Technology Plans

1
Technology Plans

• Dana Hyrkas
• Arkansas Department of Education
• March 2003

2
Overview

• Review Requirements
• Clarify Meanings
• How Technology Plans fit into the Erate NCLB
• Review Approval Process

3
Purpose of Planning Ahead

• To know where youve come from
• To know where youre headed
• To know how youre going to get there
• Goals will never be successfully met without well
  laid plans

4
Technology Plans? Why?

• Districts must have a technology plan that meets
  federal guidelines to receive money for federal
  programs.
• Pre-planning helps districts to improve their
  technology programs.
• Districts with plans are more successful at
  receiving grants.

5
Successful Planning

• Leadership
• Research
• Committee of Stakeholders
• Establish priorities/goals
• Student Achievement
• Professional Development
• Evaluate
• Effectiveness of plan
• Impact of technology on teaching learning

6
It Takes Collaboration

• Partnerships with business industry
• Adult literacy providers
• Other schools
• After school programs
• Libraries community organizations

7
Outstanding Plans Include

• A philosophy that technology supports instruction
  motivates students to continually gain
  knowledge acquire skills
• Provisions for initial/continual professional
  development for all personnel
• Skills that are defined for all students, with
  strategies that are integrated into the
  curriculum so that the skills are achieved
• Technology designed to improve both the quality
  of curriculum available to students and the
  instructional methods used to teach them

8

• Technology Plans Are Not
• Long hardware wish lists
• A technology filing cabinet
• A cookie-cutter look alike to plans from other
  districts
• Technology Plans Are
• Short and clear with a message to stakeholders on
  what the district is doing in terms of
  integrating technology into the curriculum and
  what technology projects are being planned over
  the next three years
• Specific to your own districts needs and goals
• Written to inform stakeholders of the districts
  technology status plans for improvement, so the
  plan SHOULD be written in terms easy to understand

9
Planning to Plan

• Follow the requirements
• Know what they are before you start
• Think about the process outcomes
• Learn from others
• Web research
• listserves

10
Why Now?

• Plan to Cover the Years of
• 2003-2004 2004-2005 2005-2006
• Plans are to cover school years from July 1
  June 30
• Must be approved before July 1 and be approved by
  the time you file the Erate Form 486
• Getting Caught Up

11
Basic Technology Plan Elements

• Clear Goals Realistic Strategies
• Vision, Mission, Goals
• Professional Development
• Technology Assessment
• Infrastructure
• Technical Support
• Supporting Resources

12
Elements Cont.

• Budget
• Projected Total Cost
• Sources of Funds
• Evaluation
• School Improvement Tie-In
• Curriculum Integration
• Coordination of Resources
• Student Achievement
• Acceptable Use Policy

13
Tech Plan Template

• A Template is like a guide/outline
• It can be used/changed as needed
• Must Submit the following forms
• Technology Plan Submission Form
• Statement of Assurances
• http//www.asl.lib.ar.us/arerate/edtechplans.htm
• Lets take a look . . .

14
Tech Plan Template

• Informational Cover Letter
• Submission Form
• Table of Contents
• See also Tech Plan Checklist Handout
• District Demographics
• History of district
• History of technology in district
• Demographics of district
• Description of the district schools in district

15
Technology Committee

• Includes Stakeholders
• Anyone who will be effected by the plan has a
  share or interest in the plan
• Stakeholders Committee Members
• Administrators
• Teachers/faculty
• Students
• Parents
• Community Members

16
Vision Mission

• Vision
• Expresses thoughts about what the future
  educational environment should look like, in
  terms of technology
• Mission
• General description of plans for promoting the
  effective use of technology to improve student
  performance
• Evaluate previous vision/mission statements
• May or May not need to change them
• Goals
• Broad steps to take to reach the mission
• Action Plans (goals)
• Specific steps to take to reach the broad goals

17
Technology Assessment

• Assess districts current state of technology
• Examine where youve come from, where you are,
  where youre going
• Narratives that summarizes these finding

18
Technology Assessment

• Curriculum Integration
• A summary of how technology is/will be integrated
  into the curriculum with the purpose of improving
  teaching learning.

• Professional Development
• A summary of what professional development
  is/will be provided to faculty with the purpose
  of improving teaching learning and description
  of measures used to determine technology levels
  of staff (surveys, etc)

19
Curriculum Integration
ISTE National Educational Technology
Standards Students Teachers Administrators
Arkansas Curriculum Standards

http//iste.org/standards/
20
Professional Development

• Arkansas School Board
• 6 hours of technology professional development
  per year
• To ensure that teachers are proficient in
• Basic technology applications
• Integrating technology instructional strategies
• Use of Teacher Needs Surveys
• ISTE NETS for Teachers
• ISTE NETS for Administrators
• Provided by
• District, Cooperative, Organizations

21
Technology AssessmentInfrastructure
Telecommunications

• Infrastructure Unites
• Administrative Offices
• School-wide accountability reporting
• Technology Labs
• Multi-media learning tools
• Classroom Computers
• Global learning communities
• Community Resource Center
• Parent/family collaboration
• Business partnerships

• Infrastructure Components
• Space
• Lighting
• Power
• Furniture
• Storage
• Security
• Internet

• Bandwidth
• Connectivity
• Security
• Wiring
• Wiring closets
• Conduits
• Flooring

22
Technology AssessmentInfrastructure
Telecommunications

• Description of technology infrastructure of
  district Wan/Lan, Internet connectivity,
  number/types of servers
• Is the present infrastructure effective, or do
  changes need to take place?
• How has E-rate allowed the district to improve
  its technology infrastructure
• Schematic maps can be very helpful

23
Technology Assessment

• Equitable Use of Technology
• Description of availability of technology to
  students/staff.
• Description of assistive technology tools
  provided to students/staff in need

• Technology Inventory
• Description of how technology is inventoried
• Inventory summary by school
• Number/type computers
• Numbers/type of printers
• Number of rooms wired for Internet
• Number of phone instruments, lines, fax machines
• Number/type of satellite systems/equipment
• Network systems/equipment
• Software/Hardware
• DO NOT SEND SCHOOL WIDE INVENTORY SHEETS

24
Assessment Review

• Remember to look to the past, present, and future
• Inventory Need to know what you have at each
  location to ensure that it is being used
  appropriately
• Inventory Need to know what is needed for
  projects so you can plan future purchases
• Infrastructure Need to know how technology
  unites the district provides connectivity

25
Action Plan ImplementationSchool Consolidation
Improvement Plan

• To show how technology is used to support your
  districts ASCIP goals
• Print a district report using Technology
  Inclusion
• Attach to plan
• If District ASCIP is large, choose best examples
  to include
• Especially those that may use E-rate, state, or
  federal funds to implement

26
Action Plan ImplementationTechnology Goals
Action Plans

• May use Action Plan Template
• Each section of template is specific to that
  action
• To help plan for goals/projects that are not
  listed in the ASCIP
• Upgrading equipment
• Installing new computer/distance learning labs,
  other equipment
• Implementing Software programs
• Wiring of new buildings, etc.
• Should plan projects for next three years
• Same strategies as if planning to purchase a
  house in the next two years, you begin planning
  now

27
Action Plan Implementation

• Time Line
• Time line for implementing the strategic
  long-range plan in schools
• Optional
• Helps to outline on one page what will be done in
  the future
• Becomes a check off list of projects completed
• Helps to make sure schedule is kept

• Narrative
• Briefly summarizes goals and action plans in a
  narrative form
• Helps reviewers stakeholders to understand
  actions

28
Technology Budget

• Plan MUST include budget needed to
  acquire/maintain projects/actions in plan
• Budget should reflect
• Cost of networking
• Cost of equipment services
• Cost of Staff
• Cost of professional development
• Cost of support maintenance
• Cost of software license fees, etc.

29
Sources of Funds

• Grants
• State or Federal, Foundations
• E-rate
• Donations
• Community Volunteers
• Partnerships

30
Funding Guidelines

• Establish spending guidelines
• Example
• 35 to HW/OS/Upgrades
• 20 to Staff Development
• 20 to SW/Upgrades
• 15 to Infrastructure
• 10 to HW/SW Support

31
More on Budget

• Narrative helps stakeholders to understand where
  money is coming from how it will be spent -
  summary
• Spreadsheet is a sample only
• It can be modified as needed
• It lists items to be considered for budget
• Budget should cover
• 2003-2004, 2004-2005, 2005-2006
• Can base future costs on previous expenses
  guestimates,

32
And More . . .

• Technology initiatives (action plans) are
  budgeted adequately funded
• Multiple funding options for funding is evident
• A minimum of 20 is dedicated to professional
  development
• Budget provides for continual assessment
  upgrades of equipment

33
Evaluation is

• A systematic evaluation process in which
  questions are asked to determine if the plan has
  been successful
• A method for finding answers to those questions
• Plan to collect data review it
• Must go beyond just counting hardware software

34
Evaluation

• Monitor the implementation
• Use multiple methods to collect data
• Surveys, checklists, observation forms, test
  scores, anecdotes
• Use Monitoring tools to gather information about
  the implementation
• Determine why things were/were not completed
• Summarize and act upon the findings

35
Evaluation, Cont.

• Determine the Impact
• Implement the assessment component of the
  evaluation plan
• Determine which factors contributed to successful
  outcomes
• Be alert to unanticipated outcomes
• Summarize disseminate the findings

36
Evaluation Results

• Comprehensive reports by district, school,
  project
• Understand current status of technology
• Determine areas of strength weakness in
  existing program
• Develop goals based on needs
• Establish baseline for next round of assessment
• Place to start plan revision

37
Acceptable Use Policy

• Provide a copy with your plan
• Elements
• Access by minors to inappropriate material on
  Internet WWW
• Safety security of minors when using email,
  chat, etc.
• Unauthorized access, hacking by minors
• Unauthorized disclosure, use, dissemination of
  personal identification
• Measures designed to restrict minors access to
  harmful materials
• http//www.netc.org/tech_plans/aup.html

38
Statement of Assurances

• MUST be submitted for plan approval
• Includes signatures of
• School Board President
• Superintendent
• Technology Coordinator, Director
• Include contact information

39
NCLB Tech Plans

• Follow along with handout
• Curriculum
• Professional Development
• Infrastructure, Hardware, Tech Support
• Funding Budget
• Monitoring Evaluation

40
Technology Planning Resources

• Arkansas Template, Checklist, NCLB Chart
• http//www.asl.lib.ar.us/arerate/edtechplans.htm
• Information on tech plan development, AR
• http//arkedu.state.ar.us/ade-guide/
• National Center for Tech Planning
• www.nctp.com
• Other Planning Guides
• www.wested.org/tie/techplan/
• www.swcouncil.org/switch2.stm
• www.ncrel.org/tandl/homepg.htm
• http//www.ties.k12.mn.us/techplan

41
Approval Process

• Review Committee
• Review Checklist
• Final Review
• Review Letters Sent
• Plan Approved
• Plan Needs Modifications
• Modifications allowed
• There Will Not Be Any Rejections
• Certification Sent

42
Last Thoughts

• Narratives are written to help stakeholders
  reviews to understand the plan
• Not to provide you with more work -)
• Provide a copy of the plan to the School Board,
  superintendent, each principal, each committee
  member, PTA/PTO president, other stakeholders
• Provide students/parents/community with access to
  the plan

43
Contact

• Dana Hyrkas
• 8221 Ranch Blvd, Little Rock, AR 72223
• 501.682.1287
• dmhyrkas_at_arkedu.k12.ar.us
• Due By Date April 15th, 2003
• Mail one (1) copy to the above address
• Keep the original