Introduction
In todays society, technology in schools cannot be ignored. Basic familiarity with
computers is no longer optional for high school graduates who wish to obtain satisfying
employment or who wish to do well in college. Furthermore, studies have shown that
students who use computer in classrooms and at home to help them complete their
homework develop better problem solving skills and writing ability than their
counterparts who do not use computers. Parents, teachers, administrators, and community
leaders view technology as a critical component of the educational system and expect
schools to implement effective technology programs (Rockman, 1998).
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On a more practical level, schools that wish to reap the benefits of the "E-rate", discounts
on Internet and telecommunications services made available through the Federal
Telecommunications Act of 1996, are required to show that they have a viable
technology plan (Kimball, 1997).
Although an effective technology plan should be tailored to the needs of individual
school districts, there are seven areas that should be addressed in all technology plans, to
ensure that the technology implemented will effectively promote the learning process.
We will address these seven areas in this document:
any previous negative experiences the schools have had with technology.
the attitude of the instructional staff towards technology. How they feel will set
the approach of the plan. A staff that feels positively about technology will be
willing to jump on board to support daring and even costly ideas, while a more
subdued staff would be more comfortable with a more conservative plan.
In assessing attitudes, it is important to get a representative sampling. Talk to the
"nay sayers" in addition to those who are gung-ho and already on-board with you.
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1. Selecting the members. The assessment will help to identify the members of the
planning team. No matter what planning strategy is used, it is important that the
planning team be representative of all its constituents, the teachers, parents,
administrators, business and civic leaders, and not to be forgotten, the students.
Involve all stakeholders. This will not only create a forum in which a diversity of
views will be exchanged, but more importantly, this will help to give the plan the
broad-based support that may be critical in getting it accepted and implemented.
2. Choosing the Leader. In addition to the ability to work well with and to motivate
others, the leader you select into your technology planning team should:
Keep on Track
1. Develop a technology vision statement. The vision statement can help to provide
direction to the members of the planning team. It is important that the vision statement
not only set the direction the plan will be taking, but it should also provide information
about the assumptions and principles underlying the vision. Context, which can include
the nature of learning and teaching within the learning environment, the role of
technology and the basic needs which need to be met for a successful program, is
necessary to ground the idealism of the vision. And no matter what the vision, it is
important that the vision of the technology plan be in sync with the vision and mission
statements of the schools.
2. Set a Time line. No matter what the planning strategy, a time line is necessary to ensure
that the plan is progressing in the right direction. Setting goals and measurable objectives
can be a part of this process.
3. Benchmark the current status. The status of technology equipment, media resources,
application software, information access, and staff expertise should all be noted so that
there will be something to measure against.
Summary
Laying the Groundwork is the most important part of the technology planning because
everything that follows will be shaped by it. Since the assessment determines the needs of
the schools and sets the limits of the planning, it must accurately reflect the environment.
The assessment also identifies the stakeholders and the constituents and so is crucial to
the selection of the members of the planning team. It is also important to make sure that
your team is making the progress it should be, and in the proper direction; therefore it is
important to have both a technology vision statement and a timeline with benchmarks.
Source: http://library2.csudh.edu/tboostrom/grouppap.html
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Funding
1. Set a Budget. A budget should be created immediately, even if funding is still
unavailable. A budget will serve to inform the planning team as to what is realistic and
what is outside the realm of possibility. It serves as an economic check. On a practical
level, it makes it easier to apply for grant opportunities quickly, as they appear.
2. Getting Funds. The environmental assessment should guide the planning team in
deciding what strategy to use to get funds. The demographic makeup of the community,
the number of businesses in the community, the income base within the community, all
these factors should be considered in deciding how to get funding. In addition, database
vendors such as DIALOG provide access to directories that provide descriptions of grant
makers, foundations, and corporations who offer grant opportunities. Having at least one
member on your
planning who is familiar with database searching techniques could pay off.
Networking/ Infrastructure
We named our presentation "Managing Chaos" to express the unpredictable nature of
technology planning. Networking/ infrastructure planning can be fairly described as on
the chaotic side of chaos. Networks are not new in themselvesthe first major national
network, the telegraph, made its debut well over a century agobut computer
networking and its planning in schools is an infant among technology planning toddlers.
Infrastructure planning has a longer planning history, but both fields exist in a state of
flux. Paradoxically, the foundations of most computer wide area networks (WANs) and
local area networks (LANs) rely upon telephone networks based on technology only
slightly younger that that of the venerable telegraph. Most data, including data carried
through the Internet, still are carried on RS-232 gauge (a long-standing standard) twisted
copper wire to a local telephone central office within three miles of the point of presence
of the data. These practices were developed decades ago, but are still relevant and
effective today. Digital transmission is made possible through fairly simple use of digitalto-analog converters such as modems All-digital fiber optic and dedicated phone lines are
growing in use, but the classic international phone network is still dominant. For both
networking and infrastructure planning, new is not necessarily synonymous with better,
and the latest technology is not always the best fit for the needs of your school. Approach
networking and infrastructure planning with caution, but do not passively accede your
decision-making power in the face of technological complexity.
The terminology surrounding networking and infrastructurethe multiplicity of quickly
developing standards, protocols, and specificationsis arcane and complex, but the
concrete needs of the school are understood better by its school administrators than by
any technical consultant. Ultimately, networking and infrastructure planning centrally
concerns your employees, students, and their information culture. The technology should
be secondary, built around the standard practices of your institution, not over them.
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by potential users can inform the designers to user reaction, and possibly educate
designers to ways of unintended use or non-use by the potential users. User surveys and
focus groups can also help network designers and information systems personnel
understand the potential reaction of the information cultures of the institution.
Source: http://library2.csudh.edu/tboostrom/grouppap.html
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Source: http://library2.csudh.edu/tboostrom/grouppap.html
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Summary
Despite the uncertainty surrounding network and infrastructure planning for secondary
schools, the real specialists are the people in the trenches. Each networking/ infrastructure
planning challenge is unique to each school district. The experiences of other school
districts can be informative, but there are no off the shelf answers. Only you can answer
the question, "what does the school, and those composing the school, need?" We can only
provide you with some pertinent questions to ask on the way to completion of the
networking/ infrastructure element within your technology plan. Look at the element
through the different prisms of flexibility, integration, clarity of standards, and centrality
of the users. Some of these views may seem in opposition to each other, but the tension
between them can bring forth a well-developed infrastructure/ networking element.
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development activities. It is important that funds be set aside to support those that might
not otherwise have time to participate, such as having substitute teachers available so that
the class is not left without a teacher.
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increase the comfort level of the participants. Hiring district personnel might also be cost
effective compared to hosting outside personnel.
Curriculum Integration
One main area to think about when developing your technology plan is how technology
can best be used to enhance the curriculum of your schools. Emerging technologies such
as videodiscs, CD-ROMs, and the Internet provide a wide array of resources that teachers
Source: http://library2.csudh.edu/tboostrom/grouppap.html
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can draw upon to enhance and invigorate classroom instruction. Technology can be used
to either enhance or transform the current curriculumthat is a decision that should be
made by all the districts stakeholders before curriculum changes occur.
Teacher Education
A key consideration to take into account when thinking about the process of infusing
technology into the curriculum is teacher education. Teacher education is essential and
critical in successfully implementing the use of technology in the classroom.
Unfortunately, very few teachers have formal training in educational technology
and many states do not require teacher education students to take educational technology
courses. Teacher education can include training teachers how to use different forms of
technology and about basic technology lesson planning concepts that will enable them to
enhance classroom instruction. It is optimal to think of this as a continual process, one
which develops as your systems develops and technology advances. Several factors you
might want to think about when designing a teacher education program are:
assessing the current skill level of teachers and their level of comfort with new
forms of technology
bringing those teachers that are not comfortable with technology up to speed
computers and other technology media can be used to present traditional subject
matter in a new, visual, and interactive way, thereby enhancing learning
a key question for teachers to ask is: "What am I teaching now that can be taught
more effectively and efficiently with this particular tool?"
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students can be encouraged to think about how technology affects us, our daily
lives, our society. other issues might include the evolution of technology, its
history, and its possibilities
students can also be encouraged to think critically about the issue of technology
encouraging them to pursue their own projects and use the technology for
assignments allows them to take initiative
the classroom use of technology gives them the opportunity to improve their
computer skills
the workplace that they enter will demand a higher level of technological skill;
this classroom experience can prepare them for this both mentally and physically
Suggestions
Some suggestions for successfully combining technology with curriculum are:
listserve discussions
in-class publishing and revision of documents (learning about the writing process)
distance learning (for both students and teachers)
research
team teaching
Ethics
Ethical issues are important to consider from the very beginning. These issues are often
overlooked as an integral part of the planning process. Because of the fast pace of
technological change, ethical issues may arise that affect administrators, teachers, and
students. For example, students might think twice about plagiarizing from a book, but
might not when it comes to information obtained from a web site. All stakeholders should
discuss the ethical dilemmas that arise when technological tools are applied in schools.
Although debating about these issues can be heated and time-consuming, the district will
in the long run benefit from such foresight. It might be helpful to brainstorm a list of
foreseen ethical issues and discuss how these issues should be dealt with by
administrators and teachers and how these issues can be addressed in the classroom.
Issues
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Some key ethical issues you might want to address and suggestions on how to address
them are:
licensure agreements and copyright laws are important to take into account when
considering software use and the use of other media such as video
an assessment of district and community values can be done when thinking about
Internet use
developing an Internet policy involving staff, students, and parents will help
define the way the Internet can be used in schools
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Anderson, Larry S. and John F. Perry, Jr. "Technology Planning: Recipe for Success."
http://www.nctp.com/tp.recipe.html (published March 1994, last checked 13 May 1999).
Bailey, Gerald D. "What Technology Leaders Need to Know: The Essential Top 10 Concepts for
Technology Integration in the 21st Century." Learning and Leading with Technology 25, no. 1 (1997): 5762.
Brody, Philip J. Technology Planning and Management Handbook: A Guide for School District
Educational Technology Leaders. Englewood Cliffs: Educational Technology Publications, Inc., 1995.
California Department of Education. K-12 Network Technology Planning Guide. Sacramento: California
Department of Education, 1994.
Dyrli, Odvard Egil, and Daniel E. Kinnaman. "Districtwide Technology Planning: the Key to Long-Term
Success." Technology and Learning 14, no.7 (1994): 50-56.
ETS Research. Computers and Classrooms: The Status of Technology in U.S. Schools.
http://www.ets.org/research/pic/cc-sum.html (last checked 18 May 1999).
Kimball, Chip, and Peter H.R. Sibley. "Am I on the Mark? Technology Planning for the E-Rate." Learning
and Leading with Technology 25, no.4 (1997-98): 52-57.
McKenzie, Jamieson A. Selecting, Managing, and Marketing Technologies. Newbury Park: Sage
Publications Co., 1993.
Sydow, James A., and Clark M. Kirkpatrick. "Inject Reality into Your Technology Planning." The School
Administrator, April 1992, 31-33.
Further Recommended Readings
Davenport, Thomas H. "Saving ITs Soul: Human-Centered Information Management," Harvard Business
Review, March-April 1994, pgs. 119-131.
Source: http://library2.csudh.edu/tboostrom/grouppap.html