Tech use plan
- 1. An overview TECHNOLOGY USE PLAN
- 2. RATIONALE “The idea of technology planning should be an attempt to be proactive instead of reactive to the situations created by technology planning” (Anderson, 1999) A technology plan is meant to be a catalyst for change in the responsible use of technology in the 21st century classroom. Without a well thought out plan in place, technology will not be an effective tool to help students.
- 3. PLANNING TEAM When picking a team to write a technology plan, it is essential to involve all the stakeholders, not just the obvious ones. A selection of possible members is provided below. Students Human resources Teachers personnel Administrators (dept. Librarians heads, principles, super Technology trainers intendent) Parents Technology Coordinator Software developers IS and IT Specialists Web master
- 4. PROCESS-STEP 1 Convene a planning committee to review the current school improvement plan and research the district needs in relation to instructional technology Include a variety of interested parties not limited to those in the school building Garner the support of administrators and key teachers
- 5. PROCESS-STEP 2 Educate team members on how students learn, what skills students will need in the workplace, and how technology can be used to improve student learning Read current research Get input from educators and community members Investigate current facilities, cost of technology and professional development opportunities for staff and students
- 6. PROCESS-STEP 3 Develop a vision statement that describes the role of instructional technology in the school district for the future A vision means an image of what the school can and should become. It is deeply embedded in values, hopes, and dreams. A mission statement is more specific and often defines what the school is trying to accomplish and for whom. It can be developed from the vision itself. (November & Staudt, 1996)
- 7. PROCESS-STEP 4 DataAnalysis: use data to determine the current status of educational technology in the district, the needs of your stakeholders, etc. School Report Cards Teacher Needs Assessment Survey Student Needs Assessment Survey Open meetings Past technology inventories
- 8. PROCESS-STEP 5 Establishclear goals and strategies to accomplish those goals Include: Description of the goal Strategies to accomplish the goal Activities to accomplish the goal Budget (cost and funding source) Time Frame (start and finish dates) Person Responsible
- 9. PROCESS-STEP 6 Staff development Help teachers become comfortable with the technology through professional development Courses, workshops, graduate programs Give teachers the time and resources to devise ways to use the technology in their classrooms On-site support On-line support Focus on curriculum, instruction and collaboration not a “show and tell” of technology Technology should be used to further student learning not as glitz and glam
- 10. PROCESS-STEP 7 Evaluation Continuous process necessary to determine effectiveness of the technology plan Each step should have an evaluation component Decisions can be made based on data from the evaluation
- 11. VISION STATEMENT Develop a vision statement that supports “meaningful, engaged learning for all students, outline the district's learning goals for placing technology in the hands of educators and students, and support the curricular goals of the school” (November & Staudt, 1996) Consider the following questions (Anderson, 1999): What will our work area(s) of the future look like and include? How will technology be infused with daily instruction and activities? How should the community be involved? What kinds of skills, competencies, and attitudes must be nurtured for technology infusion to be successful? What hopes do we have for ensuring that all members receive
- 12. SAMPLE VISION STATEMENT Takenfrom the Poway High School Technology Use Plan, 2005-2008 Poway High School recognizes that the use of technology plays an important role in improving the quality of instruction and is a tool for the entire learning community. Students graduating from Poway High School must possess the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to succeed in an increasingly complex, global, information- based society.
- 13. PLAN GOALS/OBJECTIVES Create plan goals or objectives that relate to: Infrastructure Hardware Technology Support Software Proposed Technology Needs Technology Integration Staff Training & Professional Development Community Involvement Curriculum and Instruction (use NETS·T and NETS·S)
- 14. SAMPLE PLAN GOALS/OBJECTIVES The following goals were taken from the Poway High School Technology Use Plan 2005-2008: Goal 1-Student learning: Students will enrich their educational experience by using technology as a tool for effective communication, personal productivity, and lifelong learning. Students will acquire technology skills that meet Levels I-II as defined in the CTAP proficiency standards. Goal 2-Powerful teaching: Utilize technology for teaching and learning through out the entire learning community, to build awareness and understanding of varied teaching methodologies, and to publish best practices and student and staff accomplishments. Teachers will acquire technology skills that meet Levels I-III of the CTAP proficiency standards. Goal 3-School-to-Community connections: The learning community will utilize technology to increase the connection between school and community through the sending and receiving of information. Goal 4-Technology Training for the Learning Community: Develop and implement opportunities for technology-training for the entire learning community to increase productivity, efficiency and communication.
- 15. SAMPLE PLAN GOALS/OBJECTIVES The following goal was taken from the Northfield Township High School District 225 2006-2009 Technology Plan: Description: Upgrade the district website to better communicate district, teacher, and community information to the citizens of Northfield Township High School District 225. Gap: Both parents and teachers have expressed in meetings that access to up-to-date and accurate school information, and an increased presence of teachers on the district website were needed. Strategy: Redesign the look and navigation features to make the website more user friendly and accessible to the community. Activity 1: Policies and Guidelines Activity 2: Website Design Activity 3: Teacher Website Development Activity 4: Infrastructure Analysis
- 16. SAMPLE PLAN GOALS/OBJECTIVES The following goal was taken from the Northfield Township High School District 225 2006-2009 Technology Plan: Description: Provide timely and accurate help and support to all district staff in the application of technology in support of their job function. Gap: A study performed by outside consultants found that users were widely dissatisfied with the quality of technical support and the communication of progress/resolution of issues. Each campus operated independently resulting in solutions to similar problems being re-created in each campus. Tracking of issues in each campus was accomplished through different systems that were inconsistently used. Strategy: Provide readily available support to all staff for technical issues. Assign support assistance as appropriate for problem resolution. Track support incidents for assessing efficiency. Analyze support incident responses for planning purposes. Activity 1: Help desk tracking system Activity 2: Help desk process and staffing Activity 3: Communications
- 17. NEEDS ASSESSMENT Areas that may be addressed: Hardware Software Training Needs Current level of expertise How technology is currently being used to enhance student learning Sample Needs Assessment
- 18. STAFF DEVELOPMENT (BLAKESLEY, 2010) Adequate staff development is provided for teacher understanding of the new technology. The individuals providing the training are available for follow-up and questions. Availability may be by phone or in person. Make sure adequate training time is provided for the trainers to teach the entire new technology programs. All teachers attending the training sessions have access to the technology they learned. Use teachers who understand technology to help others. Ensure the training is connected to the current classroom curriculum with the ability to reform current practices for technological advancement. Encourage staff involvement in using the new technology within their classrooms. All staff members are required to attend the training, it's not voluntary. This includes all administrators. Administrators need to build time into the teachers work schedules for technology practicing. A solid technology plan should have an on-site technology support staff, access to adequate hardware and software utilized by the educational system.
- 19. STAFF DEVELOPMENT RESULTS (MCKENZIE 2001) Asa result of staff development, students should be able to... read, reason and write more powerfully communicate productively with members of a global community conduct thoughtful research into the important questions, choices and issues of their times make sense of a confusing world and a swelling tide of information perform well on the new, more demanding state tests requiring inferential reasoning
- 20. STAFF DEVELOPMENT IDEAS Individual Development Plans Study Groups Coursework at the schools Curriculum Development Teams Technology Coaches and Mentors Informal Support Groups and Support Staffing Help Lines School visits Work Place Visits Conferences Online Learning
- 21. EVALUATION/RESEARCH Research before beginning the technology plan: Demographics Computer use in and out of the school Evaluation to determine success and completion of goals of the technology plan: Teacher Surveys Student Surveys Review Help Desk logs Review infrastructure traffic and patterns Open meetings
- 22. TIMELINE The plan should be completed over a one year period. The committee should be formed and surveys created in the fourth quarter of the school year to be distributed in the first quarter of the following school year. Over the summer, community members should be contacted and current technology evaluated. Evaluation of the plan should happen at all steps along the way during the 4 year implementation of the plan.
- 23. REFERENCES ----. (2005, June 13). Poway High School Technology Use Plan 2005-2008. Poway Unified School District. Retrieved July 08, 2010, from http://www.powayusd.com/pusdphs/CAMPUS/Tech_Use_Plan_2005-2008.pdf ----. (2006, June 25). District 225 Technology Plan for FY 2006-2009. Glenbrook High Schools. Retrieved July 08, 2010, from http://www.glenbrook225.org/informationservices/Documents/TechPlan/DistTechPlan.pdf Anderson, L. (1999). Guidebook for Developing an Effective instructional Technology Plan. National Center for Technology Planning. Retrieved July 07, 2010, from http://edtech.mrooms.org/file.php/145/Guidebook35.pdf Blakesley, K. (2010, March 24). Developing a Solid Educational Technology Plan. Associated Content from Yahoo. Retrieved July 08, 2010, from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2818548/developing_a_solid_educational_tech nology_pg2.html?cat=4 McKenzie, J. (2001, March). How Teachers Learn Technology Best. From Now On The Educational Technology Journal. Retrieved July 09, 2010, from http://fno.org/mar01/howlearn.html November, A., & Staudt, C. (1996). Critical Issue: Developing a School or District Technology Plan. North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. Retrieved July 07, 2010, from http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/technlgy/te300.htm