Elementary-Angela Ortiz- Wk 12 step 9

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

Link elementary school does not have a technology plan in place; however, my technology plan for Link elementary is based on the Spring ISD long-range technology plan 2011-2014.

Spring ISD technology plan identified the district needs through a comprehensive needs assessment, utilizing the campus and district Star charts, on-going participation in the Schlecty Group design, teachers surveys, inventories, and  feedback from campus technology representatives (Spring ISD Technology Plan, 2011).

District funding needs are met by seeking e-rate discounts and other funding sources (grants, donations, technology allotment). Funds are distributed for staff development, telecommunications and Internet access, materials and supplies, equipment, maintenance, and miscellaneous expenses.
Technology needs are met by providing the equipment to each school. The technology department is in charge of repairs and network issues when school request maintenance and technical support.
Management issues are met by the technology department and its instructional specialists designated to visit each campus when needed. My district provides staff development opportunities for teachers periodically.  Anderson (1999) states:

 A technology plan should be about people. What better use could we make of our planning documents than to take this opportunity to discover, develop, and champion the amazing resources and talents that lie within the people who surround the school, business, or other organization for whom we are developing this plan? As the written plan lists members of various committees, this is a marvelous opportunity for us to discuss the compilation of cooperative endeavors that emerge as people engage in meaningful, informed dialogue leading to significant, positive action for a technologically-enhanced learning environment (p. 3).

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

Every five years the district develops a long range planning document entitled, The Five-Year Education Plan for Spring ISD. This plan guides the district each year for the next five years as it plans to meet the needs identified in the document. The district also develops a yearly plan, based on the Five-Year plan, which enables the district to focus on an annual basis, on its stated goals and objectives. In this yearly plan, there are changes and modification to establish a feasible plan. The plan stresses the importance of ongoing and sustained staff development in the integration of technology into the curriculum for teachers, principals, administrators, and school library personnel to further the effective use of technology in the classroom and library media center. The plan is consistent with the recommendations for Local Education Agencies as defined by the Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology in the areas of Teaching and Learning, Educator Preparation and Development, Administration and Support Services, Infrastructure for Technology, and the e-rate applications guidelines and state standards (Spring ISD Technology Plan, 2011).

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

Each year, the Objectives and Strategies from the District Technology Plan are incorporated in the Technology section of the annual plan. There is an established monitoring process that requires district staff, specifically, the Director of Instructional Technology and the Director of Technology, to report on progress toward the plan’s stated goals in a quarterly review. In addition to this process, periodic status reports on the implementation of the technology plan are given to the Board of Trustees. Major changes to the plan, or mid-course corrections due to changes or improvements in technology, are discussed with the District Technology Committee, Executive Leadership Team and the Board Subcommittee on Technology. These changes are reflected in a shared computer document that is distributed to the District Technology Committee, the Curriculum and Instruction Directors and the Executive Leadership Team. Further, campus technology progress is evaluated based upon the technology objectives written in each annual Campus Improvement Plan. These campus objectives are written based upon the campus needs assessment and the goals and objectives of the District Technology Plan. They are reviewed semi-annually by the principal, the campus advisory committee and the Directors for Elementary and Secondary School Improvement (Spring ISD Technology Plan, 2011).

References

Anderson, L. (1999). Technology planning: It’s more than computers. National Center for Technology Planning. Retrieved April 16 from http://www.nctp.com/articles/tpmore.pdf

Spring ISD Technology Plan (2011 – 2014). Technology planning committee. Provided by K. Koop, Instructional Technology Specialist.