How does technology fit into amalgamation?

In January of this year, the number of school boards in Ontario was reduced from 129 to 72. The change was part of the provincial government's Education Quality Improvement Act, introduced to improve quality and accountability, focus resources on the classroom and streamline the system.

Over the past 10 years, there have been significant efforts to integrate technology into elementary and secondary classrooms. Most have met with less success than we would have liked. The lack of availability and reliability of classroom computers and the costs of staff development for teachers are some of the reasons for this lack of progress.

Now, with amalgamation combining organizations -- each at different places technologically -- the challenge of merging new and old teaching methods is bigger than ever. As boards make the transformation to combine facilities, organizations, unions and technologies, important changes are taking place in how they use and support technology.

As a result of amalgamation, distances between schools and central service sites have been dramatically increased. Most boards have at least two information technology groups, one for administration and one for program or academic support.

Some of the larger boards also have additional IT staff within functional areas such as property and facilities departments, regional education centres and schools. Each of these groups report to different functional executives and often provide parallel and competing IT services.

Since the different technology organizations must be merged, many new school districts are attempting to merge them all, creating one technology support organization that services both the classroom and the office. In doing so, they must overcome the views of previous organizations, such as administration's view that everything must be standardized and academics' view that flexibility in tools is a key teaching and learning requirement.

Increased use of networks and zero administration models will help standardize infrastructure and ensure availability while preserving flexibility. The overall IT functions in almost half the districts, however, will be managed corporately, under one executive, to ensure cost-effective standards and accountability. Standardization, customer centred organizations and minimal duplication of services are the keys to combining technology with curriculum.

Copyright Plesman Publications Ltd. Apr 1998
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