Gaining the Trust of Administrators and Teachers as a Tech Director

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Eujon Anderson is the Technology Director for Alabama’s Troy City Schools.  Anderson entered his education career from the technical side. Around nine years ago, he was employed by a district working behind the scenes in network configuration when the district technical director left for a different position. The new job opening was offered to Anderson, who initiated his journey as a technology director.

 

“I fell into [the position], but it was also exciting. The learning curve was very high for me, especially with the direction I wanted to go. Like most directors with a technical background, my first [instinct] was to make certain that we lock everything down [in terms of] access to our network. We know what can happen on the back end when a teacher accidentally enters the wrong thing.”

Gaining Trust Within the Organization 

He remembers a conversation with an administrator during his early years in the role that changed his way of thinking and steered him onto the path he’s on today. The administrator stressed the importance of professional learning in education technology; in particular, the development of strong communication skills with teachers and school leadership. Anderson explains, “As much as you try to support on the technology side, if teachers or administrators don’t trust you, and don’t see who you are as a person, understanding things from their level, you’re going to have a struggle.”

Listening to All Stakeholders 

Anderson learned about classroom dynamics by observing firsthand how students were interacting with devices. He began to have meaningful conversations with administrators and teachers to gain a better understanding of access needs from their perspective. It all led to a greater emphasis on professional learning. “Fast forward to now. I believe for tech directors, the push for professional learning has been very key. [The progress] in our role is because of that,” he adds.

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