Alumnus Profile: James Frazee James Frazee speaking to staff during development training funded by ACT NOW. Imagine being named as the Information Technology Director for California's largest secondary school district two years after being hired as the district's program manager. Sounds like a fast track, but rising to the top has been James Frazee's track record. He was named Outstanding Student by the SDSU EDTEC Department in 1996. During his tenure with Sweetwater Union, James has played an integral role in the district's ACT NOW grant, Advancing Curriculum through Technology, which strives to support technology integration throughout the district's schools and media centers. The virtue of the grant is its simplicity. Teachers who voluntarily attend professional development receive a high-end Internet-ready computer for their classroom and college credit that satisfies the technology component required to obtain clear credential. Staff development training is built around the "WebQuest" model, developed by SDSU EDTEC professor, Dr. Bernie Dodge. This model is an exemplary way to use technology for teaching in that it gives students experiences that require them to use the Internet to solve authentic complex tasks.   Since the grant's implementation, major advances have occurred in the district's Internet connectivity. During the 1996-97 school year, the percentage of classrooms connected on the Internet went from 12% to 83%. During the last 3 years, over 1,100 teachers have gone through voluntary teacher certification, over 32,000 person hours of instruction have been offered to teachers, and over 12,900 hours have been offered to all district employees. Sweetwater Union's staff development program in technology is exemplary. It is considered a national model and has been recognized as such by the Department of Education. Dr. Edward Brand, Superintendent of Sweetwater Union High School District, credits much of the success of the grant to James, and states, "His previous experience as the coordinator of the Challenge Grant allowed us to create an educational environment for our instructors that allows them to use technology on a daily basis." In serving as the district's Director of Information Technology, James sees that his role is to provide the vision for information technology as it relates to student achievement. Although he's only been in this position since the summer, James has already outlined several goals including increasing staff, increasing Internet access and improving the district's infrastructure, encouraging teachers to explore technology, increasing collaboration among teachers, and providing all stakeholders with the information needed to facilitate self-assessment and improvement. In his new capacity, James oversees four divisions and reports to several stakeholder groups. He candidly describes this position as an "extremely, extremely political job". Just how did the SDSU EDTEC program prepare him for such a political position? In response to this question, James points out that "at the core of politics is relationships", and that one of the great strengths of the SDSU EDTEC program is its focus on teamwork, which fosters the development of professional relationships.   Since graduating, James has continued to learn and affiliate through a range of professional associations including ISPI, CUE, the National Teacher Leadership Council, as well as a whole network associated with the Technology Challenge grants. James actually began his involvement with some of these groups while he was still a student. He advises current students in the SDSU EDTEC program to nurture relationships and to broaden their networks. As he so aptly states, "In a high tech world, valuing people and your relationships with them is still very critical."