Member Profile: DataBus Chats With Mark Heydon

By Lisa Kopochinski, DataBus Editor

What are your responsibilities as tech advisor at Shoreline Unified School District in Marin and Sonoma Counties and as a Certified Chief Technology Officer as a member of the CTO Mentor Program Class of 2008?

I’ve been pulled back into the classroom these last two years, though I’m now “advising” faculty, administration, and our new tech support people — mostly anything that involves a keyboard rather than a mic. The day-to-day is no longer my bailiwick. I do planning, research, reports, training— “steering,” I guess you could call it.

How long have you been in the computer industry?

Memory 1: In 1979, with MasterCharge when I was a tech writer and hung out with the guys-only computer room in San Francisco—a very sci fi-looking enclave in the center of the building. All tapes and disks (the disks the size of old LPs (500k?)). CRTs were six-inch, monochromatic dragonheads with diagonal screens. Everything was command line.

Memory 2: 1985, found a new Mac in my dad’s office and accidentally wiped out his entire 500-person mailing list. Didn’t know how to recover it. Slid guiltily out the door.

Memory 3: Shortly after that, I walked into the local community college library where someone had set up a computer that connected with CERN in Switzerland. It had a blue background and teased users with “[image]” imbedded every so often in the text lines. It didn’t say I couldn’t touch it.

Memory 4: Set up and brought down token ring system in school’s business ed department.  Back then things were so fickle, if you didn’t tell anyone what you’d done, everyone blamed the equipment. Nonetheless, learned difference between tech staff and faculty: tenure.

What do you like most about the industry?

The people. Always the people. Especially the one so busy at the local, hands-on level. They have the best stories. Technology is the most human-centered phenomenon we have. We made it. It’s all about us. We don’t have to share it with a tree. The pure-human aspect makes technology rich with our hopes, dreams and possibilities.

When did you join CETPA and why?

It’s been so long…I think it was partially desperation. This is a rural school district and I wanted a place to go for support, to find people who spoke “education” rather than straight industry, people who combined a fascination with technology with a fascination with the mind of our students.

Where does CETPA need to grow?

The rural north, south and east. Small districts are so often isolated and don’t have the opportunity to share in CETPA because of distance and/or finances. I salute CETPA’s efforts to establish small, local interest groups. Relations with CUE are promising from the technician-teacher standpoint. Communications between these alien universes are difficult. What do we/they want? How can our mutual understanding be improved?

What is the greatest challenge facing the industry and how can it be overcome?

Ubiquitous high-speed access. Taking a look at the coverage maps of the long distance carriers shows a lot of white space, especially in rural areas. Solution?  Serious, engaged leadership that sees technology’s value along with our own leadership that is able to demonstrate technology’s value. Both start in the classroom with our working with teachers and administrators–challenging as well as listening to their needs.

What do you like to do in your limited spare time?

I read gobs of everything. And write.  Then I go out and make futile and often comical attempts at skiing, soccer, biking and playing in the stock market.

About the Author

Lisa Kopochinski has been the editor of DataBus magazine for more than 10 years. She can be reached at 916-481-0265 or at lisakop@sbcglobal.net.