Educational Technology Specialist

Working Schedule

• Edtech Specialists work standard full-time jobs, Monday through Friday. Those working at educational institutions will follow their employer’s schedule of holidays and breaks during academic terms (i.e. Winter Break, Spring Break, Summer Break). 

Typical Duties

• Review organizational hardware and software to identify areas to update and modernize
• Work closely with organizations to determine their technology needs and wants
• Offer ideas for tech purchases and describe possible uses and functionality
• Help to procure necessary software licenses for use
• Allocate funds to buy hardware such as cameras or tablets, with the assistance of the resource manager
• Install or set up hardware and software, or aid computer support specialists with such setup
• Demonstrate features and train teachers or students on platform or app usage
• Offer suggestions for curriculum development that incorporates technology such as iPads, Google Classroom, and learning management systems
• Show administrators how to maximize and extrapolate collected data to target problem areas so resources can be deployed
• Assist schools with the professional development of teachers using tech in the classroom

Additional Responsibilities

• Teach workshops or provide one-on-one training 
• Possibly manage a school webpage or social media dedicated to relevant topics
• Keep up-to-date on the latest developments and trends and discuss these with management 
• Aid with maintenance of a network or intranet
• Offer tech support for various systems, as needed 

Soft Skills
 

• Desire to help others 
• Good at coordinating and instructing activities
• Highly organized 
• Informed social and cultural awareness 
• Inquisitive 
• Logical and objective
• Patient and able to mentor others 
• Persuasive
• Resourceful
• Sound judgment and decision-making
• Strong communication skills
• Tech-savvy
•  Having strong writing skills (writing curriculum)

Technical Skills

• Strong familiarity with educational software designed for K-12 and higher education  students
• Knowledge of mobile technology   
• Budget planning 
• Knowledge of video software
• Microsoft Office, Google apps, Macintosh software
• Familiarity with computers (PC or Apple), networks, and website building
• Understanding of school database automation systems 
• Software: Light coding (HTML), apps out there (Jamboard, Screencastify)

• K-12 schools (public and private)
• Colleges, vocational schools, universities
• Governmental/military organizations
• Non-profit institutions
• Private companies and corporations

Edtech Specialists are required to be fully up-to-speed on the latest educational technology trends, so they can best serve the organizations they work for. They have to be able to see the big picture in terms of what their employer needs for hardware and software, keeping in mind budgetary restrictions. 
 
They must also remember that once technology is brought in, users must be persuaded to adapt to it and learn how to use it. Sometimes such changes in group thinking aren’t easy to achieve, and Edtech Specialists may run up against pushback as they work to train staff on how on new programs, apps, or devices. It can take patience and perseverance, especially when a deadline for implementation is putting pressure on the team to succeed.  

Edtech Specialists are in a somewhat new and burgeoning career field that is likely to expand as more and more schools and organizations come to see the advantages of incorporating technology. For-profit companies will especially get on board as they must stay competitive with peers in order to survive. 
 
Many Edtech Specialists begin as licensed teachers, which is a huge advantage since they have boots-on-the-ground knowledge of what students need and what motivates them to stay engaged. Today’s younger generations have grown up with technology. They’re comfortable with it and eager to use it as much as possible. Schools are rapidly realizing they must not only teach tech skills, but in many cases they must first train their own teachers and staff how to use tech tools. COVID-19 forced institutions around the nation into a scramble to adapt tech and curricula that could be taught online, and when the pandemic winds down, those tools and plans will still be in place, able to be built upon. 

Project-based learning and the technology that aids this type of learning. 

Edtech Specialists may or may not have grown up with technology but they certainly gain an affinity for it at some point in their lives. Mainly, though, they can see and appreciate the value tech can add to virtually any situation, if used correctly. The ability to see the bigger picture or to think outside the box is something they might have always had, even as a child. 
 
Most likely they were very curious about things, wanting to learn more and to try doing tasks in different ways from the norm. They “color outside the lines,” willing to take what might appear to be risks but only because they can see the advantages that others might not see. Another attribute is often their ability to persuade, to explain how something “could” work if given the chance!  
 
“When I was in high school, I was so into technology and I wanted to learn computer science. So I created a class to learn web development at my high school. “ Kristian Markus, S.Ed.Tech. Associate Director of Educational Technology, Study Smart Tutors