virtual learning tools

Coordinate technologies related to teaching and learning at the school including, but not limited to Banner, Angel, online registration, admissions, Smart Board, video conferencing, etc.

Monitor, maintain and update the School´s web presence

Provide recommendations on the strategic and operational issues associated with new instructional technology to support Distance Learning. Collaborate with appropriate resources to design and administer quality courses and services offered in an online and video-conferencing environment for classes. Organize and direct Technology Fairs for schools. Research and investigate the latest trends and developments in academic software and hardware used for higher education, including emerging technologies and technology-related pedagogy. Evaluate industry trends in consideration of how the school may leverage

Provide the educational technology vision that supports the growth of the school´s programs.

Qualifications:

Education and Experience Bachelor's Degree. 3-5 years prior related experience. Should have demonstrated ability integrating technology in a learning environment;

Work experience related to technology integration in schools. Experience in Educational Technology. Experience training and mentoring faculty

Skills and Competencies

Must demonstrate experience in education and the integration of technology in education

Proactively determines how technology and innovation can be used to improve efficiency and solve problems

Strong verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills, and the ability to handle diverse responsibilities and multiple tasks in parallel

Must be a team player and customer oriented

Ability to prioritize, plan and organize work

This is an example of a job description in which a person with a strong background in education is needed. However, it looks like he or she will have to multitask and support the company’s online presence, a web/social media coordinator.

Source https://careers-yeshiva.icims.com/jobs

Director of Technology

The role involves resource planning and guiding strategic architecture as well as the development of technology strategies, code review and change definition.

The successful applicant will have many years of experience as a software developer in specifically in a Linux environment and ideally working with open source technologies such as Ruby on Rails, PERL, Python, Erlang or equivalent.

Because of the high performant and transactional nature of our products this person will have an excellent understanding of either MySQL or PostgreSQL, with a strong knowledge of when to use a NoSQL solution.

This role requires a solid understanding of Agile development methodology and ability to inspire others to follow the Agile process as well as an understanding of MIT's business needs and commercial constraints.

An in-depth knowledge of all our core ( mGage Connect ) products is required and the ability to work as a team player and to motivate others is key to the role.

The successful applicant will take an active role in the management team and will work closely with the Product and Operation teams as well as line-manage the members of the Technology team.

Responsibilities:

• Providing technology advice to existing or prospective clients

• Support Operations and Account Managers with technology advice following major technical challenges

• Motivating the team to excel in software development and Agile delivery

• Representing technology and delivery in the management team

• Resource planning for all development, and possibly QA and system administration staff

• Defining and reviewing strategic technology architecture

• Ensuring the deployed technology adequately supports operational and billing features

• Ensuring daily scrum meetings and iterative sprint review meetings are held in all agile teams

• Participating in iterative sprint review meetings where technology guidance is needed

• Follow industry trends in software and agile development methodologies

• Effort estimation of future projects

• Contributing ideas and expertise to pitches for new work

• Line Management of staff

Skills & Experience:

• Ability to communicate intricate technology concepts to senior management and clients

• Appreciation for business concepts and commercial constraints in the software industry

• Line management of a team of at least 5+ software developers, ideally in the mobile sector

• Strong Linux background, with a grounding in basic Sys Admin skills and tools: source control (git), deployment (Capistrano), Alarming, Logging, etc.

• A open source advocate with considerable hands on experience in at least one of the following technologies: Ruby, Perl, Python, Erlang or Java

• Excellent understanding of either MySQL or PostgreSQL, with a strong knowledge of when and when not to use a NoSQL solution.

• Knowledge of Agile Development methodologies, especially test-driven development and pair programming

• Experience in managing road maps and working with inter departmental teams such as sales, products and operations

• Hands-on experience at using tools such as Microsoft Project and Visio

Personal Attributes:

• A keen interest in technology and its application

• Commercial awareness

• A tenacious, interested and pragmatic self starter with a professional approach

• Excellent attention to detail and well disciplined

• Enjoys creative problem solving

• A good collaborator, with an open, approachable style

• A good written and verbal communicator

• Flexibility and an appetite for numerous projects of varied scopes and size

• Process-driven approach

In this case the employer is looking for a person with a strong background in both IT and Management (an IT Manager).

Source: http://www.totaljobs.com

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Our IT DREAM TEAM

a Multimedia presentation on IT personel positions 

by Lianne Dominguez and Alvaro Serra.