Wow! It has been 6 months since I posted anything to this blog. Not setting a very good example I am afraid. It has been a busy winter and spring, and I have a lot of material stored up. Now if I just had the time to write!
One thing I am working on for this fall that I am very excited about is a class at VCU that is near and dear to me: E-Government.
The class title is INFO 691 Topics in Information Systems – Digital Government
This class is about using information and communication technologies to provide government services. Open data, social media, websites, APIs, collaboration & sharing networks. Students will review and assess different levels of government and their approach to e-government. Business models and implementation strategies for e-government projects will be examined. Students will be prepared at the conclusion of the class to assess, design, implement and evaluate e-government solutions.
Students will be required to have and use a twitter account and other social media, create and contribute to blogs and use other digital resources.
This will be a very hands-on course. No tests or exams, we will have reading assignments and writing assignments and a main project for the course.
A word about me as the teacher for the class. I am not an college professor. I am a practitioner with 35 years in the IT industry, 9 years in government service and many awards. I have guest lectured for the FTEMS program as well as other graduate MIS classes. Information security, leadership, coding and networking are primary interests of mine.
We will spend time on lots of websites for review of content and evaluating approaches including www.govloop.com, www.govtech.com, www.elgl.org, and www.data.gov.
This is a new elective course, and is described in this doc on the www.vcu.edu website.
Drop me an email if you want a copy of the syllabus.
Barry
Showing posts with label cio localgov technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cio localgov technology. Show all posts
Saturday, July 11, 2015
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
State Tech Magazine Recognition
So, I am getting ready for bed and I notice I have a twitter mention on my smartphone. Bill Greeves had tweeted and posted on FaceBook that my blog was recognized in the StateTech Magazine inaugural list of the the 50 must-read blogs for state and local IT. Bill noted that he, I and Bill Schrier were on the list.
First of all, to be mentioned in the same sentence and context with Bill & Bill is an honor. They are VERY talented bloggers and published authors. I'm just winging it. Literally.
StateTech Magazine has been really good to me over the years. They provided great coverage when MuniGov held the first ever IT conference in the virtual world Second Life. They have been advocates for innovation at the local level, always recognizing contributions by the level of government closest to the citizen. They published an article of mine on IT governance and technology investment management in the Winter 2012 edition.
Recognition of this type is useful. By that I mean that it can serve as inspiration for others to seek outlets for their professional energy that extend beyond their 9 to 5 existence. I know lots of IT pros that have contributions simmering just below the surface, waiting for a way to get out. I can see them saying "heck, if he can do it, I can too!".
Recognition of this type is satisfying. Not because it is more eyeballs, or kudos. It is satisfying because it means that people appreciate stuff that matters to me! Even my vegetarian chili recipe, which I had forgotten about. Where technology and government and citizens meet: I think it is cool people find that important.
Recognition of this type is important. Publishing via social media (if you can even call it publishing) is becoming the defacto standard for conveying ideas, concepts and perspectives that people find important. There are millions of people writing blogs now, and having publications like StateTech do the heavy lifting of sorting through them to find the best to follow for a specific business-vertical (in this case State & Local IT) increases accessibility.
So thanks for reading, and thanks to StateTech for recognizing me.
First of all, to be mentioned in the same sentence and context with Bill & Bill is an honor. They are VERY talented bloggers and published authors. I'm just winging it. Literally.
StateTech Magazine has been really good to me over the years. They provided great coverage when MuniGov held the first ever IT conference in the virtual world Second Life. They have been advocates for innovation at the local level, always recognizing contributions by the level of government closest to the citizen. They published an article of mine on IT governance and technology investment management in the Winter 2012 edition.
Recognition of this type is useful. By that I mean that it can serve as inspiration for others to seek outlets for their professional energy that extend beyond their 9 to 5 existence. I know lots of IT pros that have contributions simmering just below the surface, waiting for a way to get out. I can see them saying "heck, if he can do it, I can too!".
Recognition of this type is satisfying. Not because it is more eyeballs, or kudos. It is satisfying because it means that people appreciate stuff that matters to me! Even my vegetarian chili recipe, which I had forgotten about. Where technology and government and citizens meet: I think it is cool people find that important.
Recognition of this type is important. Publishing via social media (if you can even call it publishing) is becoming the defacto standard for conveying ideas, concepts and perspectives that people find important. There are millions of people writing blogs now, and having publications like StateTech do the heavy lifting of sorting through them to find the best to follow for a specific business-vertical (in this case State & Local IT) increases accessibility.
So thanks for reading, and thanks to StateTech for recognizing me.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Leadership, Technology & Public Service
What do public sector leaders need to know about Technology? Lots. Read on.
I was asked recently to submit technology topics for a graduate computer science class that would apply to leadership in the public sector. Hmmm. Sounds like all the stuff I deal with on a daily basis.
Technology is pervasive and invasive. We cannot escape it, or run any business without it (public or private). Leaders in all business units of any public entity should be versed in technology basics as they apply to leadership, at a bare minimum. I’m not talking about the typical “this is an input, this is an output” kind of discussion. I am talking about the broad topics that arise constantly as leaders are conducting business and guiding their organizations.
So for those of you who are involved in leadership development in the public sector, or those who are leaders but are falling behind technologically, here is a list of concentration areas for study. These are all leadership-focused issues that revolve around around technology. These topics are also “hot” issues in public sector information technology. I have presented on all these topics and they are the ones I constantly find organizations struggling with.
Resources? Yes, I know … Perhaps in a future blog post. For now, Google is your friend. There is lots of information out there about these topics.
Technology Investment Management – How to select the right projects for funding and how to achieve a predictable return on investment and advance the goals of the larger organization. Managing the portfolio of projects as opposed to managing a collection of disparate technology efforts. Leadership of investment management happens at every level and in every department of the larger organization. With fewer dollars to invest, it has never been more important to make sure you are investing them wisely. How much should be returned for each dollar invested in technology?
Digital Natives & Digital Immigrants – Technology views and use differ dramatically depending on when you were born. Imagine never knowing a time without smartphones, the internet or digital cameras. How would that change your view of life? Some employees have immigrated to technology, others were born into to as a native culture. Leaders need to understand the culture clash that technology is forcing on us, what happens when immigrants and natives collide and how to use it to the benefit of the organization. BTW, neither immigrant or native is “right”, and both have value to bring to an organization.
Social Media – Creeping into every corner of our lives, Social Media in public service cannot be ignored. How can you meet a citizen on his/her own terms without speaking their technology language? What is Social Media good for, when should it be used in public service. Explore the challenges of Social Media that are specific to public service such as the first amendment, public forums and records retention. Also explore the technologies that enable Social Media and benefits of using it.
Information Security – Technology is everywhere, growing at the rate of Moore’s law and out-growing our ability to control it in many cases. Securing the informational assets of the citizens requires an informed leadership position. Information Security is EVERY leaders responsibility.
Cloud Computing & Next Generation Computing – What is all the buzz here. What is cloud computing, why is it important, what are the public sector challenges to its adoption. Cloud computing is one paradigm shift of many. Take a break and review what is coming next to a computing environment near you. Hint: Be willing to adapt your leadership to make best use of the technology.
Solutions & Project Management – How to apply technology to solve a business problem. Definition of the problem (analysis), review of the solution possibilities, technology selection, execution, project management of the efforts. Leaders need to see this as a repeatable process, and their employees need to know they are invested in the process. Your IT group doesn’t do this? Convince them, get another IT group or do it yourself.
Technology Funding – Methods for financing technology. All these topics mean nothing if you can’t spend some money occasionally on the people, processes and technology. Look at how public financing is different from private enterprise with regards to technology. Capital cycles, funding restrictions, conflicts with certain types of technology and why.
I was asked recently to submit technology topics for a graduate computer science class that would apply to leadership in the public sector. Hmmm. Sounds like all the stuff I deal with on a daily basis.
Technology is pervasive and invasive. We cannot escape it, or run any business without it (public or private). Leaders in all business units of any public entity should be versed in technology basics as they apply to leadership, at a bare minimum. I’m not talking about the typical “this is an input, this is an output” kind of discussion. I am talking about the broad topics that arise constantly as leaders are conducting business and guiding their organizations.
So for those of you who are involved in leadership development in the public sector, or those who are leaders but are falling behind technologically, here is a list of concentration areas for study. These are all leadership-focused issues that revolve around around technology. These topics are also “hot” issues in public sector information technology. I have presented on all these topics and they are the ones I constantly find organizations struggling with.
Resources? Yes, I know … Perhaps in a future blog post. For now, Google is your friend. There is lots of information out there about these topics.
Technology Investment Management – How to select the right projects for funding and how to achieve a predictable return on investment and advance the goals of the larger organization. Managing the portfolio of projects as opposed to managing a collection of disparate technology efforts. Leadership of investment management happens at every level and in every department of the larger organization. With fewer dollars to invest, it has never been more important to make sure you are investing them wisely. How much should be returned for each dollar invested in technology?
Digital Natives & Digital Immigrants – Technology views and use differ dramatically depending on when you were born. Imagine never knowing a time without smartphones, the internet or digital cameras. How would that change your view of life? Some employees have immigrated to technology, others were born into to as a native culture. Leaders need to understand the culture clash that technology is forcing on us, what happens when immigrants and natives collide and how to use it to the benefit of the organization. BTW, neither immigrant or native is “right”, and both have value to bring to an organization.
Social Media – Creeping into every corner of our lives, Social Media in public service cannot be ignored. How can you meet a citizen on his/her own terms without speaking their technology language? What is Social Media good for, when should it be used in public service. Explore the challenges of Social Media that are specific to public service such as the first amendment, public forums and records retention. Also explore the technologies that enable Social Media and benefits of using it.
Information Security – Technology is everywhere, growing at the rate of Moore’s law and out-growing our ability to control it in many cases. Securing the informational assets of the citizens requires an informed leadership position. Information Security is EVERY leaders responsibility.
Cloud Computing & Next Generation Computing – What is all the buzz here. What is cloud computing, why is it important, what are the public sector challenges to its adoption. Cloud computing is one paradigm shift of many. Take a break and review what is coming next to a computing environment near you. Hint: Be willing to adapt your leadership to make best use of the technology.
Solutions & Project Management – How to apply technology to solve a business problem. Definition of the problem (analysis), review of the solution possibilities, technology selection, execution, project management of the efforts. Leaders need to see this as a repeatable process, and their employees need to know they are invested in the process. Your IT group doesn’t do this? Convince them, get another IT group or do it yourself.
Technology Funding – Methods for financing technology. All these topics mean nothing if you can’t spend some money occasionally on the people, processes and technology. Look at how public financing is different from private enterprise with regards to technology. Capital cycles, funding restrictions, conflicts with certain types of technology and why.
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