"From my perspective technology is a tool to be used to simplify one's life," said Kerri Richardson Redding, BFS' Director of Academic Technology.  "The demands of the world are ever-changing and it is our ability to reduce complex tasks into simple solutions," she said of herself and the nine person staff with whom she works every day.

 

Kerri arrived at BFS seven years ago, when the three person tech staff included a director, a network manager and one part-time technician.  The physical network needed to be upgraded, there was only one course in computer literacy in the ninth grade year, and not much in the budget to allow for exploring new classroom technologies or providing faculty with more up-to-date computers.

 

Kerri is proud to have been part of the changes in the school's technological infrastructure since that time.  The Department of Information and Media Services was formed about four years ago but Kerri points out that it's less a single entity than an umbrella covering the school's growing technology needs.  "Our 'department' actually includes technology integrators, our AV Coordinator, the Meeting House and the librarians," she said.  

 

"I love seeing my colleagues excited about new technology for both their professional and personal use."  As the campus has expanded into a second building, the network has also grown, including installation of a state-of-the-art phone system, the creation of a computer literacy curriculum starting in third grade, and the distribution of laptop computers to all full time faculty.  "This may sound boring to some," she said, "but professionally it has been so exciting that I'm continually surprised that I've now been here seven years.  Being an African-American woman in a specialized area usually dominated by white men has also been highly challenging and very rewarding."

 

DIMS doesn't just strive to provide tech support to the school's growing faculty and student population but also functions as an academic department.  Every division is now served by an Educational Technologist, part of the job for which is teaching age-appropriate computer classes in addition to providing technological assistance to faculty and staff.  DIMS also provides support to the school's administrative offices.

 

The somewhat amorphous boundaries of the department, Kerri says, is crucial to its growth and functioning. Given the constantly fluctuating nature of new educational technologies these days, allowing for "collaboration between and among us, as many of our job duties not only overlap but are integrally connected with one another," is important.   For example she and Kathy Hartzler, the Director of Library Services who also comes under the DIMS umbrella, coordinate to make sure the libraries have the equipment and services they need, but she and Kathy also serve on the Academic Affairs and Division Heads-Department Chairs Committees, each representing their separate departments' needs."

 

The school's physical network has grown to include just about "everything with a plug," said Kerri only half-jokingly, referring to the fact that today the notion of having an AV or multimedia department and a separate computing staff has become obsolete as the technologies continue to merge.  "The network includes all the computer servers, the network peripherals including wireless access points, and all desktop computers, laptops, TV/DVD/VCR units, digital cameras and projectors, SMARTBoards and 'smart rooms.'  We also manage Panthernet (the school's intranet) and all cellular phones at BFS, too."

 

DIMS strives to provide training to all faculty and staff in one form or another, including an annual orientation by division to the school's technology resources, and periodic after school workshops throughout the year.  "We have a great online resource, Atomic Learning, where people can learn via video tutorials any software package or process," she said, acknowledging though that most people still prefer the one-on-one approach to learning new technology, a need which she says the staff does its best to meet.  "We have an interesting community here. I like the people and I like what I do," she said.  "Like many of us there is too much to do in the course of a single business day."

 

And that includes the teaching, which Kerri says is the highlight of her job.  "I'm happiest in the classroom and when implementing solutions or strategies that will help further the education of people, regardless of age," she said.  "I love seeing people exploring the expanse of our understanding of ourselves, each other and the world around us.  I truly believe that education is fundamental to our development as a human species and in our ability to create and sustain a global community."

 

The DIMS Staff    Pre School/Lower School Technology Integrator Cordenia Paige   Middle School Integrator Vanessa Aird   Upper School Integrator Lisa Deo     A/V Coordinator Andy Cohen   Network Manager Greg George     Director of Academic Technology Kerri Richardson Redding    Meeting House Production Manager Catherine Clark    Director of Library Services Kathy Hartzler    Middle School Librarian Angela Ungaro   Upper School Librarian Lawrence Williams