The district Information Technology (IT) staff and teachers often feel they are working at cross-purposes. I’ve made a point of inviting IT staff to attend site technology committee meetings, and a representative has attended, but there’s still friction. What else can I do?

Joint participation in meetings is helpful for developing working relationships between IT staff and teachers, but talking about issues and experiencing them firsthand are two different things. Try this additional strategy. Provide opportunities for IT staff to pair up with teachers to actually observe how technology is being used in classrooms as a tool for teaching and learning. Then make arrangements for some site staff members to spend some time at the district office to develop a better understanding of the big picture for technology use in the district.

These visits should go a long way toward creating greater understanding of the needs and concerns of both groups.

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