and servers while another builds applica- tions and databases. One focuses on desktop support and peripherals, while another de- livers teaching and learning tools for all sites. Phelps fills in everywhere. Additionally, all staff members – including Phelps – take one day a week to work together to eliminate trouble tickets. These “Ticket Tuesdays” keep issues from becoming long-term is- sues and “keep our feet on the ground,” says Phelps. Phelps has a simple approach to what’s


done in house or contracted out. “If some- thing is a task we only do once or twice a year, or if it’s a hardware repair that requires a .5 sized tool, we recognize those activities are better suited for folks who do them every day, and we farm those out. It saves us money and gives us back time to work toward our vision.”


Standardization vs. site-based Phelps and his team work intensively


with sites. Their goal is to aid, assist, guide and lead. “Our goal is to say ‘yes’ once we understand what folks are trying to accom- plish and once they can articulate it to us,” explains Phelps. Conversation is the key. When sites have an interest, the tech team asks to be brought in. Says Phelps, “It’s criti- cal to be involved in the conversation early, to ask good questions, and to be willing to help with the homework.”


Building teacher capacity CUSD runs a summer seminar series,


the weeklong iTeach each August. The two- year-old program has reached 60 of the dis- trict’s 400 teachers. It focuses on develop- ing teacher leaders who model the need for modern practices in the learning environ- ment. Technology is an underlying key ele- ment, but iTeach includes changes in class- room design, data-driven instruction, and personalized learning. During the school year, Phelps intends to


grow online training and provide follow-up support for the teacher leaders and highlight their work to others. He also points to the Ticket Tuesdays as a way that his staff sup- ports teachers. The tech team spots those pockets of excellence to leverage and also make suggestions to teachers they work


18 Leadership


with. “Would you be willing to try…?” be- comes a common conversation.


Successes and challenges Key successes for CUSD over the past


three years include a teacher laptop initia- tive, increased test scores, and a much more coordinated vision and processes across all departments. A key challenge? Phelps says the district


has had a history of “app hopping” – like many districts, looking for panaceas. “We need to buckle down and apply ourselves and have formal and consistent processes


new fiber network, a new phone system, and 12 pilots using iPads. Plus learning walls in all classrooms and another phase of refresh – all with the bond measure in CUSD. Phelps and staff…bringing the sunshine.


Snapshot: San Jose Unified School District


Vince Matthews, superintendent Derek Moore, director of technology


n SJUSD by the numbers 32,000 students, K-12 40 sites plus district offices Revenue limit district 47% free/reduced lunch 1,700 certificated staff 2,300 classified staff 21 technology staff, plus .25-1.0 FTE per site for tech support 15,000 desktops, laptops, iPads, Mac (only 200 machines are PCs) Funding sources: General fund, bond, eRate, MS Voucher


Philosophy and goals SJUSD’s new strategic plan calls for clos-


for helping teachers and staff learn software and follow guidelines to determine if the tool will work.” To do that, they are thinning down the number of solutions and making the training process simpler, easier, and de- livered in a variety of ways.


Trends and next steps Phelps foresees that the focus on indi-


vidual learning is here to stay. Tailoring in- struction to meet individual needs will in- crease, especially with technology tools that support such personalized learning. He believes that blogs and wikis can


make huge contributions to education, from the social aspect to a K-12 portfolio. “Just look at Yelp, YouTube, Facebook,” says Phelps. “People have an almost pathological need to share. We can harness that in our classrooms. No one has to teach a kid how to do Facebook. Blogs and wikis are cheap and easy, with no training needed, and available from all devices.” Upcoming work? Implementation of a


ing the opportunity gap and providing all students a 21st century education and skills. Director of Technology Derek Moore says “bring it on.” In his second year with the dis- trict, Moore says one thing that impressed him from the beginning was that the con- versation about 21st century learning was a curricular and district discussion at the highest levels, not just relegated to the tech- nology department. “My job is to bring all aspects of our work


into alignment and support of those two critical goals,” says Moore. He created a vi- sual aid that shows all the parts, linked to- gether in a tiered pyramid, moving from the base (operations) to the top (instructional technology). “These foundation levels have to just plain work,” he says. “People have to know they can count on it and plan their in- struction around it.”


Organization SJUSD has a different, bigger organiza-


tion for technology services. A team of 21 staff is centralized at the district offices, plus each site has from a .25-1.0 FTE for tech sup- port. Though the goal has been that site peo- ple work more on teacher support, in reality


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