Blogs are a window into the world of other educators, administrators, and school staff. For a Chief Information Office (CIO), blogs focused on CIOs in education, be it K-12 or university level, offer new perspectives on topics that hit close to home.
A CIO is often someone who is working alone in their position, albeit with the support of IT staff and administrators. Being able to catch up on what other CIOs are doing is a great way to learn, network, and expand opportunities and technology for the school, with all the ease of simply clicking on a link and building some reading time into the day. Here are a few of our favorites.
Boulder Valley School District Technology Blog
https://bvsd-cio.blogspot.com
The CIO of BVSD, Andrew Moore, writes this blog about technology that affects teaching, learning, and the business of education, from a K-12 perspective. Moore writes about a wide-ranging, all-encompassing set of topics, from internet safety for students to data privacy. It’s focused on what BVSD is doing, but the information and lessons within can be applicable to all schools.
Posts of note:
- Cloud Computing and Learning @ BVSD
- Audio Enhancement is Coming to Your Classroom
- Software Approval Process
- How Technology is Embedded in the Success Effect
University of Toronto – Office of the Chief Information Officer
http://cio.utoronto.ca/blog
This blog, written by CIO Bo Wandschneider, covers the same key areas the CIO’s office handles: academic and collaborative technology, business operations and administration, enterprise infrastructure solutions and applications and solutions integration, information security and enterprise architecture, online learning strategies, and planning, governance, assessment and communications, all from a higher education viewpoint. Wandschneider has a good grasp on the overarching impacts the CIO and IT team have on education, as outlined in his posts.
Posts of note:
- Alignment and Cultural Change
- Investment in Relationships
- Reflections and Vision for the Future
- Why Won’t You Change Your Password?
The Future is Now
https://www.sfu.ca/itservices/about/future-is-now.html
This is the blog of Mark Roman, CIO at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada. Roman’s posts are more sporadic but decisive in their coverage, offering a well-written and compelling window into technology and education. If Roman continues to update this is a blog to watch!
Posts of note:
- Hiding in Splendid Isolation
- IT Projects are Innovation Investments
- Connecting Silos in the Canadian Digital Infrastructure
- Better Email
Elizabethtown College Information and Technology Services
http://groups.etown.edu/its/blog
This blog is good to get the scoop on how your average, everyday users are approaching technology in education. It’s written by Elizabethtown College’s IT department, so while it does not specifically come from a CIO every time it certainly reflects on the issues a CIO would deal with. If you are wondering what struggles your users are facing and how you can write to meet their needs, this blog is a great example.
Post of note:
- Don’t Feed the Phish
- What Happens When You Graduate?
- Five Things You Should Never Post on Social Media
- Lock Down Your Login
Ravi’s Blog
https://blogs.wellesley.edu/ravisblog/about
Ravi Ravishanker, Wellesley College’s CIO, keeps a modern, appealing blog about technology issues and how they relate to students. Like many of the other blogs on this list, Ravishanker’s blog is focused mainly on appealing to technology users. That being said, its straightforward approach sets it apart — Ravishanker writes in a way that is very frank and accessible, cutting through any jargon or confusion to share the right message.
Post of note:
- Best of Breed: What’s the Problem?
- Information Challenges
- Lessons Learned from Recent Implementations
- Realities of Managing Change
Confessions of a Jesuit School CIO
http://geekreflection.blogspot.com
This blog by JD Ferries-Rowe offers a unique perspective. As the tagline says, this is a “blog featuring musings of a Jesuit educator making the most of living in the 1s and 0s of a digital world.” It covers current events, experimental tech, and personal thoughts on how technology can be used in Jesuit education and education in general.
Post of note:
- Canaries, Coal Mines and Education Reform
- Making Sure the Juice is Worth the Squeeze
- Demographics and Hidden Curriculum
- Reflections on Interactive White Boards
University of California: IT Blog
https://cio.ucop.edu
The University of California runs a robust IT blog, with several entries focused on the CIO and what they are doing. As a general blog, this is one that covers all areas of IT and education and how they intersect, and is regularly updated to reflect the latest and greatest in education technology applicable to both students and staff.
Post of note: