CoSN's School District Chief Technology Officers' (CTO) Council

	CoSN's School District Chief Technology Officers' (CTO) Council What it Takes: Essential Skills of the K-12 CTO School District CTOs: Lifelong Learners?

School District CTOs: Lifelong Learners?

Jim Hirsch
Assistant Superintendent for Technology
Plano ISD
Former CoSN Chair

Having been brought into the districtwide technology coordination business 18 years ago, I felt it was time to assess what the impact of being a chief technology officer has meant to the professional educator role I entered 30 years ago. I also feel that this assessment applies equally to those CTOs who entered their current role from the private sector or pure technical backgrounds.

There is no question that the primary mission of each of us as a CTO is to assist in improving student achievement by whatever means are part of our responsibility. Learning is at the core of our existence in the school district structure. In a similar fashion, we spend a great deal of time and energy (and money, if we had more) in supporting the professional learning of all our customers - teachers, administrators, office staff and auxiliary service personnel.

Yet, when all of our attention is focused on helping others "learn", where do we go to learn? It's tempting to believe that a CTO already knows all they need to know about how to do their job. I believe it's critical for the CTO to set aside time to learn more about leadership, management, instructional strategies, technology, advocacy and the general education industry. Being centered in a learner endeavor, none of us can afford not to partake of opportunities to continue our own learning.

Speaking from my experience, professional IT associations - in particular, the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) - have been central for learning those skills that are a growing and changing part of the chief technology officer position. CTOs have many alternatives to associations. Each year, IT vendors, event management firms, publishing companies and research and consulting firms offer dozens of conferences and Web seminars covering every conceivable topic on a CTO's agenda. Given this competition for time, what does an organization like CoSN have to offer that's special?

In short, CoSN serves as the professional home where school district CTOs can focus on their unique needs as chief technology officers and learn things they cannot learn anywhere else. The kind of learning CTOs need most of all goes well beyond what a conference or workshop can provide. When the school technology world turns upside down, and the need to learn is most pressing and immediate, CTOs require a place to turn for advice from people who live in similar environments - where there are no hidden sales agendas, and there's no need to hold anything back. Because CoSN provides three CTO Councils meeting each year and sponsors ongoing online events and committee volunteer opportunities, members get the chance to form trusting relationships. In such a setting, CTOs can communicate openly and yet confidentially about their needs and concerns with peers who have experienced what they're going through.

Just as important, professional organizations such as CoSN create environments where leadership skills can be explored and acquired. Leading is not the same as managing, as managing techniques can be obtained through traditional means such as lectures and workshops. Leadership development is long term process where you learn which mix of techniques best fit the situations you come across as a school district CTO. The best place to learn what it takes to be an effective leader is in the trusting setting that a membership association such as CoSN can provide.

Non-profit associations such as CoSN also provide the best venue for addressing legislative issues affecting all district CTOs. For the foreseeable future, CTOs will continue to wrestle with erate requirements, digital copyright, cybersecurity, privacy of information and a myriad of related issues. Most school districts do not have active lobbying interests at the federal level, so the advocacy that CoSN provides is often the only voice heard by Congress on educational technology issues.

Emerging technologies can offer the greatest promise (while adding the greatest risk at times) to improving student achievement and teacher effectiveness. Associations such as CoSN provide vendor-neutral, member-derived information on emerging technologies that school district CTOs can use to inform themselves and their school community.

Lifelong learning, leadership development, advocacy and emerging technology knowledge are great examples of how only an association of school district CTOs such as CoSN can meet the expanding and diverging information needs of our profession.

Professional associations such as CoSN are one of the most important investments of time or money that a district and CTOs can make.