Using Teachers with Technology Experience When a designated support person cannot be hired, many districts rely on teachers with technology experience. Unfortunately, this can create problems if the teachers are not given time and supplies to complete both their teaching and support duties. Without training, these individuals may also have limited impact. This strategy has been the "unenviable position of providing troubleshooting and stopgap maintenance." 19 Monies saved by not hiring additional support staff may be offset by loss of teacher productivity. Sara Fitzgerald 20 cites an example where one larger suburban school district in Virginia was actually spending the equivalent of 330 full-time teaching positions—$16.5 million a year—on time teachers devoted to computer support. This calculation assumed that each teacher spent an hour a week trying to fix a problem that could have been avoided with better support or standardized equipment, and that 5 percent of teachers labelled "technical wizards" spent an additional 1.5 hours a week helping peers who call on them for assistance. 21 Using Teachers for Technical Support Why you should Why you should not Familiar Face. The rest of the staff may feel more comfortable working with a friend or peer. School Culture. Teachers are already familiar with many standard procedures of working with administration, parents, and other school groups and might be able to provide results faster. Technology Familiarity. Teachers are already familiar with the hardware and (some) software that is readily available in the school and may have already formulated strategies for overcoming difficulties. Curricular Expert. Teachers are most concerned with the end product—student achievement. They have the same concerns as their colleagues in terms of improving student achievement. Too Close. Teachers may not have enough distance from the rest of the faculty and staff to effectively assert authority when needed. Time Burden. Curricular commitments already weigh down many teachers, without release time they will not be productive support providers. Limited Technical Skills. Many strong technology users are early adopters who do not follow standard procedures. The Necessity of Teachers. Good teachers are a valuable commodity. You may not want to remove them from the classroom.