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Technology has revolutionized every aspect of our lives, from interpersonal communication to the economy, from the entertainment industry to the education sector. Today's students are faced with many innovations that have fundamentally changed not only the way they learn but also their daily lives. It is impossible to ignore the enormous impact that modern technologies have had on students growing up with laptops, tablets and various digital systems. With all this in mind, the importance of technology in education becomes even more apparent. As learning styles change over the years and new technologies are gradually added to the curriculum, the presence of a teacher to guide students in the field of IT becomes more and more important. At this point, the Information Technologies Counselor Teacher enters the lives of students.

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The Role of the IT Department in Schools

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The digital age brings new technologies and therefore new challenges, not only in education but in every aspect of our lives. Therefore, it has become extremely important for students to learn how to utilize the full potential of modern society while still at school. Before we learn about the tasks carried out by the IT Counselor Teacher, we need to understand the role of the IT department in schools. Some of the most traditional functions of the IT department in schools can be summarized as follows:

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1. Coordinating and supervising the installation and maintenance of new systems, servers and networks.
2. Configure, install and maintain the school's network hardware and software.
3. Create and maintain systems for backing up data and program files.
4. Updating and maintaining network system security against viruses and other vulnerabilities.
5. Maintaining an inventory of equipment, computer and software licenses.
6. Assisting school staff with technology-based computer hardware and software issues.
7. Preventive and regular maintenance of equipment.

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What Does Information Technologies Counselor Teacher Mean?

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One of the most important requirements of today's information society is integrating technology into the teaching-learning process. The Information Technology Counselor Teacher is responsible for teaching students the principles of technology and how to use basic information technology tools. The main responsibility of the IT Counselor Teacher is to teach students the principles of IT. The school levels where the IT Counselor Teacher is assigned are middle school and high school. The expectations of school administrators from the IT Counselor Teacher are grouped under three themes: extracurricular, information technologies and software course, and integration of information technologies into courses; while the expectations of students from the IT Counselor Teacher are grouped under two main headings: in-class and extracurricular activities.

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In order to become an Information Technologies Counselor Teacher, you must first be an IT Teacher (Information Technologies Teacher). In order to become an IT Teacher, it is necessary to have a bachelor's degree in Computer Education and Instructional Technologies Teaching Department of universities that provide four-year education. The IT Teacher plays a role at three educational levels: middle school, high school and vocational high school. The IT Teacher teaches basic computer usage and coding basics in middle school, basic computer concepts, algorithms, Python programming language, robotic coding and web programming in high school, and database programming, network operator, web programming and computer technical service in vocational high schools.

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What are the Responsibilities of the IT Counselor Teacher?

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Although it is voluntary to serve as an IT Counselor Teacher, in some schools it is seen as an obligation for the IT Teacher to take over this role. Interns cannot become IT Counselor Teachers. In order to become an IT Counselor Teacher, the candidacy must be removed. The main responsibilities of the IT Counselor Teacher are determined within the scope of the FATİH Project, which stands for "movement to increase opportunities and improve technology" and aims to create equal opportunities by using technology in education. Some of the main duties of the Information Technologies Counselor Teacher are as follows:

• Preparation of a curriculum-compliant lesson plan in the field of Information Technologies,
• Planning real-world course materials and preparing extracurricular activities to keep students interested in the course,
• Checking and evaluating students' work and providing feedback,
• To follow student progress according to the results of homework, exams and practical applications and to determine which subjects need special work,
• Contacting school management or parents when necessary in the field of student development,
• Creating a classroom environment that fosters creativity and problem solving skills and encourages critical thinking,
• Carrying out the necessary updates, maintenance and maintenance activities on computers, hardware, software, network and operating systems used in the classroom,
• Ensuring that all teachers and students in the assigned school receive their EBA (Education Information Network) passwords,
• Guiding teachers, parents and students on the use of the EBA portal,
• Guiding in-class applications using EBA content and ensuring that these applications are planned to include all teachers of the school,
• Regularly checking students' posts on the EBA portal and providing feedback,
• To provide guidance to school staff, teachers and students who need support in the field of Information Technologies,
• To ensure that the Information Technologies classrooms established within the scope of the FATİH Project are used and functioning in accordance with their purpose, to maintain the operating system and software in IT-supported classrooms,
• To prepare administrative and technical specifications for the purchases to be made within the scope of FATİH Project,
• Planning, organizing and conducting competitions in the field of IT and guiding students participating in competitions at all these stages,
• To manage the processes related to the preparation, publication and updating of the school website, to ensure that the school's information technology activities are published on the school website,
• To take part in the Ministry of National Education's tasks related to information technologies; to provide guidance to students, teachers and parents,
• To process the tasks carried out within the scope of FATİH Project on the "FATİH Project IT Guidance Activity Form" on a monthly basis,
• Working in cooperation with the Provincial Coordinatorship of Information Technologies.

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Benefits Provided to Schools by the Information Technology Counselor Teacher

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Technology is a bridge that connects students and the school. The smooth fulfillment of the tasks carried out by the Information Technologies Counselor Teacher ensures the adaptation of modern teaching methods to education and the design of learning processes that are more equal, accessible and applicable in the real world with educational technology. Educational technologies help the student to actively participate in the learning process, rather than just passively listening to lectures. Some of the benefits to schools of all the activities planned and carried out by the IT Counselor Teacher are as follows:

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• Development of teacher-student communication,
• Digitalization and easier tracking of students' enrollment and progress,
• Providing feedback to teachers to improve the quality of education,
• Preparation of engaging, interactive course content,
• Creating effective and time-saving and efficient working conditions,
• Creating more time and opportunities for professional development and ensuring strong starts to students' careers.

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Peer Learning Training Model for IT Counselor Teachers is in Riders!

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Riders provides schools and teachers with educational content to complement STEM curricula and a next-generation technological infrastructure that will enable easy implementation of new educational technologies. With the Riders education package, which combines difficult-to-implement topics such as STEM, artificial intelligence and advanced robotic coding with real-life examples, interactive activities based on competition and a peer-educated learning model that takes the burden off the teacher, you can organize in-class activities in your institution, participate in international competitions and guide your students' careers with the "End of Education Certificate". For more information about the Riders platform, please visit our page for teachers.

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Sources:

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https://www.allisonacademy.com/students/education/technology-in-education/importance-of-technology-in-education/ 

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https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/department-role-schools-michael-parrales/