CS Coastal Hub - System Administration Evening Workshop

Computer Science education is inherently interdisciplinary. When working across disciplines, educators and staff must often spend time learning each other’s language, objectives, priorities, and constraints in order to collaborate effectively. As computer science becomes a regular and required part of K–12 curricula, the roles of district IT personnel have shifted dramatically over the past several years. However, many school practices for interacting with IT staff still reflect an earlier era—one before 1:1 devices, widespread Chromebooks, and modern digital infrastructure.

System Administration and School District Technology offices are essential partners who make innovative classroom experiences possible. From the teacher perspective, however, IT processes and terminology can sometimes feel unfamiliar or difficult to navigate. At the same time, IT professionals are facing rapidly changing responsibilities, including increased involvement in budgeting decisions, the rise of online threats and artificial intelligence, cybersecurity concerns, cyberbullying prevention, and emerging student health considerations related to extended computer use.

During this virtual session, Dr. Hagerty will provide insight into the evolving role of district IT professionals and guide educators through best practices for effective communication and collaboration with IT staff. The goal is to help teachers move forward confidently when planning and implementing computer science and educational technology initiatives.

Participants will explore the following topics:

• What does the role of an IT professional in a school district look like?
• (A “day in the shoes” perspective of district IT staff)Why are IT professionals involved in decisions around educational technology?
• What factors commonly cause IT offices to decline requests for educational technology?
• What are effective strategies for communicating with IT professionals to gain support for CS classroom plans?
•  Are cybersecurity concerns really as serious as they are presented to be?
• What risks arise when students have unrestricted USB access on school devices?

This workshop offers educators a rare opportunity to gain an inside understanding of district IT operations and to learn practical strategies for working collaboratively with technology staff to support student learning.

Stipend: $100 for 2 hours of PD

To receive both the stipend and professional development hours, participants must:

• Attend the PD from 6p-8p
• Participants must be in a quiet place, seated at a computer ready to do work with their cameras on.
• Be logged in to Zoom on a computer with the name that they registered with.
• Be on camera for the FULL TWO HOURS of the PD.
• Be stationary--not moving around--for the full duration of the PD.
• Participants CANNOT attend while driving in any vehicle both as a passenger or as the driver.

Please note: This workshop is intended for teachers from New Jersey Public Schools. This workshop is part of a grant-funded project, the CS Coastal Hub, and is available at NO COST to attend. When teachers attend programming during the school day, schools will be reimbursed for the cost of substitutes.

PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED! Please contact the SRI&ETTC at ettc@stockton.edu with any questions.