My school division is developing a technology plan for students, teacher and administrators. Up to now we have operated without any formal direction and lots of technology. We are considered a technology rich district. Our school division is investing great sums of money in hardware for schools and teachers. Each elementary school in the division has two media carts complete with ten MacBooks, data projector, airport, digital cameras, digital video cameras, digital microscope (which I never remember we have) and a music keyboard. Teachers and students also have iMacs and eMacs in their classrooms. As well, each teacher in the division has been given a laptop for their use. The problem is that with all of this available technology we do not really have any formal plan about integrating the technology into our daily teaching.
Last November interested teachers and administrators were asked to submit applications to become part of the technology concept planning group. We met twice prior to Christmas to discuss wants, needs and dreams. After Christmas we were sent a goal document composed by one of our superintendents and our IT manager. We were asked to edit and revisie the document prior to sending to our board of trustees. The trustees approved the draft document and asked for specific outcomes. The planning group was asked to add details to each goal that would be developed into a more detailed document. So, that is where we are at. I am not sure what the next step is but I am looking forward to working on the plan.
If you were able to list ideas that would comprise a perfect technology plan for your school district what would you add?
11 responses so far ↓
llabesab // February 17, 2009 at 7:40 am
The problem with “Technology Plans” is that technology is a mechanical tool–like a typewriter–you can do things with it. But a “typewriter”, or a “word-processing tool” is useless unless the user can “think” and can express himself.
When are our schools going to spend millions on actually teaching students to think; to think things through; to understand philosophy; to put more than two words together?
But in view of the fact that the average teacher in the USA graduated in the bottom third of his/her college class and scored at least 20% lower on SAT’s than the average college population–what can you expect.
At best, the average teacher’s vocabulary consists of such words as:
“…Tenure- Step-Raises-Prep Periods-Free Parking-Subsidized Luncheons-Collegiality-Sabbaticals-No Testing-No Accountability-Uniform Pay Grades-Early Retirement-Summers off.”
Which is why when 10,000 US High School Seniors were matched against similar numbers in other Developed Countries, we ended up second from the bottom. But, Ola!! We did edge out Mexico–and I do mean edge out. The Belgian students, upon reviewing the testing scores, were heard to remark how stupid were the Americans.
Joanna Sanders Bobiash // February 17, 2009 at 8:50 am
I think that our Board has been very generous in providing hardware and ensuring all schools have access to technology. What it is lacking is the professional development required for educators to use the technology in a meaningful way. If we want our teachers to collaborate and teach literacy and numeracy skills using project-based learning and peer collaboration, we need to give them the PD to do so.
Teachers and schools need to be given time and support to collaborate on projects and to hold intensive skill based workshops that allow for collaborative planning and the set-up of these projects. If we don’t guide and show teachers how to incorporate technology into their teaching, the average teacher is just going to see it as an added burden that they are suppose to deal with in addition to the curriculum they have to teach instead of an integral tool used to teach the curriculum.
I think any Technology Plan has to include significant and intensive PD time for teachers to meet its goals. The Board may have to pick and choose schools or willing groups of teachers who are willing to put in the work to collaborate to start with in the first year and then build on the model for following years. Not knowing what the actual goals are in the plan makes it difficult to come up with specific outcomes. I look forward to hearing what your group comes up with.
wmchamberlain // February 17, 2009 at 10:25 am
I am on our district’s tech committee, and I understand your concern about finding a way to integrate the technology into teaching. I think that the best way is to inservice, inservice, inservice. If your district really emphasizes using the tech, you might have a chance.
Just remember, don’t emphasize the tech for its own sake. It is a tool like books, pencil, or paper. It should be used when it makes sense, not because you have it in the room.
Ben Grey // February 17, 2009 at 10:38 am
Kimberly,
I’m the Instructional Technology Coordinator for a school district in the Chicago suburbs. We’re embarking on this very process this year.
The state of IL actually requires us to submit a tech plan in order to receive eRate funding. However, many times these plans are very focused on specific acquisitions and access to the technology, rather than providing an overall vision for technology implementation and resulting impact on student learning.
We’ve submitted our state plan, but now we’re working on something new. I’m actually quite excited about it. We’re basing our plan on what we’re calling “Foundational Learning Skills”. We culled a list of what we felt were the most important learning skills for our students to engage. We used the NETS, Blooms digital taxonomy, ALA, and others to determine our list of skills. We then had our committee, which is comprised of 55 individuals representing administrators, community members, teachers, librarians, tech staff, and support staff, choose the top 5 to focus on for the immediate future.
We selected collaboration, communication, ethical behavior, critical thinking, and problem solving. We are now working to create three specific, technology-rich learning experiences for each of the 5 foundational skills. We’ll then create grade-level specific examples for K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and high school for each experience.
I’m sorry I’m going on forever about this, but it’s hard to explain in a comment. I’d be happy to share more with you if you are interested. Just drop me an email, use the contact form on my blog, or contact me via Twitter (bengrey).
Thanks for letting me ramble on. Obviously I’m pretty excited about this process.
Aurelio Montemayor // February 17, 2009 at 10:59 am
You need the overlap of several conversations: 1) what are the sound pedagogical, though current, cutting edge and carried out by classroom teachers who have integrated technology in their instruction.
have campus committee set up the milestones of progress; the indicators of use & impact that will allow the campus to measure it’s own movement toward a healthy incorporation of technology into teaching & learning.
2) What are the dreams, visions and hopes that the teachers could see become reality through the use of technology, internet connections and social media.
3) Small learning communities/peer professional communities/communities of practice are the planners and also the ones to carry on the innovations.
4) Interdisicplinary/project-learning pilots with willing teachers used to illustrate how technology can make these richer, allow for better documentation, accelerate learning, etc.
5) Technology is acquired as tools of learning and because the teachers/learners see the value rather than being the focus of the plan.
6)Strong rationale for each acquisition, which certainly can be spoken for by the experts & providers, but also emerging from the community these tools will serve.
7) allow for the most technologically experienced/geek users if they exist on campus, to become the leads for the innovations, but train them in the introduction and acceptance of an innovation…professional development should be personal/individual/handson and patient with the slowest adaptors on campus.
I’m just typing what’s on the top of my head from many experiences on many campuses and with grass roots organizations attempting to ingtegrate technology into their systemic regularity.
phew. mouthful, no?
Claire Thompson // February 17, 2009 at 11:21 am
Jeff Utecht has a great series of posts on developing a school technology plan that you may find helpful. Here is the link for the first in the series. I hope it is helpful!
Tom // February 17, 2009 at 6:51 pm
I’d focus on professional development and community relations. They tend to get overlooked in big plans like this. Hardware and software gets taken care of but figuring out how to use it and making sure your community sees the benefit is what will allow you to make bigger long term changes.
You get the teachers behind you with good PD (it is possible) and then the community behind you with good PR. If the community is backing you all sorts of interesting things become possible.
Tom // February 17, 2009 at 7:00 pm
BTW, what’s up with llabesab?
I’m pretty sure I don’t see Belgium doing much of anything despite the apparent arrogance of their students. It’s also crazy to compare a country that’s only about the size of NY City to the entire US. Which 10,000 students did they pick? What areas? What economic background? So many questions.
Sabbaticals? Really? Does that happen for k12 anywhere?
Seems like a lot of misplaced anger and English as a second language maybe. Ola?
kibrown // February 17, 2009 at 7:38 pm
I’m impressed with the comments and information that has been forwarded to me. All of the research that I’ve read on the subject of technology integration acknowledges that it can be difficult to successfully develop PD for teachers that is effective.
sjciske // February 18, 2009 at 8:18 am
got this topic to respond to from @courosa on Twitter!
My 2 cents worth is this. As one of the people in Wisconsin at the Dept of Public Instruction that reads/certifies tech plans for Erate, we have been training districts to look at their tech plan in the following light by having it answer the following question:
In what ways can your school/district technology and library media services and program increase student achievement?
This notion has the districts focus on area where their student need academic improvement or where they feel their curriculum needs help and applies the lens of school improvement using tech and library media services/programs.
This makes the plan about LEARNING supported by tech, etc….so tech and media programs and services are a component of the many things needed to address student achievement (PD, curriculum re-writing/reform, program changes, monetary support, etc…).
For many districts, they focus on a specific subject area or two over the course of a 3 year plan or on a grade level (elem, Middle or HS) or combination. IT depends on what their achievement and other needs assessment data tells them they need to work on.
I can explain more if you need but this approach is more broad based and tends to bring good teacher leaders who champion not just tech but other reforms/ideas to the table for planning.
tarebare // March 9, 2009 at 9:40 am
Your situation sounds overwhelming, but exciting at the same time. You have some great opportunities right there at your fingertips, but I see why you are frustrated. Without proper training, it sounds as if you are faced with a ‘blind leading the blind’ scenario.
For starters, I would check in with my students. What do they think?…want?… ideas? I would include them in the process, because they know more about many of the technologies available. I would encourage them to ask their friends from other schools what they sorts of technology based things are available and successful in their schools.
I would definitely get blogs started for classes, but try one at a time, so as not to increase your anxiety any further. Search for blogs of teachers with similar circumstances. You will find them extremely helpful. I think you will also find that over time this will all get easier.
Good luck & keep us posted! Get your students involved for sure… you’ll be glad you did!