ChangED
ChangED is an educator based podcast for Pennsylvania teachers to learn more about the PA STEELS Standards and science in general. It is hosted by Andrew Kuhn, Tony Mirabito and Patrice Semicek.
ChangED
PAIMS: The Backbone of Modern Learning
Join hosts Andrew Kuhn, Patrice Semicek, and Tony Mirabito for an engaging conversation with our special guest, Eric Lech. Our latest episode takes you behind the curtain to reveal how PAIMS (PA Instructional Media Services), akin to a diligent stage crew, ensures the smooth operation of educational activities through robust network infrastructure and cutting-edge instructional technology support. Learn how PAIMS supports educational technology across Pennsylvania. Discover the evolution of PAMS from its humble beginnings to its current role in network management and teacher training. 1This episode is a treasure trove of insights for anyone passionate about education, leadership, and continuous growth.
Want to learn more about ChangED? Check out our website at: learn.mciu.org/changed
Pames has been instrumental for us when it comes to this podcast and what has happened, because really the group at Pames were the first group to be like we hear you, we see you and their support has launched us into a new atmosphere. So we're super, super grateful for that and just all the other connections got it helped to get us in to be a pete. See, I mean there's so many great things that come out of it. So I know that's one of your roles and and as being the el presidente for pames, and I'm sure that's a tremendous gift and opportunity. But also, you know a lot comes with that. So again, one area we could. I mean there's so many things that you do, but you know a lot comes with that.
Speaker 1:So again, one area we could go. I mean there's so many things that you do, but you know that was one area that's falling around in my head of like there's so much that happens kind of behind the scenes that people don't see. That allows education to happen and it's such a force. Recently had our our seals expo in our county and one of the vendors, when they were done, said, oh we, we wanted. You know, we heard something about consortium pricing. We'd love to have a conversation with you. I'm like I know you need to talk to because of this network that's existing.
Speaker 2:I mean again, it creates that. It's, it's that that web, a different type of web, in the background of people and and the connections that they've made, as well as how they've created such an infrastructure for supporting learning that's going on that people may never see or never understand.
Speaker 3:It's like anything I've never experienced. Yeah.
Speaker 1:And I know we used this analogy before, but I'm going to tie it into theater, because we were talking about theater as well before is that this is like a stage crew Without the stage crew crew, you're actually not going to have their. Well, you could.
Speaker 2:You could just stand on the stage and then you're right but from from the, the network infrastructure folks, through the chief technology officers, through our instructional technology specialists, there's there's different levels of support. There's the people that are doing the wires that are in the ceilings, that you never see, and making sure that they're all running and that the internet is available to us at all times. There are the people that are procuring all of the resources and tools and software. And then there are the other specialists that are there supporting the teachers. It may not be directly in front of students, but having that indirect impact on the students.
Speaker 2:So that whole little web network that sits behind and really it's kind of an analogy for the web itself, like it's out there and it's there but nobody can really quantify and have this tangible feeling of what the cloud is and what the web is. But there are people behind all of it and that's what Pames really is is the people behind all of it.
Speaker 1:Right, and that's what PAMS really is. Is the people behind all of it right? And and bringing together of all those minds and having them and even to see as they work together, the way that they problem solve together and so supportive, like that's something.
Speaker 3:I've been a part of multiple groups through IU worlds and I've never experienced anything like so. The first time I went I was like I got to be a part of this, like it's so different and so supportive and just so I don't know. I'm super grateful to even be considered to be. There's never a time when you can't pick up, yeah, and reach out to a pames, another pames member and they'll be there to support.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it is.
Speaker 3:It's an incredible and the sharing of resources.
Speaker 2:It just doesn't happen, and it's so weird, like when you and I'm like one of the old guys at PAMS. Now I feel weird about that, but I am Because I've been there 12 years and when I entered PAMS, from the same moment I kind of had this like, wow, this is just an incredible network of people. But when it started, you've got to think it started because it's instructional media services it started with, you know, video cassettes and laser discs, and things that we were lending out to schools, that were at that time like at a premium and were not accessible everywhere.
Speaker 2:You know, you couldn't just get on and like look for a video on youtube. You had to see oh, I want this video check it out from the library does my iu have it in their instructional media library. Can I borrow it and then like these blue tapes, bright blue tapes, because we still have a box.
Speaker 2:We have a box full of them still to remind us that, like that was a service to schools. And again another place where, like, how did this all start? It started that way. And then, like you, you create paiu net, where you create this whole network for people to access the internet. Like I was talking to one of the one of the guys that retired last year, kevin Connor, and he said I remember the first time I was in a school and like we accessed the internet and brought up a picture. Now it took like a half hour, but he's like I just remember that moment. Game changer.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Like touch, a game changer in education. And Pames was on the ground floor of all that and again may never be heard of, may never be seen, may never receive the accolade for that job being done, but it's there, it's always happening.
Speaker 4:I know Andrew has to do his kickoff of every podcast, but even before that you're just involved in so many things. So to dive into your educational background, the world language piece and just like where you came up with, I'm going to serve all these different things because all you know education thing is one, is one thing, but then you're also involved in the swimming outside, like there's so much you're involved in and it's very admirable, like that's my goal. But to just your whole background of service for people, I think that'd be a good spot to start.
Speaker 2:I'm having a mindset of service, yeah, yeah, all right, so do the kickoff.
Speaker 1:Here we go, we're back, can you?
Speaker 3:do the I want Tony to do the kickoff one time, just one time, tony.
Speaker 2:And then I'll let you have you heard.
Speaker 4:Tony's version of Andrew. No, I have not heard Tony's and we're back Andrew Kuhn here with a Change the Podcast.
Speaker 1:So hurtful.
Speaker 3:We need to get an avatar.
Speaker 1:It's a good thing. I don't have feelings.
Speaker 3:That's going to be our new marketing campaign FYI.
Speaker 2:there's a lot of beard around the table right now. A lot of beard.
Speaker 3:A lot of beard.
Speaker 4:I'm in out Probably better off, right.
Speaker 3:That would be awesome.
Speaker 1:The mugs are just tremendous, aren't they awesome? This is.
Speaker 2:Melissa's practice. Melissa's been practicing.
Speaker 3:To please tell Melissa, thank you.
Speaker 2:Listen, I sometimes can work magic and I played a little. Oh, what can I do? Where can I? Find money to do this Cricket Campus Bundle.
Speaker 1:The web produced.
Speaker 2:Something produced, the web produced.
Speaker 3:All all right.
Speaker 2:I'm very jealous of you my business office sometimes is like what are you doing? I'm like listen, this is how I'm explaining it. Was that, is that acceptable? Okay, then I'm just gonna do it, yeah is it serving all students?
Speaker 1:cool, it'll happen I'm not asking for approval. I'm asking if that explanation works like the way you work, so I don't need your approval. I'm gonna make it happen. I just want.
Speaker 2:I'm not asking for approval. I'm asking if that explanation works. Like the way you work, sir, I don't need your approval. I'm going to make it happen. I just want to know, when I give you that explanation, is it going to be okay when an auditor comes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, good, check, check, all right. Three, two, one. Welcome back to Change. Ed Changed.
Speaker 3:Change Ed.
Speaker 1:Your number one best in the entire world podcast for educators, by educators.
Speaker 3:I'm your favorite host, andrew Kuhn education consultant from Montgomery County Intermediate Unit Sorry, patrice Semacek, also of the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit and an educational consultant still.
Speaker 1:And Tony Marabito, CLIU 21,. Staff Development Facilitator. Tony Marabito, we are at CLIU in a wonderful facility, very, very accommodating. I would like for you to be the one who introduced our guest that we have today.
Speaker 4:Sure, very, very excited to introduce my fearless leader. I'd like to consider him a mentor. I'm just with everything that he's involved in, mr Eric Leck.
Speaker 2:Hi everyone. I'm super excited to be on the podcast. I've been singing its praises. I listen all the time. Love the banter, don't be sorry. It's fun, but I tell people it's, it's an awesome podcast listen to. I'll listen to a bunch of episodes in a row and then I'll take a break of course.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I need a breather, I'm gonna take a lap I need to stop, but really excited and really happy to be here.
Speaker 2:I feel like I'm in the presence of some celebrities because again. I hear you guys and so um it's really nice and, like I said I I hope that you know my sharing of all of this going on uh will increase the number of people that are listening to you it already has eric, more than just tony's family, that's right he really is a listener.
Speaker 3:We had tony's mom on earlier I haven't heard.
Speaker 2:Like I said, I'm still behind. No, it hasn't come out.
Speaker 3:It happened today. Today we recorded today it was quite an episode.
Speaker 2:Awesome. Well, that one's probably going to be an interesting one.
Speaker 3:You know getting the mayor.
Speaker 2:That's right, I know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I had a lot of apologizing to do. He was afraid of him. I'm so sorry.
Speaker 3:It was very nice. It was very uncharacteristic.
Speaker 4:No it was a really Refreshing. Some would say.
Speaker 1:That's where we're at already. Well, eric, you have been a, as you already said, and I want to go on record saying thank you because you've been a huge supporter of this work and what we're doing. This is a lot of outside-the-box thinking. How can we create micro PD situations that we can involve everyone in the conversation? And, honestly, one of the things that we found when we were running our own trainings is we'd be in scenarios where people had gone to a couple of different trainings outside of our IU and they would come back and say what's the deal with this, leaving it vague on purpose? And we'd say, well, what do you mean? And they'd say, what's the deal with this Leaving it vague on purpose? And we'd say, well, what do you mean? And they'd say I heard this.
Speaker 1:And someone would say, well, I heard this. And a third person would say, well, I heard something else. And so we'd back it up and be like, well, when did you hear that? When did you hear that? So we found that globally that we might not all be communicating well together. So that was kind of the inspiration behind this podcast. So if we're having amazing conversations about what's happening in education, let's just share it out. We want other people to hear it so that they can feel inspired. Or maybe they don't feel inspired, but it triggers conversation. So we're all talking more and having those interactions and part of that leads me to and I know this is one of many hats you wear and I think I'd love to dive into and hear about all the things that you're a part of but one of the hats you wear is that you're you're the president a two-year gig a two-year gig two years of within
Speaker 3:an eight-year span right right also a very interesting.
Speaker 1:I like the way that happens, yeah yeah, can't get too much of a good thing unless you can. So, maybe, so maybe, could you just tell us a little bit about the PAMS group and what they are, what they do and how they fit into education, cause that I feel like this is an offshoot of the mission, of what they do as well. We just get to be heard for 15 minutes, not meetings.
Speaker 2:Absolutely so. Paims is our one of the subgroups of PAIU Pennsylvania Intermediate Units. Paims itself stands for PA Instructional Media Services. So historically it goes back to times when school intermediate units would provide service to schools in the idea of lending things like videos, laser discs, technology-type resources at the time think late 70s, early 80s that maybe were not readily available in school districts VCRs, things like that. Obviously that has evolved.
Speaker 2:The PAMES group now is a multifaceted group, a group of people that come from very different parts of their intermediate unit.
Speaker 2:Some of them are network specialists, chief technology officers, we have data consultants, we have instructional technology specialists, educational consultants a wide range of positions and titles.
Speaker 2:But all of them are really there to support that network of educational technology in our schools and are often very much a background. You know. You may know there are kind of wires and networks in school buildings and the ceilings that you never see. There are tons of resources that help us access the internet that we have now, but there are always people behind all of that and PAMES is that set of people and our goal is really to provide that support to our schools to make sure that they can keep running the best way that they can, using the resources that are most appropriate for them and and that match the world that's going on around us with the support systems that are available to them. And again, that might be support from actual wires, it may be support from training for the teachers, for the staff. So oftentimes our PAMS group is an unseen group, but a really, really powerful and important group in our state.
Speaker 1:It sounds like what you're describing is a support for the support. Right, we're going to come together and support each other in this work so that we can ultimately also how can what we do, how can we make what we do even better? Is there something that we've learned in this room? Because when it gets together, there's a lot of wisdom in that room and a lot of years of education that all come together from different parts of the state. So we have different challenges, we have different needs, but when it overlaps, it's amazing.
Speaker 2:It is. It is so incredible. The folks that are part of PAMES one are super welcoming. Folks will always reach out to new members of PAMES. Make sure that those people feel supported as well as they're entering these roles, because they're not always easy roles.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 2:ZZ roles. And again that knowledge base, the difference of types of things that people have expertise in, because there's so much in our technology world there's no way for anyone to have expertise in all of them. Having all of that expertise, that collective expertise, in one room is so important. I mean, I joined PAMES 12 years ago and was so floored at that time of what was going on in education and how this group of people was so willing to just help anything that was going on and me as the new guy was able to be kind of folded right into the mix and reach out to anyone that was part of that group for support, for help at any time. And that continues.
Speaker 2:That tradition just continues and continues. Part of it's our model. We said I'm president for two years but it's part of an eight-year span, our officer chain. You start in that secretary role and you're there through secretary for two years, president-elect for two years, president for two years, and then you stick around as past president to guide the next officer crew. And so again, it's just about nurturing the next group that's coming along and as members of our PAMES group retire people like who's just retiring now Vince Humes retired last year, where Kevin Connor and Deanne Oley they're people that you know made big changes in the ways that they did things.
Speaker 2:Kevin related a story to me about the first time he was in a school and they had internet coming onto the screen, like think back about what that meant and how that has changed everything we do in education. Right, you know, deanne only was a tremendous asset to all of the student competitions that go on across the state. Madcom things like that that you know started as something else at the time. She was also integral in what was at the time called One to One, which was a grant that started getting computers and laptops into schools. Again, I started thinking about what things look like now and what it looked like when we didn't have all of that in schools.
Speaker 2:Vince Humes is our representative to a national board, the Consortium of School Networking, which is often chief technology officers across the whole United States. So he's involved with what's now called the Innovation Report, which is all about the horizons of what's going on and what kind of hurdles might exist, as well as accelerators in the world of educational technology. So much goes on in that group. You can talk on and on about it.
Speaker 1:You know, the other thing that I was just thinking is you're sharing, that is that this group is about transformation and not in less transactional. So their work is how do we create, as you're saying, the wires and it all needs to be there. But then, once it's all there, what do we do with it? So it's, it's a full. It's a full, it's a full service. It's not just let me, I gotta get the wires in and then it's the next person's issue, it's like, but I want to get them in, I want to get it in right, and then how are we actually using it? So it's, it's thought all the way through there were, there was more here well, what you were saying was making me think about.
Speaker 2:You know, oftentimes the process that a lot of the folks that are in pains use is kind of kind of a sprint process where we're gonna try to roll something out, but we have to learn as we go. We can't roll it out and know it's gonna be perfect when we get it out there, just because of the way technology is evolving. The way that we use technology is evolving and the asks of technology is evolving as those things kind of roll. It requires multiple parties, it requires multiple people to kind of help move things forward, and sometimes it means we have to come back and take the feedback of what happened and say, all right, how are we going to kind of accelerate that forward to a next step? And that continues to happen. I mean, we're seeing it now.
Speaker 2:At one point, pames was a major contributor to statewide internet accessibility and networks through PAI-UNET. Well, the world has changed in the way in which internet service is provided, the way the filtering is provided and things like that. So while that is currently in a kind of evolution, right now we're starting to have bigger talks around. Well, how do we better support cybersecurity across our network, right. So again, as things evolve, we just have to think about how we're going to continue to evolve with it, and do it quickly. It's a rapidly changing and evolving process.
Speaker 1:You know again going off that with the new steel standards that are out there, it's a lot of work that we're doing, but what's sticking out to me is this idea that's in the steel standards of it's about the process, not the product. Yeah, and while we have to produce a product, it doesn't stop there because the process continue on and, as you said, but now that we have this network, now how do we protect it right? And then there will be the next issue that we focus on. So the work continues on. Just getting the connectivity for everybody is step one, and then now we have new challenges that we didn't see before and now we can see them. So the work continues to go on and evolve.
Speaker 2:And it's multilayered. You get that part, we get things moving. But then let's talk-layered. You have, you get that part, we get things moving. But then let's talk about, let's talk about the software. You know the different resources that are available to our schools and how can we work together and work smarter about providing that resource and making sure people have equitable access to it.
Speaker 2:There's no reason one school district should pay one price and another school district should pay another for the same resource. So our PAMS group works hard with a number of software vendors to say what can you do statewide to provide some equitable pricing for our schools so that now that they have the pieces working together, what's the resource that we can put in front of kids? And then to our instructional technologists, how do we help teachers leverage that resource in the best way possible? And as that resource either evolves or maybe fades, what's the next resource we need? So again, it's just constantly moving, sort of a moving target, but it's constant motion of our group to stay on top of things and to provide the best service possible. And really that's what it is. It's about providing the service, it's about making things right for kids at the end of the day. So while there sometimes is multiple layers between the people in PAMS and the students that are in the classrooms, at the end of the day it comes back to how are we helping kids?
Speaker 1:You know, the other thing I want to say about the PAMS organization being part of it and seeing how it works and all the players that come to and participate in PAMES is that everything has to start somewhere. It has to start with an idea or with a concept, and PAMES is a group that comes together, for PAMES are a group of starters. They're going to start this project and then at some point they might be able to hand it off, right. So I even think about organizations that we're part of and before it became whatever that might be, before it became national, I had to start as an idea somewhere and someone started it and maybe it grew, and then we said now I can hand that off to you, and then it kept growing. It became national, and then I'm thinking of NSTA as an example and then they have PSTA and then there's a local one, depending on what county you're in or what area you're in, right.
Speaker 1:So as it builds up, it builds this structure, and I see that very much playing out with PAMS. It's like how can we get this again full circle with all that? We've got all this set up. Well, okay, now what does the usage look like? Or is there, programming it goes with that, and knowing as well when do we pass that off to somebody else? Say, look, we've set you up for success, we've done all we can, but like, this is now your forte and and I think that's a beautiful, it's, it's a beautiful dance, right, knowing where your strengths are, knowing how to get things started, starting the music, and then we know when you get to a certain level. Now you're going to pass it off to other dancers.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. I mean, at some point the Pames group is a limited size group. We have to build capacity in others to kind of move forward with things. One, so we can go back and look at what's the next thing or what's the next iteration or how can we bring in a new piece to the table that's going to continue to serve. So how can we bring a new piece to the table that's going to continue to serve? So it's absolutely right, pames needs to serve in that role and continue to serve in that role, at the same time building capacity in others to take things forward and keep moving with them and make them better.
Speaker 2:Perhaps or, you know, allowing for a kind of shared leadership of things. You know, certainly PAMES has a leadership team of things. You know, certainly PAMES has a leadership team. But at the same time, we have subcommittees where there are great leaders that take projects on and keep moving them forward, whether it be through, you know, an online learning subcommittee or a professional learning subcommittee, because PAMES doesn't exist if we don't keep learning Right. You know, all of those pieces really kind of keep us moving forward and we're building capacity, building leaders, helping to again feed.