1. Describe the purposes for and various.
Roles of a Technology Coordinator/Facilitator
A district technology plan should focus on integrating technology into the teaching and learning process to transform the way teachers teach and students learn.
A planning committee is critical to the success of any technology plan. The committee should include expertise in planning, building a vision, needs assessment, curriculum and instruction, evaluation, goal setting, professional development, technology hardware, support and integration, media/marketing, and financial planning.
The areas of expertise
are embedded in the five Technology Focus Areas (TFAs):
1.
Student Learning
(includes technology skills)
2.
Teacher Preparation
and Delivery of Instruction
3.
Administration / Data
Management / Communication Processes
4.
Resource Distribution
and Use
5.
Technical Support
(Frazier & Bailey, 2004, p.
6)2. Describe your instruments used in a formative evaluation.
In
content terms, technology planning and policies should address three major
areas: vision, access, and integration. In
terms of process, policies represent relative end states that begin with theadoption
of a technology plan. This in turn involves a series of steps, ranging from
the
determination of needs, the involvement of stakeholders, and the ratification
of a
document, to the implementation, evaluation, and revision of the plan. Assessing plans and policies involves
evaluating the content of plans and documenting the existence of policies, as
well as assessing the process of plan development and implementation.
Major plan components can include:
❚
review of technology status, needs assessment, and other pre-planning products
❚
vision/goal statements
❚
equity issues
❚
instructional uses of technology
INDICATORS
Pre-planning
phase
completed or under way
Major
plan components
Plan
approval
Funding
support
Stages of
the pre-planning phase completed.
The major
planning components are present.
Components
of the plan.
The
technology plan is approved.
Percentage
of total technology plan budget that has funds committed to its support.
Percentage
of the plan federally funded.
Percentage
of the plan state funded.
Percentage
of the plan funded through other (local or private)sources.14
TECHNOLOGY
IN SCHOOLS
❚
student technology standards
❚
staff technology standards
❚
integration into core curriculum
❚
pilot program and action research
❚
management uses of technology
❚
student information systems
❚
infrastructure and support for infrastructure, includingsuch facilities-related
needs as air conditioning/cooling and asbestos abatement
❚
review of current “state of the art” for options in design of infrastructure
❚
capabilities of hardware and software, projections of “next generation”
capabilities and features
❚
acceptance and management of donated computing resources
❚
long-range goals
❚
inventory control issues, such as maintenance and replacement cycle
❚
budget projections and funding sources for initial installation, hardware, and
software
❚
staff training programs
❚
benchmarking standards
❚
quality control components
❚
security planning
There are
potential components of a technology plan that can overlap with a school or
district’s facilities plan, such as network installation costs, including
electrical wiring, maintenance and expansion. Technology planners and
administrators will most likely want to decide in the pre-planning phase where
to deal with facilities issues and related budgeting.
It is
important to remember that technology or parts of the plan that are not implemented
should not be considered failures. Implementing new technology can be a
daunting undertaking and flexibility is needed for any change process. For this
reason, evaluation in a variety of formats is critical in objectively
determining what is working and what needs more attention.
INDICATORS
Evidence
of evaluation
A review
cycle (including timelines and reporting) is implemented.
There is
a provision for revision of the plan.
The
review is detailed in a report.
The
report is readily available to the school and community.
The
technology plan has been changed on the basis of the
most
recent evaluation review.
Components
of the review cycle.
The plan
is achieving its goals.
As we
embark on our journey to become the best technology facilitator, here are some
websites that may be useful to you.
Planning
tools
Guiding
Questions for Technology Planning, Version 1.0, Regional Technology
Education
Consortia (RTEC).
Learning
through Technology, A Planning and Implementation Guide, North
Central
Regional Educational Laboratory.
I found this formative evaluation on the following website http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/html/EDU0240a.html
The components look to be very detailed in determining the efficacy of a well designed technology plan. I think one of the greatest aspects of today’s technology is the opportunity to share information.
1)
Create Vision
2)
Involve Stakeholders
3)
Gather Data
4)
Review the research
5)
Integrate technology
into the curriculum
6)
Commit to professional
development
7)
Ensure a sound
infrastructure
8)
Allocate appropriate
funding and budget
9)
Plan for ongoing
assessment and monitoring
10)
Prepare for tomorrow
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/gform?key=0AnhyZeEuyZ6sdFp1UXhqZTk0VmptU04zdGVxTWxISHc&gridId=0#chart
References
Baker, E. L. & O'Neil, H. F. (Eds.). (1994). Technology Assessment in Education
and Training. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Retrieved April
9, 2012, from Questia database:
http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=13639211
Frazier, M., & Bailey, G. D. (2004). The Technology Coordinator's
Handbook. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.
Retrieved April 9, 2012, from Questia database:
http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=113454356
Oliver, J. (1997, April). 10 'Must Ask' Questions When
Developing a Technology Plan.School Administrator, 54, 26. Retrieved April 9,
2012, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5001627655
SchS Schmitt, C. (2002, November). NCES—Technology In
Schools. Retrieved from National Center for Education Statistics:
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2003/2003313.pdf
I really like the formative evalutation website you found! Do you feel that this sample would effectivly evaluate your technology plan? What would you change on it?
ReplyDeleteAshley, Honestly, I do not. I asked several people to evaluate the technology plan as you can see, however, I do not feel that there are too many who had actually ever even read the plan (and still may have not). One administrator said she could not evaluate something she helped create. I thought that was odd? Why would you want to make sure it was working? Thanks for you post. Carol
DeleteCarol, you might consider to not asking them to review the entire tech plan, but just the parts related to them. For example, teachers might be interested in the training goals, the administrators might be more focused on management...etc.
DeleteI like what you have written about the 10 steps for a successful technology plan, especially number 6, commit to professional development. I've never had any interest in becoming an administrator, but I really wonder why they don't see this as a top priority on campuses. How are we ever going to change and improve and integrate new ideas and technology if we aren't given to tools to do so? Great job!
ReplyDeleteCasey, I agree with both your statements. I never have had a desire to be an administrator either. Like, I realize how much we need technology professional development within our district. As a teacher I do not like to go to worthless professional development trainings all for the sake of having a training. It is especially necessary for teachers who have little or no training in technology. Thank you for your comment. Carol
DeleteCarol,
ReplyDeleteOnce again, thanks for the great post. I always feel like I learn so much from reading your posts.
I also really liked your top ten list. It is clean and simple yet very powerful because it provides direction for a very big purpose. Do you agree with the order that these steps are placed in? If you rearrange them in order of importance what would you place at the top?
Kristina,
DeleteThank you so much for the encouraging words. I looked back at the steps again and I'm not sure that I would change any. I thought about moving funding and budget planning up but sometimes I wonder if we would limit ourselves if we only considered how much we have to spend. I don't mean to sound like I don't think having a budget is important or necessary. I honestly think the present order of the list is pretty sound. What do you think? Thanks for your post. Carol
Carol,
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned that there needs to be a planning committee for the technology plan. When I attended a technology planning meeting earlier this semester, I found it interesting that everyone from principals, technology gurus, and teachers, to parents and students were on the committee.
Who (what positions) do you suggest be involved in the planning committee?
Kayla,
ReplyDeleteActually everyone you just mentioned is a part of our committee. Having different voices that represent different parts of the district are needed to successfully plan a technology plan. Thanks for your post. Carol