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TECHNOLOGY PLANNING FOR SCHOOLS: Managing Chaos

Tecology Consultants, Inc.;Todd Boostrom; Judith Lihosit; Jennie Seo; Cathy Serafica

26 May 1999

Contents

Laying the Groundwork

Funding

Networking/Infrastructure

Staff Development and Training

Curriculum Integration

Ethics

IntroductionIn today’s 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).

Why have a plan?

A good technology plan is necessary to ensure that the technology which is acquired by schools will fit smoothly within, and become a natural and integral part of the overall learning environment. A good plan can help prevent resources from being wasted on poor hardware and software purchasing decisions. More importantly, a good plan will focus technology use in the areas where it will provide the greatest benefit; using it only where it will aid teaching and learning, not simply because it exists (Sydow, 1992).

Source: http://library2.csudh.edu/tboostrom/grouppap.html

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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:

Laying the Groundwork Funding Networking/Infrastructure Staff Development and Training Curriculum Integration Ethics

Laying the GroundworkAssessing the Learning Environment: The purpose of an environmental assessment is to help define the learning environment. The assessment looks not only at the status of technology in the schools themselves, but it also looks at the overall environment in which the schools are situated. A thorough assessment will show what the needs of the schools are and what limitations exist; it sets the parameters of the technology planning to follow (Brody, 1995).

1. The Fiscal Assessment looks at the general financial health of the district, the extent to which the district has been willing to fund technology in the schools in the past, the existence of sources of funding, and the existence of other programs which are also vying for funding. This helps the planning team to set goals that are in touch with the economic realities, which will save time and money in the long run.

2. The Systemic Assessment looks at the attitudes and belief structures of individuals in the schools and within the communities served by the schools. Their attitudes toward technology and change will tell you what obstacles you will have to overcome, or conversely, they may indicate that there is a wealth of human resources available. Attention should be paid to:

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.

The Planning Team


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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:

be knowledgeable about educational technology. be in touch with district realities. The authority that an administrator high up

within the district ladder possesses can be indispensable. be an educator first and a technologist second (Dyrli, 1994). The leader must

understand that technology is just one aspect of the learning environment and that it is not an end in itself. Otherwise, she may be met with resistance by teachers and students who see it as an impediment rather than an aid to teaching and learning.

be able to write well and to supervise the writing of others. Often whether or not a technology plan will be accepted will hinge upon how well it is written.

Keep on Track1. 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.

SummaryLaying 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.


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Funding1. 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/ InfrastructureWe 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 themselves—the first major national network, the telegraph, made its debut well over a century ago—but 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 digital-to-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 infrastructure—the multiplicity of quickly developing standards, protocols, and specifications—is 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.

Use a variety of means to gauge user needs.Prototyping is one possible way to gauge the potential success of a proposed new technology implementation. A crude mock-up of the proposed interface or system used


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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. An annual review of network planning is advisable. The California Department of Education released in 1994 a guide for building networks in public K-12 schools, entitled Building the Future: K-12 Network Technology Planning Guide. The guide ingenuously suggests for schools to "…use current proven and cost-effective technology…", but it is an understatement to say that little is either proven or cost-effective in the networking field, in 1994 or 1999. A major planning publication written a year later in 1995, Philip J. Brody’s Technology Planning and Management Handbook: A Guide for School District Educational Technology Leaders, does not even contain a networking element. Building the Future exemplifies the challenges public schools face in networking/ infrastructure. The guide’s appendix features case studies, valuable in themselves, of the efforts of various-sized school districts in implementing networking plans, most of which are less than three years old. The guide is only five years old, but seems in some respects from a different age., primarily due to its top-down systems approach to network implementation. To reiterate, the users best understand networking needs, not the architects of the network. It is important for those involved in designing a proposed network to understand these needs as much as possible for successful implementation before network architectures are designed, not after the network has already been built.

The needs of your users should be central to any successful networking/ infrastructure plan. Each institution has its own unique information culture, a dynamic culture capable of change, but like an organism, a culture that suffers from dramatic disruption will suffer from the experience, and possibly become dysfunctional. Sometimes rapid changes within an organization are unavoidable, but they should be approached with great care and planning. Institutional practices frequently take years to develop and recover from extreme modifications to the present culture. Staff development is an important tool to help effect cultural change within an institution. Training not only allows users to make better use of new technologies, it also can raise the trust level of users towards the technology, and reduce feelings of hostility towards its implementation. Using incentives to use new technologies is another approach appropriate for some situations, especially those with high levels of resistance to change by the staff. Users with a basic understanding of available technology are also in a better position to adapt it to their needs through communication, for example, with technical services. A process of coevolution between the technologies and their users can produce the most successful results in implementation. The systems approach—one emphasizing the technology-- to network/ infrastructure planning frequently degenerates into technological determinism: the belief that active technologies can alone destroy and recreate passive cultures. But tools without people to use them lacks meaning and focus, and more to the point, is potentially a costly failure for any organization to bear.


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Integrate any future infrastructure expenditures or network implementations into the current system. The use of the international phone network as a major part of the Internet is an excellent example of integration of past and present technologies. This integration is cost-effective, and is well on the way to putting the World Wide Web and other Internet offerings within the reach of the average North American household. This stunning success was due in large part to the use of open standards that allow for the connection of dissimilar operating systems, computer hardware and software. Some computers accessing the Internet, even hosting Web site, were built before the Web ever had wide use. This example also underlines the importance of backwards compatibility. A new network or purchase of new computers should not make useless the old network and computer hardware and software. This approach is costly, both in terms of money and disruption to the information culture of your institution.

Clearly defined standards for infrastructure purchases help maintain a consistent quality level from vendorsComputers are primarily bundles of standards. Every little chip and part is composed of multiple standards. Without these standards, computers would be little more than a chunk of metal. Likewise, an organization can greatly benefit from clear, impartial standards concerning relationships with vendors. Also, clear specifications for the technologies used can help maintain a smooth running operation.

Prompt technical support assists in maintaining productivity and moraleFew people in the contemporary workplace have escaped a disruptive technology failure: computers crash, electrical power goes out, telephone lines go dead, coffe makers break. These failures are to some extent inevitable, but rapid response by technical services can minimize disruptions. Clear policies on technical response time can alleviate anxiety for everyone involved.


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Assume system failure and create contingency plansThere will be times when technical services will not be able to remedy system problems in a timely manner. Power failures occur, serious viruses can temporarily paralyze a network, major computer systems crash; a major crisis is inevitable, and you need to plan for it.

SummaryDespite 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.

Staff Development and TrainingProviding teachers and staff with sufficient training is one of the most important factors in successfully implementing a technology plan. The staff development and training program should provide teachers with a focused learning base that will assist them with integrating the technology into the curriculum. Teachers must learn how to operate equipment and applications to better understand how the technology will impact the classroom learning experience. However, the success of a staff development and training program depends on more than just the contribution of teachers. Anyone who has an impact on students and their learning must be involved. Administrators and staff as well as teachers need to become active participants in the training process. The following are some general guidelines to consider when designing an effective staff development and training program.

Create a District-Wide policy. The district-wide policy functions on several levels. This policy statement should determine a minimum level of activities that are required by different types of staff members, such as teachers, administrators and clerical staff, and require several training workshops and modules to meet those levels. In addition to stating minimum levels of training that must be met, the policy statement can also describe different activities planned to meet those goals and outline procedures for prioritizing within a specific school. This policy can also be used to stress the importance that all staff needs to be trained as well as the acknowledgment of support from administrators. If the program does not have the attendance or active participation of the appropriate staff, the training will ultimately be a failure. If attendance to the program is voluntary, this allows room for the absence of staff during important and essential meetings. Administrators must encourage participation. They should allow attendees sufficient time off to attend the staff


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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.

Perform a needs assessment among the staff. This is the opportunity to perform a needs assessment within the district to determine what training the program will need to provide. The program should be balanced so the different training requirements are met. This is also the time to develop a program to fit the specific learning needs of the participants. It is important to keep in mind that adults will become the students. Use the creative minds of the educators within the district and come up with various teaching techniques to complement the different learning styles. But always keep in mind the purpose of the training and avoid methods that are inappropriate.As well as creating an effective program, it is also important to keep in mind the attitudes of the participants. They should view the training as useful and practical. If the training is too complex or difficult, if it incorporates inappropriate instructional strategies, or fails to make a connection between the training and the environment, the program will fall short of its goals. Perception of the staff is an important determinant of the success of the program.

Have sufficient equipment available. Having the right equipment is crucial. Having enough equipment to allow hands-on experience is also an important factor to the success of the program. In order for participants to have enough time to obtain hands-on experience, make sure that each participant has their own workstation and enough time set aside for them to work with the technology. This might mean that the number of participants per session will have to decrease and more sessions will have to be planned. Ultimately, the program should be developed to match the available resources.Participants should be ready to apply the newly learned technology at work. If the training is performed by the technology is not available, then the training will have ultimately been a waste of time.

Set aside sufficient funds to support planned activities. Create a budget for staff development activities. Think of the workshops as part of the normal budgeting process instead of taking money that has already been allocated for other technology program components. Although it is difficult to estimate an exact budget, the needs assessment performed during the pre-planning stage will aid with the funding projections. Also, make sure that the budget covers the "extras" that are often overlooked when planning staff development activities – blank diskettes and videotapes, printer ink, overhead transparencies, pens and markers, etc.

Use district personnel when possible. District personnel are usually more familiar with the environment of the district than outside consultants. This can be used to your advantage when planning the staff development program. They will be familiar with the available resources and can


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increase the comfort level of the participants. Hiring district personnel might also be cost effective compared to hosting outside personnel.

Offer a variety of training modules and workshops. Workshops and modules should be developed with the levels of knowledge among your staff in mind. Offer workshops for improving specific skills as well as introducing a variety of new techniques. Generally, skill levels can be broken up into four basic categories: entry, proficient, progressive and specialized. It would be ideal to offer workshops at all four levels but the staff development program must cater to the specific needs among your staff and within the allotted budget. It is also a good idea to break up sessions up into several short modules rather than one long course. This will give time for participants to absorb the material and ask questions for clarification at a later session. Remember to keep in mind the schedules of the participants and plan the staff development activities to meet their needs. It might be more optimal to meet for several hours after school on consecutive days or spread out the sessions to meet on one day for several weeks.As technology is upgraded, it is important to offer continuing education workshops to keep the teachers and staff up to date with the new material.

Evaluate all workshops and courses. Evaluations can be performed informally or formally. Informally, the program director should talk with staff during session breaks to see what they think of the program, how they are coming along and later, how useful it was in helping them implement the technology into the classroom. Formally, surveys and evaluation forms can be handed out at the end of a session to give the program director an insight into better understanding the staff development program. Remember, if forms are created for evaluation purposes, keep them short and easy to understand as well as complete.

Keep all appropriate records. This is essential for monitoring how successful the staff development program was. The records will help in answering the who, how many and where questions regarding not only the breadth and scope of the staff development program but of the entire technology planning program as well. This information will play a vital role when preparing for future staff development projects. These records will also prove useful when applying for funds by providing information for the school, the school board and the superintendent.Finally, staff development is one of the most important elements of effectively implementing a technology plan. Without a comprehensive program that emphasizes the importance of training for all teachers, administrators and support staff, the technology plan will be difficult, if not impossible, to incorporate into the educational system.

Curriculum IntegrationOne 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


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can draw upon to enhance and invigorate classroom instruction. Technology can be used to either enhance or transform the current curriculum—that is a decision that should be made by all the district’s stakeholders before curriculum changes occur.

Teacher EducationA 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

equipping teachers to be selective of the software they choose

encouraging teachers and support staff to work together to plan technology-based lessons

providing teachers with continuous learning opportunities, such as distance learning, access to the latest research, and periodic workshops

Teaching and TechnologyIn order for technology to be addressed effectively in the classroom, we must take time to understand the learning choices that are made available to us through a technology-infused classroom environment. There are three distinct ways in which technology can be used:1) TEACHING WITH TECHNOLOGY

a variety of media (Internet, WWW, CD-ROMS, computer programs, e-mail, etc.) can be used to enhance instruction

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?"

2) TEACHING ABOUT TECHNOLOGYTake this opportunity to not only use technology as a teaching tool, but to teach about it as a subject as well.


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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

3) EMPOWERMENT THROUGH TECHNOLOGY putting the technology into the hands of the students can be extremely

empowering

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

giving students the opportunity to gain computer experience in the classroom is especially important for those for whom home access is limited because of limited financial means

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

SuggestionsSome 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

EthicsEthical 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 BIBLIOGRAPHYAnderson, 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): 57-62.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 ReadingsDavenport, Thomas H. "Saving IT’s Soul: Human-Centered Information Management," Harvard Business Review, March-April 1994, pgs. 119-131.


http://www.ets.org/research/pic/cc-sum.html

http://www.nctp.com/tp.recipe.html

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