Junior High- Lindsey Pippen

1. How did the plan meet the existing needs in technology, funding, and management issues?

“A district technology plan should focus on integrating technology into the teaching and learning process to transform the way teachers teach and students learn” (Missouri, 2011).

Technology

My plan meets the needs of technology because it allows for upgrading all existing technologies. Also, the plan allows for teachers of core subjects to become familiar with using programs, such as Eduphoria, that allow for data analysis. The 2010 Progress Report on the Long Range Plan said,

"the majority of Texas public school districts take advantage of the purchasing power of the Texas Education Telecommunications Network (TETN) to procure broadband services through their local regional education service center. By providing broadband connections between service centers utilizing the LEARN network, regional service centers can eliminate redundant connections and be able to plan collaborative projects that utilize the greater bandwidth and that will result in the exponential growth of network usage in the schools" (TEA, 2012).

Funding

My plan allows for the technology director or facilitator to find funding for the district’s technology. Our district really watches what we spend money on. For the 2009-2010 school year we received a financial rating of Superior Achievement (TEA, 2012). A large majority of the money goes toward software packages that are suppose to help faculty and staff. They will be responsible for applying for the Erate rebate and other grants. They will also be responsible for finding ways to get rid of old equipment that might bring in additional funds.

Management

Teachers know they need to use more technology in the classroom, but they do not want to attend trainings. Teachers and administrators are required to attend trainings throughout the year and summer to become more comfortable and familiar with technology.

2. How did the goals provide the measurable outcomes for future improvement?

The goals were set with attainability in mind, which is one aspect of smart goal setting (Connolly, 2012). A technology plan is created as a working document, so goals can be reached or reworked in order for them to be reached. My plan has that capability. Our technology director sets goals that can be met at various times throughout the school year. Another part of creating smart goals is making sure you have a time table set in order to meet your goals.  (Connolly, 2012).

3. How did the strategies defined to meet the proposed objectives?

Connally ISD works very hard to make sure the objectives are met. The strategies of the district meet the objectives because they were created with the objectives in mind. The district technology department works closely with each campus and administrator in the district to keep the strategies going strong, so the objectives get met. The technology coordinator sends out a questionnaire to teachers and administrators once a six weeks to see how things are going on their campus in regards to technology and technology usage.

References

Connolly, M. (2012). Smart goals: 5 steps to smart goal setting. Retrieved April 14, 2012 from http://www.getorganizedwizard.com/blog/2009/02/smart-goals-5-steps-to-smart-goal-setting-with-free-goal-planner-template/

Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. (2011, September 16). Six step process in creating a technology plan. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from http://dese.mo.gov/divimprove/instrtech/techplan/gettingstarted.htm

TEA. (2012). Long-range plan for technology, 2006-2020. Retrieved February 24, 2012 from
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/WorkArea/linkit.aspx?LinkIdentifier=id&ItemID=2147494561&libID=2147494558

TEA. (2012).Texas education agency: Financial integrity rating system of texas. Retrieved April 14, 2012 from http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index4.aspx?id=3864&menu_id=645