Technology Use Plan
Definition of Technology Use Plan
Research studies in education demonstrate that the use of technology (e.g., computers) can help improve students’ scores on standardized tests, improve students’ inventive thinking (e.g., problem solving), and improve students’ self-concept and motivation (Hew, 224). Therefore, a proper technology use plan is essential to a school’s effective use of technology. Regional Technology Education Consortia's (RTEC) Technology Plan Task Force states that "a technology plan serves as a bridge between traditional established standards and classroom practice. It organizes and integrates the content and methods of education in a particular discipline with applicable technologies. It facilitates multiple levels of policy and curriculum decision-making, especially in school districts, schools, and educational organizations that allow for supportive resource distributions" (Knuth, 1996). A technology use plan is the process in which a school or district develops short- and/or long-term plans to incorporate technology into its classrooms. Plans can be drawn up by committees or teachers who submit proposals for purchasing specific technologies (See, 1992). This plan’s focus is on the out-come or what will be achieved by using technology, not just one the simple purchase of a computer. This process should provide a “road-map” for a school or district to develop a school culture of technology. A plan should incorporate four major areas: 1) awareness – what is available, 2) application – work smarter not harder, 3) integration – more efficiently and effectively, and 4) refinement – change what is taught and how it is taught (See, 1992). A school should have a plan that sets goals or a vision and stays focus on meeting those whether it is short- or long-term.
How might the new National Educational Technology Plan 2010 be an effective and powerful resource for technology use planning?
The Department of Education recognizes that technology is now a part of our daily lives and work, and schools need to prepare their students for the future in an engaging learning environment (NETP, 2010). There must be a rubric for student achievement to provide valid research data to continually improve the future technology plan. A key part of this plan is to effectively and efficiently improved student’s research and development skills.
The National Education Technology Plan 2010 calls for "revolutionary transformation rather than evolutionary tinkering" (NEPT, 2010). It encourages our education system at all levels to
• Be clear about the outcomes we seek.
• Collaborate to redesign structures and processes for effectiveness, efficiency, and flexibility.
• Continually monitor and measure our performance.
• Hold ourselves accountable for progress and results every step of the way (NEPT, 2010).
It is important to have a benchmark or standard for school districts for work from. The NETP allows districts to have a foundation for what the overall national standard is and has given data to help accomplish their own personalized technology plan. The five essential goals are learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure, and productivity. The NEPT points out that all levels of education needs to work together to ensure that our students are competitive with the rest of the world and "ensure that even low-income and minority students, students with disabilities, English language learners, students in rural and frontier school and other are given an equal opportunity to be successful" (NEPT, 2010).
The application of a national standard as a benchmark will help ensure that state and local government have a “roadmap” to develop their own technology use plan. The State of Michigan has developed an in-depth plan for the local governments to base their district plan. The national and state plans will help school, whether public, private or charter, who may not have developed a plan previously to have goals to towards.
Michigan State Technology Plan: http://www.techplan.org/
Do you agree with See about tech use plans needing to be short, not long term? Why or why not?
John See has a good point when he talks about a technology use plan needing to be short-term. I believe there needs to be both short- and long-term plans at a school. Technology changes at such as rapid pace that it seems impossible to develop a five year plan, but having a long-term vision can help a school stay focused on implementing technology in an effective way. See points out that one year plans can be effectively used for planned purchases as long as there are not restrictions of the technology changes sooner than the purchase. Too short of a plan can leave a school without a clear vision, but instead a rushed decision to meet the anticipated deadline.
What do you think about his comment that "effective technology plans focus on applications, not technology?"
The aspect of the article I thought was most applicable to the classroom was going beyond enhancing the curriculum. I thought it was an interesting point that schools should not buy technology to teach technology. Many schools have computer classes to teach students various applications, but do not go beyond that. See’s thoughts that technology use goes beyond just computers and goes into every content area, shows that our students are beyond learning to type, but needing to actively apply technology.
A plan should be specific for what students, staff and administration should be able to do. See focuses on the importance of the output, or what the students will be able to do, compare to the input, which could be how many machines a school may have. This was interesting to read because when you read articles about school districts it seems to be about the numbers, not how it will be applied. In the City of Farmington, there is a millage to be past this summer for a $220 million bond, which includes technology and security improvements. Unfortunately, there are no answers for the taxpayers what the investment will do to improve tests scores and graduations rates. The term “technology improvements” are advertised to encourage voters to pass the millage. There is no clear plan or vision for what this technology and other improvements in the schools. As an educator and taxpayer I would like to see the technology use plan for this school district and have data that proves that what they are looking to add will truly help the students.
What experiences have you had with technology use planning and what have been your experiences in terms of outcomes (both good and bad?)
During my years teaching at a private school there was little talk about technology plans. Our in-service meetings usually revolved around current enrollment and the budget for the year. During my curriculum meeting we address the budget and were given a allowance per teacher and choice how to spend the amount given. As a department, were able to propose larger funded items. When I wanted to purchase another multimedia project for the social studies department, all I had to do was send an e-mail to the principal. Six years later the overall culture and focus of the school has changed. There has been a change in administration and now the school is actively pursuing technology for the rights reasons. They did research on the effectiveness of specific devices and applications. Now the school has a Director of Operations who sole job is to lead the school down the path of appropriate technology. Each year the administration team and school board reviews the technology and its usefulness and makes a plan to ensure that the school is competitive with other schools. I look forward to returning to teaching and using the knowledge I have learned in my EDTECH courses to help my school with its technology use plan.
References
Hew, K. F., & Brush, T. (2007). Integrating technology into K-12 teaching and learning: Current
knowledge gaps and recommendations for future research. Educational Technology
Research and Development, 55(3), 223-252.
Knuth, R., & Hopey, C. (1996). Guiding Questions for Technology Planning. Version 1.0.
See, J. (1992). Developing effective technology plans. The Computing Teacher, 19(8).
US Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. (2002). Technology in Schools: Suggestions, Tools and Guidelines for Assessing Technology in Elementary and Secondary Education. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2003/tech_schools/
U.S. Department of Education Office of Educational Technology. (2010) Transforming American education: Learning powered by technology. Retrieved from http://www.ed.gov/sites/default/files/netp2010.pdf
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