ICT Co-ordinator .co-ordinate what?

[MrPstv]

Curiosty i suppose but what is the primary role of an ict co-ordinator. Considering the extra pay involved.

[KWestos]

Do they have to be teachers???? If not, it's money for asking the Network Manager or Technician what to do and asking for their development plan and not passing the salary on.

[MrPstv]

TEACHERS!!!

[e_g_r]

Curiosty i suppose but what is the primary role of an ict co-ordinator. Considering the extra pay involved.

 

Buying c**p software like car2ouch, making you install it with 5 mins notice, making a song and dance about how its will improve the schools us of ICT accross the curriculum and then as far as i can see not using it since.

[MrPstv]

The best thing is they dont know b####r all about ict!!!

we end up sorting out the mess and problems that they have caused.

for more than a couple of G's on top of salary!!!!!

[e_g_r]

Forgot to mention! Blowing the IT budget on things they've seen at demos and then not using them when what we realy need is a new Domain Controller and some PC's that arn't 7 years old.

[jcollings]

The role of our ICT co-ordiantor is to be part of the ICT strategy group and to work with staff to see how ICT can be embedded into the school wide curriculum. E.g they will come along and say x wants to achieve this. Is it possible, what are the resource implications etc, is there a better way.

 

Discussions are had and then software/hardware/technologies specified and approved by me are purchased/implemented. In our school they certainly don't just go off and buy stuff.

[Ric_]

I think that to answer the OP, the role of 'ICT Coordinator' is a hang over from the days before schools had network managers. The role should be to ensure that the school's ICT development is in line with the school's curriculum development plan. Nowadays, this role is mainly performed by the network manager liaising with SLT.

 

The problems highlighted above are generally where a teacher who held the title many moons ago is hanging on to it for dear life to keep their pay bumped up and to feel like they have some sort of power.

[witch]

The role of our ICT co-ordiantor is to be part of the ICT strategy group and to work with staff to see how ICT can be embedded into the school wide curriculum. E.g they will come along and say x wants to achieve this. Is it possible, what are the resource implications etc, is there a better way.

 

Discussions are had and then software/hardware/technologies specified and approved by me are purchased/implemented. In our school they certainly don't just go off and buy stuff.

 

This is how it is in one of my schools. The ICT co-ordinator has told me that he doesnt want to be involved in the actual physical network/computer side of things, although he has quite a lot of knowledge about it, but he does a great job of standing between me and SMT! He will back me up if I need to buy things or implement some changes, or he might suggest something new to look at such as a helpdesk or whatever. We are looking into the VLE question together and as far as I am concerned, he is wonderful.

At the other school, I am ignored and left out of all major decisions. I have avoided giving the IT co-ordinator the admin password as I don't trust him (I am part time so someone has to have it to do the simple stuff if I am not there). New stuff appears all over the place and I never get asked if it is suitable or not

[Jiser]

Same for me in the two schools I worked at. One was good one was bad. Now its just the one thank god!

[e_g_r]

Kar2ouche is great! It gives bullies the software to plan their bullying strategies!

 

Some of the 'stories' I've seen have had me crying with laughter!

 

I like the Roman one. The kids discovered horse p** and created their stories basedon that.

 

On a more serios note at my last school there wasa stearing group and we worked together on new technologie.

 

At my current they just sent out a wish list and got a load of stuff that they havn't used.

[dancingdruid]

I think that to answer the OP, the role of 'ICT Coordinator' is a hang over from the days before schools had network managers. The role should be to ensure that the school's ICT development is in line with the school's curriculum development plan. Nowadays, this role is mainly performed by the network manager liaising with SLT.

 

The head of science is ultimately responsible for science teaching in a school. The head of ICT should do the same for ICT teaching. The trouble is the divide between ICT teaching (which happens at a departmental level and across the curriculum) and the need to have strategic development and management of the ICT hardware (I'm including admin machines in this category).

 

In an ideal world these posts are distinct from each other. As Ric says, some schools haven't split these two roles and still have people who don't understand the technology in enough detail making purchasing details. It would be interesting to see which schools are still stuck in the past.

[somabc]

The head of science is ultimately responsible for science teaching in a school. The head of ICT should do the same for ICT teaching. The trouble is the divide between ICT teaching (which happens at a departmental level and across the curriculum) and the need to have strategic development and management of the ICT hardware (I'm including admin machines in this category).

 

TeacherNet, School Coordinators

 

The Standards Site: The ICT coordinator's responsibilities

 

The head of ICT should certainly have input, but they should not be in charge of anything not directly related to teaching, such as admin computers or school wide servers.

 

I may be wide of the mark but does GCSE & A-Level ICT not simply require each pupil to have a working windows PC, with the right software and a working network connection. With that they should be able to teach the whole curriculum. The ins and outs of what servers to use, which networking infrastructure, security provisions etc. should all be handled by IT professionals, such as the Network Manager.

 

It is the job of the IT teaching department to teach IT, it is the job of the ICT service to facilitate that. SMT, teaching departments and IT staff should work together to make sure this happens.

[FN-GM]

Buying c**p software like car2ouch, making you install it with 5 mins notice, making a song and dance about how its will improve the schools us of ICT accross the curriculum and then as far as i can see not using it since.

 

No meaning to be awkward but kar2ouche was easy to install. Just get it on the server and send a shortcut to the clients and it was done

[contink]

I've seen it change in the three primaries I've been in over the past 2 to 5 years (one is new to me so doesn't count). Originally the ICT co-ordinator was responsible for anything and everything to do with IT especially as there was this big lump sum of cash being thrown around. In my first primary I somehow managed to intervene before whiteboards got bought instead of computers that worked. Priorities right way round.

 

In the last 2 years though it seems that most of those decisions about which software they should get, why, etc.. has come down to the individual subject specialists/leaders and in most cases nothing has been bought at all.

 

Thankfully (from my POV) the infrastructure decisions and budget guidance has been left mainly to me. I do have to explain it properly, give my rational but I'm trusted to do so. The fact that I'm not a full time member of staff, am independent and recognised as really giving more than 2 hoots helps enormously but I've always had a 3 to 5 year plan with reasoning so I guess it's nirvana for many. That I also have this place and my other schools, also means I'm picking up good suggestions for software for the different subject areas and cross-carry ideas between the more clued up. So, in some senses you could say I help facilitate things too.

 

In truth, for most of my schools now the head has taken on ICT co-ordinator and then passed on much of the responsibility to me so it's worked out quite well.

[MkII]

Don't tempt me!!