Technology Plan Evaluation FRIT 7232Spring 2014

Robin SkelleyBritton SpiveyLeslie Walbert

Technology Plan Resources

1. Bennett, Harvey Everhart, Nancy. "Successful K-12 Technology Planning: Ten essential Elements." Teacher Librarian 31.1 (2003): 22-26. MasterFILE Elite. Web. 4 Feb. 2014.

This article gives an overview of ten elements to consider when creating a technology plan. These elements include allocating appropriate funding, creating a technology infrastructure, and considering technology and the role it will play in the future. This article discusses the importance of integrating technology into instruction. This article helped bring insight on important components when creating and evaluating a technology plan.

2. Botts, J. Six-step process in creating a technology plan. Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education , 01 April 2013. Web. 5 Feb 2014. This comes from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and gives step by step instructions on how to effectively plan for technology in schools. The guiding questions are especially helpful in determining the purpose and the role of the technology plan development committee. The article helps the committee to develop the format of the technology plan. Most importantly, this site helps the reader to see how important looking at raw data is in planning for the budget, professional development, and to justify purchasing hardware and software.

3. Dexter, S. School-Based ICT Policy Plans in Primary Education Elements, Typologies and Underlying Processes. British Journal of Educational Technology 2012: 43(3), 505-519. Print.In attempt to bring more insight to information and communication technology policy plans, researchers gathered data from 31 primary schools. After reviewing the current systems technology plans and conducting interviews to the informational communication technology coordinators, the study identified three types of technology plans: 1. Vision blueprints, 2. Technical inventory, 3. Comprehensive policy plan. The data supports that each system should create a technology plan based on the needs of their school. This article creates a better understanding of what goes into generating a technology plan and therefore deepens the understanding when evaluating technology plans. As technology planning is becoming a vital to a schools system productivity, clear and common guidelines are beneficial to all educational organizations.

4. Federal Funding for Educational Technology and How It Is Used in the Classroom: A Summary of Findings from the Integrated Studies of Educational Technology. United States Department of Education, 2003. PDF File.

This paper is written by members of the U.S. Department of Education. It discusses the requirements school districts must meet in order to receive federal funding, including the e-rate program, and how the funding is being used around the country. Theres a large portion of this document that discusses the need for professional development for teachers. Teachers around the country lack training in integrated learning systems and using technology for assessment. This article reminds the reader that professional development opportunities should be more than just how to use email and presentation programs.

5. Nevada State Educational Technology Plan. Nevada State Department of Education (2005) 1-24. ERIC. Web. ED492899. 6 Feb. 2014. .The Nevada State Educational Technology Plan outlines how the state believes technology should be used in schools. In the plan, the authors describe the desire for technology to be integrated in all classrooms. It discusses the need for appropriate hardware and technology infrastructure. The plan addresses the need for technical support to be available, which includes the need for an on-site technical support person. After reading this article, it became evident that creating clear and valuable goals was essential to any technology plan.

6. Overbay, Amy, Melinda Mollette, and Ellen S. Vasu. "A Technology Plan That Works." Educational Leadership 68.5 (2011): 56. Publisher Provided Full Text Searching File. Web. 6 Feb. 2014.

After evaluating 45 schools across North Carolina, the authors of this article offers five lessons they learned about school technology plans. These lessons include customizing technology plans to fit the schools needs, building in professional development, and using collaboration to create technology initiatives. This article reminds the reader that a technology plan is about more than technology, it is about customizing a plan for the people who are going to be implementing it.

7. Potter, Stephanie. "Technology Integration for Instructional Improvement: The Impact of Professional Development." Performance Improvement. 51.2 (2012): 22-27. Web. 13 Feb. 2014. .Potter and Rockinson-Szapkiw focus on the importance of professional development with an emphasis on technology integration in the classroom. The authors provide a framework for how a school can effectively implement professional development by including three aspects: technology operation, technology application, and technology integration with mentor and community support. This articles allows the readers to see the importance of including effective professional development practices in technology plans.

8. Technology Plan Rubric 2013. Georgia Department of Education. Web. 4 Feb 2014. Microsoft Word File..This is the rubric (found under the System Technology Planning heading) that the State of Georgia use to evaluate technology plans. In order to qualify for E-rate and grant funding, school districts must update their plans every three years. The rubric includes creating clear and concrete goals with benchmarks, an evaluation method, a budget, and a list of people responsible for implementing the strategies. Using this rubric as a guide helped us form our evaluation rubric.

9. Wise, Bob. "Technology in Education: Before you Make a Purchase, Make a Plan." The Huffington Post. N.p., 16 Apr 2013. Web. 13 Feb 2014. The article introduces the reader to Project 24, which the Alliance for Excellent Education recently launched. Project 24 provides schools resources and help with technology planning. Project 24 suggests that in order to use technology in a purposeful way schools must first meet schools learning goals and specific challenges. By doing this, student achievement will improve. This resource helped influence the budget and professional development sections of our groups rubric.

10. Vanderlinde, Ruben, and Johan van Braak. "Technology planning in schools: An integrated research-based model." BJET. 44.1 (2013): E14-E17. Web. 13 Feb. 2014. .The article attempted to create a single model that encompassed the research results of several studies conducted during the past year on technology planning in primary schools. During a seminar, research was compiled, analyzed, and applied to create a holistic model on technology planning. The model is intended for teachers and school leaders to use when developing their schools technology plans. The model can also serve useful to policy makers and educational developers when designing initiatives to support schools in the technology planning process.

Technology Plan Rubric

Catagory 3ptsTarget 2ptsApproaching 1ptNot Evident Evaluation

GoalsGoals are broad, comprehensive and realistic in addressing teaching and learning needs. Goals clearly answer the questions: Who? What? By when? By how much? According to which instrument? Submitted on time.Goals are mostly equipment based and loosely linked to improvement plans. Submitted on time.Goals are absent or seem to be only equipment based; are not measurable; are incomplete, difficult to understand; or are submitted late.

Professional DevelopmentProvides a concrete plan for professional development opportunities for teachers and staff. It includes instructional practices that are research-supported and helps student achievement. Provides funding sources.Plans for professional development are vague. Gives little information or examples of effective professional development practices.

Provides few or no plans for professional development opportunities.

Budget/TimelinesProvides a prioritized list of major tech plan projects, tasks and timelines. Provides budget summary estimate of capital expenses (hardware, software, facilities, infrastructure, staff development, tech support, etc.) Identifies possible alternative funding resources. Projects, timelines, and budgets are realistic and consistent with plan goals and objectives. Submitted on time.Provides most, but not all, of the project, timelines, and budget estimate information. Appears to be generally consistent with plan goals. Submitted on time.

Projects, budgets, or timelines missing; provides vague or little information on project, budgets, or timelines; projects appear not relevant to plan goals; budget estimates appear incongruent with plan or unrealistic; or not submitted on time.

Ongoing Evaluation Provides descriptions on how each goal is going to be evaluated. Evaluations are scheduled to occur in a consistent and timely manner. Evaluation instruments make sense for the goal it is evaluating.Provides descriptions on how some goals will be evaluated. Some evaluations do not occur in a timely manner. Some evaluation instruments do not make sense for the goal it is evaluating.Provides no descriptions on how goals will be evaluated. No time line provided for evaluations. Evaluation instruments do not make sense for the goal it is evaluating.

Accessibility of technology resources (Americans with Disabilities Act)

Provides a detailed plan for giving technology access to students and teachers with disabilities. Plan is realistic and concrete. Plan is in line with the Americans with Disabilities ActPlan for technology access for those with disabilities lacks details. Only some parts of the plan is in line with the Americans with Disabilities Act.Provides limited or no plan for giving access to technology for those with disabilities. None of the plan is in line with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

An assessment of telecommunication services, hardware, software, and other services needed

Provides a detailed assessment of current available technology. Provides assessment of needed technology.

Assessment of current, available technology is vague or only includes some schools. Assessment of needed technology is vague or only includes some schools.No assessment of current available technology.No assessment of needed technology.

Organization and DesignProvides all the necessary components required by state and national standards. The plan is well organized and provides valuable information to all parties. Uses a consistent template and is easy to read.Most of components that are necessary are available. The plan is well organized and provides valuable information to all parties. Template present but not consistent throughout document.Several components are missing from the plan. Information is available but lacks in content and organization. Lacks any template and poorly designed.

Long Term PlanProvides ideas for future growth. Ideas are feasible and elaborates on current technology reality. Provides few ideas for future growth. Parts of the plan does not make sense when compared to current reality.Provides no plans for future growth.

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Technology Plan Evaluation

Lowdnes County Technology Plan : http://www.lowndes.k12.ga.us/files/user/28/file/LCS_TechPlan2012-15.pdf

Catagory 3ptsTarget 2ptsApproaching 1ptNot Evident Evaluation

GoalsGoals are broad, comprehensive and realistic in addressing teaching and learning needs. Goals clearly answer the questions: Who? What? By when? By how much? According to which instrument? Submitted on time.Goals are mostly equipment based and loosely linked to improvement plans. Submitted on time.Goals are absent or seem to be only equipment based; are not measurable; are incomplete, difficult to understand; or are submitted late.3The goals are broad and realistic. They make sense based on current reality.

Professional DevelopmentProvides a concrete plan for professional development opportunities for teachers and staff. It includes instructional practices that are research-supported and helps student achievement. Provides funding sources.Plans for professional development are vague. Gives little information or examples of effective professional development practices.

Provides few or no plans for professional development opportunities.

2The plan does not provide enough opportunities for quality professional development for both teachers and administrators. It gives few specific ideas about what type of professional development the staff will participate in.

Budget/TimelinesProvides a prioritized list of major tech plan projects, tasks and timelines. Provides budget summary estimate of capital expenses (hardware, software, facilities, infrastructure, staff development, tech support, etc.) Identifies possible alternative funding resources. Projects, timelines, and budgets are realistic and consistent with plan goals and objectives. Submitted on time.Provides most, but not all, of the project, timelines, and budget estimate information. Appears to be generally consistent with plan goals. Submitted on time.Projects, budgets, or timelines missing; provides vague or little information on project, budgets, or timelines; projects appear not relevant to plan goals; budget estimates appear incongruent with plan or unrealistic; or not submitted on time.2The plan provides a budget and timelines. Budgets are realistic. However, the many timelines are grouped into 1 and 2 year segments. This imprecision allows for error.

Ongoing Evaluation Provides descriptions on how each goal is going to be evaluated. Evaluations are scheduled to occur in a consistent and timely manner. Evaluation instruments make sense for the goal it is evaluating.

Provides descriptions on how some goals will be evaluated. Some evaluations do not occur in a timely manner. Some evaluation instruments do not make sense for the goal it is evaluating.

Provides no descriptions on how goals will be evaluated. No time line provided for evaluations. Evaluation instruments do not make sense for the goal it is evaluating. 2The plan discusses how goals will be evaluated, but does not provide a timeline for evaluations to take place.

Accessibility of technology resources (Americans with Disabilities Act)

Provides a detailed plan for giving technology access to students and teachers with disabilities. Plan is realistic and concrete. Plan is in line with the Americans with Disabilities ActPlan for technology access for those with disabilities lacks details. Only some parts of the plan is in line with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Provides limited or no plan for giving access to technology for those with disabilities. None of the plan is in line with the Americans with Disabilities Act.1No evidence in the plan about providing access to technology for students and teachers with disabilities.

An assessment of telecommunication services, hardware, software, and other services needed

Provides a detailed assessment of current available technology. Provides assessment of needed technology.

Assessment of current, available technology is vague or only includes some schools. Assessment of needed technology is vague or only includes some schools.No assessment of current available technology.No assessment of needed technology.3Provides a very detailed assessment current available technology. Assessment discusses what technology is available different schools and how it is being used.

Organization and DesignProvides all the necessary components required by state and national standards. The plan is well organized and provides valuable information to all parties. Uses a consistent template and is easy to read.Most of components that are necessary are available. The plan is well organized and provides valuable information to all parties. Template present but not consistent throughout document.

Several components are missing from the plan. Information is available but lacks in content and organization. Lacks any template and poorly designed.2Plan is missing:1) Signature page2) List of technology members

Font styles change throughout document.Parts of the documents are difficult to read.

Long Term PlanningProvides ideas for future growth. Ideas are feasible and elaborates on current technology reality. Provides few ideas for future growth. Parts of the plan does not make sense when compared to current reality.

Provides no plans for future growth.2Parts of the long term plan do not make sense when compared to the districts current reality.

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Recommendations

URL for Lowdnes County Technology Plan : http://www.lowndes.k12.ga.us/files/user/28/file/LCS_TechPlan2012-15.pdf

The technology plan that we have chosen to evaluate is from Lowndes County Schools. Lowndes County is located in south Georgia, on the Georgia- Florida border. There are seven elementary schools, three middle schools, and one high school in the system. During the 2010-2011 school year, the total enrollment was 9,970 students.

CategoryProblem Recommendations

Professional Development 1. Professional development goals are not provided specifically for teachers.

2. Plan for administrators is vague. 1. Create new goals that focus on teachers use and growth of technology in the classroom. These professional development goals should include using technology for assessments and integrating technology in the classroom. The county could use both face to face and online course to provide training.

2. Create a plan that specifies exactly how administrators will adopt more efficient administrative uses of technology. Simply making sure each administrator uses Google calendar and Google collaboration tools will not insure the goal. The county could consider creating training courses that will encompass Web 2.0 tools.

Budget/Timelines1. Timelines are grouped into 1 and 2 year segments. This imprecision allows for much error.1. Create timelines in 3-6 months timeframes. If training is required schedule the months and include the topics on which it will cover. By creating a more detailed timeline, it will allow teachers and administrator to know when they should expect changes or when there are training deadlines that need to be met.

Ongoing Evaluation1. The plan discusses how goals will be evaluated, but does not provide a timeline for evaluations to take place.

1. The county should create a concrete timeline for administering evaluations. The time between evaluations should make sense in order to produce accurate data for future planning.

Accessibility of technology resources 1. No evidence in the plan about the use of technology for students with disabilities.

1a. A detailed and strategic plan that includes ideas and methods for technology use for students and students with disabilities is needed. The county should research proven methods for providing students with disabilities access to technology resources.1b. The plan must be in line with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The school district should research the requirements of this act. Then they should evaluate what the district needs in order to comply with the requirements.

Organization and Design1. The technology plan is hard to read with the font sizes and styles changing throughout the document. The tables a cramped and difficult to read.

2. Plan is missing, approval page with superintendent signature, and a list of technology members who created the plan.

1. The plan should be formatted and designed so that teachers and interested members of the community can find the information they are looking for. The font size and styles should be consistent throughout the document. The tables should be large enough to easily read. It would be helpful if large blocks of text were broken up with subheadings. While this does not affect the content of the technology plan, it will more easily allow people to find the information they need and know what the school district is planning.

2. The signed approval page should be scanned and placed as part of the document.A page that states who collaborated and created this plan should be included in the document.

Long Term Plan1. Parts of the Long Term Plan do not make sense when compared to the current reality.1. The county should compare their future goals to the availability of the technology they have now. This requires reevaluating the technological improvements that can be made in 3 years. The district might also have to increase training so that administrators and teachers can effectively use new equipment.