#14 You have to broad shouldered to be a Computing Coordinator

After completing my NQT year, I was expected to take on a subject leadership role. I was gently persuaded that my skills and expertise would be ideal for the role of Computing Coordinator.
In my

I envisioned that this role, like any other subject leadership role, would involve ensuring that teachers had the tools at their disposal to teach a full syllabus in computing, and monitoring the effectiveness of that teaching.

I also had in mind that I may have some 'superhero' moments, stepping in to solve ICT based problems for desperate teachers in front of a class of expectant children. Indeed, that has been the case. On numerous occasions. In my short tenure of the role, I have been called to hall twice, to purposefully stride to the front and make a computer work, thus saving the assembly from impending doom. I have been called to people's classrooms, in the middle of my own lessons, to try to make a non-interactive whiteboard interactive, and to work out why a mouse isn't working. I've been harangued by frustrated staff who seem to think that their computer-based problems are somehow my fault.

When I started the role, I had no idea that part of my remit was to manage almost a dozen boxes of cables - HDMI, USB, VGA...the list goes on. I had no idea that I was responsible for all battery-powered devices in school (does this include clocks, I wonder?).

It's a far cry from my own days as an 11-year old when a piece of cutting edge technology, the BBC Micro Computer (which was in no way 'micro'), burst onto the scene. That was the only computer in the school. A tank of a machine, it would rarely go wrong, and to spend just fifteen minutes in its presence was a joy to behold.

In short, I've drawn the short straw. I've taken on a huge role; one which is used in every single subject; even in the school office, I am drawn into debates with contractors who aren't providing a good service. And I don't get paid anything extra for this.

Do I regret this? Not just yet. Computing is at the very heart of modern life, and in the modern classroom. When everything works, the children enjoy their learning and make rapid progress. Computing helps to shape them for the world we are preparing for where computers, mobiles, tablets and digital devices govern every area of 21st Century life.

Having said that, I've worked out that I can save myself a lot of time with a 3-step plan to help teachers sort out their issues without calling me:

Teachers: If you are having issues with your PC, follow these 3 steps:  
1.  Turn it off and on again.  
2. Fiddle with the wires
3. Give it a gentle but assertive tap.

In my experience, this plan will solve 95% of problems. If your PC is in the other 5%, then you may have to be resourceful and come up with a Plan B!