The district hires an instructional technology facilitator. The district trains the instructional technology facilitator. This is SISD's average salary for teachers with one to five years of experience. This would cover the cost of four classes offered by the University of Texas at El Paso required for obtaining an instructional technology certification. This need was addressed in the district's 1997-2002 Technology Plan.
Most schools have an individual who serves as an informal technology expert.
This individual is paid out of the school's budget like other teachers. This person often is the school's computer lab teacher, but lab teachers have no specific job descriptions or responsibilities and receive no specific training. As a result, the lab teachers' expertise and roles vary greatly from school to school. In most cases, the technology expert can help with basic computer questions and some simple troubleshooting, but in many schools, this individual does not have the time or the expertise to help teachers incorporate technology into the curriculum. According to these districts' technology staffs, the coordinators have been effective in training teachers in computer-related topics and working with them on integrating technology.