1. How did the plan meet the existing needs in technology, funding, and management issues?
Technology – The existing plan called for ongoing professional development so that staff would be up to date on software used throughout the district. Every computer will go through a five year life cycle. The technology department will strive to respond to all IT service requests within 24 hours of them being sent. (Barnhart, 2012)
Funding - The current plans calls for the district to seek funding and equipment from outside sources through grants and donations. Stay up to date with E-rate funding. (Barnhart, 2012)
Management – The technology director will attend at least one conference a year in order to stay up to date with current technology trends. The district will use student management technology to improve efficiency. (Barnhart, 2012)
2. How did the goals provide the measurable outcomes for future improvement?
To evaluate the implementation of the present technology plan, the district will include an analysis of the extent to which the national technology goals for No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) and the goals of the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology have been delivered through the plan. The plan will be evaluated twice a year. The Technology Director will evaluate the plan through both formal and informal surveys and results will be communicated and discussed at the meetings with the technology advisory committee. The meetings will be in November and March. Findings will be distributed and communicated via email to the rest of the district staff. (Barnhart, 2012)
3. How did the strategies defined to meet the proposed objectives?
The strategies give a step-by-step plan to implement in order for the goals to be met.
"Technology plans provide a systemic framework to coordinate efforts and assist districts in achieving their vision or something far beyond today's imagination through 'stretch' goal." (Vojtek, 1998)
R. Barnhart, AISD, Technology Director, Personal Communication, 2012
Voitek, R., & O'Brien, R. (1998). Start with a good plan to achieve your vision. Journal of Staff Development, 19(2), 59-61. Retrieved April 15, 2012 , from the Academic Journal Search database.
The three steps to a successful Technology Plan are (ICS, 2012):
ReplyDeletePeople. Any piece of technology is useless if you don’t have the right staff using it, guiding it, and maintaining it. Obviously, this is where your IT partner might come into the picture, but also applies to your own team. Do they know what your technology is for, and the right ways to use it?
Processes. In the same way, technology has to be more than a collection of equipment – you need a plan to make it work for you if you’re going to meet your bottom-line goals. In the IT world, we call these processes, and they can spell out everything from what to do when your e-mail isn’t working correctly to the right steps to take in the event that your office is flooded and all of your on-site technology is destroyed. These processes are important, since they make your technology a tool, rather than just another expense.
Technology. Of course, you have to have the technology itself, in the form of computers, servers, software, etc. Even this isn’t as straightforward as most people tend to think, however; it isn’t just a case of always needing to have the latest and greatest thing, or the most expensive. In fact, a good IT partner can often help you find technology that is reliable and cost-effective without stretching your budget.
Reference:
ICS, (2012). The three parts of any successful technology plan. Retrieved (2012, April 16) from http://www.irvineconsulting.com/the-three-parts-of-any-successful-technology-plan/
So true! An equel proportion of each of each make for a successful program. The trick is getting it!!!
DeleteLaura,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad your plan was step-by-step. I would have assumed that ours was in Cy-Fair ISD, being such a large district, but upon inspection, the strategies were vague and unclear in how they should be accomplished. I think the ISD is trying to do too much at once!
That is usually how it works. The plans either over do it or under do it. There never seems to be a perfect fix.
Delete