The CTO’s Role in Driving Community Engagement

October 22, 2014

Sponsored by

Lenny Schad, CTOHouston ISD

Sponsored by

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

The Role of Communication & Marketing

CIO Role• Member of Senior Management

– Define Digital Transformation Strategy– Thought Partner – Problem Solving Partner

• Must BE:– Able to communicate “Tech” Speak into

“Education” speak– Able to communicate with a broad range

of audiences– Able to converse about curriculum,

instruction, leadership and the impact technology can have

– Able to educate and leverage new avenues of communication with senior district leadership

• CoSN Resources:– Essential Skill Framework– CETL– Mobile Learning Framework

Cornerstones for Success

• Leadership• Strategy• Expectation

Management

HISD JourneyCornerstones for Success

Leadership–Define “WHY”–Define “HOW”

Leadership

BrandingInitiative must have identityMore than the deviceDirect linkage to “WHY”EasySTICK!

HISD Journey

Cornerstones for Success

StrategyDistrict initiativeDepartments must understand their roleParent & community engagementMeasurement criteria must be defined early

HISD Journey

School Support

Strategy

CommunicationConsistency of messageDefined channelsOwnership

Who/When/What/HowMeasurement Reporting

Variation depending on audience

HISD Journey

HISD JourneyCornerstones for Success

Expectation Management–Cultural change–Pacing critical–Embrace varying degrees of adoption

HISD JourneyExpectation Management

Communication–Seeking understanding– “Why”– Realistic expectations– Risk– Acknowledge “Bumps” in

the journey–Open communication

channels

HISD JourneyMarketing– Seek Acceptance– Build Excitement– Generate Commitment– Celebrate– Visible –MEDIA

– TV– Radio– Print– Online

HISD JourneyAvenues of Communication

– Facebook– Twitter– District Website– eNews– Media Events– Foundations– Local Government– Community Partners– Conferences– Publications– Vendors– Parent Organizations– Tech Showcases

Steve Young, CTOJudson ISD

Sponsored by

Communication with Constituents• IT does not historically

communicate well with its constituents

• IT does not always believe they play a crucial role in facilitating communication

• Modern day CIOs and CTOs must be key communicators and drive communication strategies across their organizations

• So what are some ways for IT to improve communication with others?

Newsletters• Put out a periodic newsletter for constituents• Helps let users know IT wants to help and wants to improve operations

and systems • It can serve to educate users and let them know the status of projects• Include information on:

– Initiatives– How to articles– Security and safety– Instructional technology

• Publish as a web page to act as a knowledge repository• http://www.judsonisd.org/district/technology/newsletters/index.cfm

Blogs, Web Pages, & Social Media

• These are great ways to enhance district PR• Often the main domain of the Communications office• But a great way for CTO’s to showcase their district’s IT

and other accomplishments• Web Site: http://judsonisd.org/district/technology/• Blog: http://ctotechnotes.blogspot.com/ • These can drive media interest in your District and will

help you get more PR• These same post can be shared via social media

outlets, like Twitter and Linked In.

Customer Satisfaction• We survey all customers after we resolve

incidents (help desk tickets) with them• We want to show that we care about the

service we provide and make our interactions as positive as possible

• Our numbers are consistently high in the 4.7 out of 5 range

Mass Communication Systems• Great way to utilize technology to reach

parents and employees• Most of these systems are multi-modal and can

make calls, send email, send SMS, and post to social media all from one pane of glass

• Judson ISD has been leveraging mass calling, proactive communication and absence notification

Mobile Applications• Numbers show mobile application use

skyrocketing• Users are spending more time each year

in apps and less time in mobile web• Consider repurposing district web

content, social media, and third party content into a district app for parents, students and community members

• Judson ISD developed the multi-award winning Judson ISD Connect! app in 2012

• http://judsonisd.org/district/technology/jisd_mobile.cfm

Parent & Student Portal

• Parents and students want to track student progress• Make it easy to track this information and put in as many places as

possible– Put on the web and in your mobile app

• Utilize automated email notifications about grades and attendance• Consider adding in other info to broaden the appeal: meal info,

library info, bus routes, etc.• Judson ISD’s Parent Center is available on the web and in our

mobile app – and usage is tremendous!

Q & A

Sponsored by

For More Information

Contact:•Lenny Schad lschad@houstonisd.org•Steve Young syoung@judsonisd.org •Alice Owen txctocouncil@gmail.com