Northbrook ESD 27 School District

Trevor Hope brings an educator’s perspective to technology leadership, shaped by experience as both a classroom teacher and technology leader. He focuses on listening to educators, pursuing practical paths to innovation and giving technology initiatives the preparation and time needed to support teaching and learning.

Giving Teachers a Path to Innovation

Balancing classroom innovation with the practical needs of teachers and students is not easy. We strive to be the department of yes. When teachers request something new for their students, it usually comes from genuine interest, enthusiasm and a desire to do what is best for kids.

As a former classroom teacher, I understand that perspective. In my experience, the technology department often seemed like the department of no, with responses centered on cost, limited devices or insufficient bandwidth. A large reason I pursued technology leadership was to flip the script.

Some requests are too large for the available budget or staff to handle, and others carry risks that need to be considered. I listen to each request and give it careful consideration, but if there is any pathway to yes, I take it.

Technology leadership also means creating the conditions for teachers and students to use technology safely and effectively. Our technology department exists to make their lives easier. That is my belief, and I instill it in everyone who works in my department.

AI currently has the greatest potential to influence teaching and learning. Rules and safety nets are necessary to keep data safe, and teachers and students need to learn how to use AI effectively. Technology can make a good teacher great or make a bad teacher even worse, and AI carries the same potential.

AI has tremendous capabilities, but misuse can turn it into a disaster. Used well, it can save teachers time in planning, grading and clerical work. It can also act as a smart friend for teachers and students. A student facing a blank page can use AI to generate ideas, begin research and explore possibilities.

“Technology should make teachers’ and students’ lives easier, not create barriers to teaching and learning.”

AI should not create the finished product. It should help students and teachers generate their own ideas and explore them further. Putting laptops in each student’s hands expanded the walls of the classroom. AI just expands them even further.

Protecting Access through Responsible Technology

Cybersecurity has to support learning rather than interfere with it. Our biggest cybersecurity initiative in recent years has been implementing multifactor authentication for all logins. MFA adds another step, but seeing what happens when accounts are compromised or a district faces ransomware makes that small burden an easy price to pay.

Safeguards should operate in the background whenever possible. We put physical fences around playgrounds and lock doors to protect children. We apply the same principle online through firewalls, endpoint protection and MFA for privileged access. The difference is that online safeguards are less visible.

My responsibility is to protect the learning environment without creating unnecessary roadblocks. Security measures can add protection without becoming an obstacle to teachers and students.

Giving Technology Change Time to Take Hold

My most valuable lesson from leading technology initiatives is to involve all stakeholders and proceed deliberately. Behind-the-scenes changes, like a firewall, do not require extensive teacher consultation. Anything teachers use, especially in the classroom, needs their input in both the decision and implementation.

I have implemented one-to-one programs, interactive whiteboards and panels and other technology initiatives. The initiatives that went most smoothly were the ones where teachers and staff were involved most. When teachers understand what is coming, they are more prepared to support it.

No one likes change. People may think they do, but most eventually gravitate toward what they know and what feels safe. Moving too quickly without teacher input can leave new laptops or panels sitting unused. Change takes time, patience, planning, research, training and professional development.

Schools are not Christmas morning. We cannot simply rip open a package and start playing with the new technology. I think about a lava lamp whenever I introduce something new. The light turns on, but nothing happens immediately. The lava gradually heats up and begins to move.

Technology initiatives follow a similar process. I announce the need for change, assemble a team or committee, examine the options, run pilots, provide training and professional development and refine the approach. Eventually, the initiative is ready for rollout, and things begin to move.

The same patience applies to technology leaders. I wanted to become a teacher, and I became one. Later, I wanted to become a technology leader. When I was offered a technology leadership position early in my career, I turned it down because I knew I needed to learn more. When I eventually became a technology director, I was ready because I had spent the necessary time learning.

My advice to emerging education technology professionals is simple. Listen, learn and be patient. Learn by doing, attending, reading and listening. Be patient with teachers, students, staff and yourself. The times I have rushed are the times I have made mistakes.