Strategies for Advancing Progress with Modest Resources
Michelle Chenevert's Innovative Approach to Tech Budgeting and Disaster Preparedness
In the world of educational technology, Michelle Chenevert, Director of Technology at the Episcopal School of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, stands out for her innovative strategies that focus on creativity, careful planning, and proactive management.
During uncertain times when funding sources like Title II and IV are frozen, Chenevert diversifies her funding sources, adapting allocations as needed. She leverages special grants like the Louisiana Educational Excellence Fund (EEF) for hardware replacement and takes advantage of discounted internet service categories to stretch her budget.
Chenevert's proactive approach extends to device management. She monitors the health and usage of devices such as iPads and laptops using tools like JAMF and Microsoft Intune. This regular monitoring helps inform budget allocations, avoid wastage, and ensure resources are effectively utilized. This proactive approach also aids disaster preparedness by ensuring technology is always ready for use.
When it comes to device lifecycle, Chenevert advises checking vendor sites for the life cycle of devices to avoid unexpected interruptions or expensive rush fees. She emphasizes the importance of making a long-range plan for technology replacement.
Chenevert also encourages right-sizing devices and software to discover unused resources, helping to optimize the tech budget. She advocates for attending conferences to stay up-to-date on technology and training herself on relevant software programs to help teachers.
In times of crisis, Chenevert demonstrates remarkable resilience. After Hurricane Katrina, she and her team opened a night school for displaced students from New Orleans. When the pandemic hit, she had enough spare devices and iPads for the lower school teachers to teach from home.
The flood in 2016 caused four buildings at the Episcopal School of Baton Rouge to flood, requiring a quick pivot to temporary classrooms. This event led to a shift away from physical servers towards cloud backups for the school's data.
Chenevert's school employs a diverse range of tools for learning, including Aruba Cloud, Fortinet, Verkada, Gage Cloud Voice, JAMF, Microsoft Intune, Managed Methods, PowerSchool SIS, Canvas LMS, Seesaw, Clever, Adobe, Google, Discovery Education, BrainPop, EdPuzzle, Book Creator, Gimkit, IXL, Apple Classroom, Canva, Copilot, Gemini, Magic School, ClassVR, and more.
For her innovative work, Chenevert was recognised with the Innovative Director of Technology Award at the *Pre-ISTE Summit in San Antonio*. Her strategies enable schools to innovate and maintain operational readiness even during budget constraints or potential disruptions, thus supporting disaster preparedness through technology continuity and reliability.
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- In times of budget constraints or potential disruptions, Michelle Chenevart, the Director of Technology at the Episcopal School of Baton Rouge, promotes online-education tools like Canvas LMS and Seesaw to enable schools to innovate and maintain operational readiness.
- Chenevart's proactive device management involves regular monitoring of iPads and laptops using tools like JAMF and Microsoft Intune, informing budget allocations, avoiding wastage, and ensuring technology readiness for disaster preparedness.
- To optimize the tech budget, Chenevert suggests right-sizing devices and software, discovering unused resources, and attending conferences for staying up-to-date on technology and training for teachers.
- When disaster strikes, as seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the flood in 2016, Chenevart utilizes a diverse range of tools for education and self-development such as Aruba Cloud, Fortinet, Verkada, Gage Cloud Voice, Apple Classroom, Canva, Discovery Education, and more to ensure the continuity and reliability of learning.
- To weather uncertain times and frozen funding sources like Title II and IV, Chenevart diversifies her funding sources, taking advantage of special grants like the Louisiana Educational Excellence Fund (EEF) and discounted internet service categories to stretch her budget.
- Chenevart's forward-thinking approach extends to planning the lifecycle of devices, checking vendor sites for device life cycles to avoid unexpected interruptions or expensive rush fees, and crafting a long-range plan for technology replacement.
