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"Effective technology plans are short term, not long term. Five year plans are too long. Technology is changing so fast that it is almost impossible to plan what type of technology will be available for use five years from now..." Along with this worthy advice that shows how up-to-date we must be as educators, the author mentions very important aspects to have in mind in a technology plan, like: *Effective technology plans focus on applications, not technology. *Effective technology plans go beyond enhancing the curriculum. *Effective technology plans define technology as more than computers. *Effective technology plan stress integration of technology into the curriculum. *Effective technology plans are tied to staff development plans. Norma Acero.

An excellant resource for development of a step-by-step school technology plan.

It is interesting to see that your plan states that 5 years is too long for a plan. Several plans suggest that 5 years is the length of time appropriate for these plans. I agree that 5 years is too long as technology changes so quickly.

Technology planning has transended the straightforward process which was characterized by a task force which determined the what, when, where and who of the plan and the assumption that an implicit map from points A to B is the pinnacle of implementation. They now emphasize characteristics that help to coach and manage transitions. At the heart of such is communication which emphasizes communication with and concern for the implementers. In my opinion, this plan emphasises such as it reorganizes the planning process to consider vital aspects of the planning process that many tend to side step- Planning to plan and communication.

Interesting example! Very down to earth... You can notice they have gained the experience necessary to be able to plan in such a straight forward way!

This is a PDF that describes different objectives and action plans. On page 2, you will find OBJECTIVE NUMBER 1.5: We will maintain an ongoing review of the instructional technology initiative. ACTION PLAN 1: All schools will participate in an external audit of their classroom technology integration. ACTION PLAN 2: Identify opportunities to improve equitable access to instructional technology. ACTION PLAN 3: Identify the impact of technology exposure through the 1:1 initiative on student technology aptitude. ACTION PLAN 4: Document perception data of all stakeholders to inform instructional technology program improvement activities. ACTION PLAN 5: Conduct a cost effectiveness analysis that correlates contract specifics, cost, School Board policy and practice. Identify opportunities for improvements that ensure optimal cost and management effectiveness.

This is actually a document written as well by John See, the same author who wrote the article on the previous post, "Developing Effective Technology Plans". It is an improved version of it, where other aspects are considered. I think the author brilliantly condenses the most important aspects that we must take into account in any tech plan that intends to look at technology from the perspective of a new era. Norma Acero.

I appreciated the stream-lined approach this article presents as to what makes for an effective technology plan.

Contains descriptors of what tech plans are and what they should contain

This is the technology plan for Virginia. One can use this to compare their own district's technology plan.

Glad you shared this. And, yes, it'd be great to hold up your school or district tech plan to both the national and state plans.

Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has a site filled with resources that include: Steps to developing a plan. Guiding Questions to use in developing the plans. Links to relevant resources. Downloadable Action Plan sample and templates. Tech Plan Scoring Guide to use in evaluation of the plan.

I decided to share this plan because it has a comprehensive approach to developing a district level technology plan. I also noticed that they have been working on a technology plan since 2004. They include all stakeholders in thier plan, which is relevant to our topic.

This document pinpoints how to realize the benefits of technology, schools must develop a plan for integrating technology into the curriculum. It explains that an effective technology plan is based on the shared vision of educators, parents, community members, and business leaders who have technological expertise. And how it strengthens existing curricula and supports meaningful, engaged learning for all students. There are many enriching links to go deeper into the several aspects that the article mentions.

Contrasting and comparing school/district/state/natiomnal technology plans requires standardized "Best Practices."

Great supporting documentation and access to further information in the form of imbedded hyperlinks

This article make a profound connection which evoked intrinsic reflection on my part. It's simplicity, coupled with these conection makes this piece of advice true no matter what we are planning for. "Sometimes, one of the key elements-a key tool-in the planner's arsenal is pure, simple honesty. This means that planners must commit themselves to shed any defensive feelings they might have, or be threatened to adopt, as they examine their particular situation. True, sustainable growth comes from facing the honest reality of a condition, then working together to build a strategy for guaranteed success." (L.S. Anderson, 1999) National Center for Technology Planning Hence, technology planning is more than computers, it's a way of life.

I love how the article is focused towards people and the planning itself more than the machines... No matter what technological resources we have at hand, they may be well used or totally underused... It is true! It's more about the community and how the plans are developed, connecting all individuals, than about the physical devices.

Busy directors and program managers may feel that they don't have time for technology planning or that technology planning is too complicated. However, the creation of a technology plan is an important way to stay aligned with the program's needs and to procure adequate funding.

Another technology plan-from new hampshire-for comparison. A planning guide for district technolgy planning committees.

This website provides a sequence of planning steps for school districts to apply when developing a technology plan and vision. This was published by the National School Boards Foundation. I thought these steps were clearly stated and easy to follow. Navigating through the website specifically this page, http://www.nsba.org/sbot/toolkit/atp.html also provided information for school leaders to consider when evaluating and assessing their districts plan which should be conducted periodically.

This website explains more about the teamwork aspect of creating a technology plan and provides a scoring guide and other templates to help pace and guide the creation of a tech plan.

I think it could do a better job of explaining the goals involved with creating a plan.

This is a wiki that explains the steps involved with creating a tech plan. I think this does a pretty good job of explaining many of the items that are important while creating a plan. It explains creating goals, assessing the current state, implementation, timelines, budgets, and monitoring/assessing plans.

This document, prepared by graduate students at Mississippi State University, is a comprehensive guide to elaborate a successful technology plan. It considers not only what must be taken into account technology wise, but the actual mechanics of the plan. It can be a good guide for those with less experience wishing more detailed advice.

This is a pretty extensive how to guide for creating a technology plan. It is wordy, but very detailed.

Clear stated overriding phases, guiding questions, and format

This website has links to the different state educational technology plans from the United States of America. It has the statewide long-range strategic educational technology plans for improving student academic achievement through the effective use of advanced technology in classrooms.

Short read of things to remember when developing your school's own technology plan.

This is interesting. Makes lots of sense. I'm trying to find a date on the article, though. Does anyone see one?

Some interesting tips from Scholastic. I especially like their last tip - learn from a kid. We so need to understand how kids are using tech not only to engage them, but because they also do stuff with it that's not even on our radars.

This is Henrico County's alignment to the Virginia Technology Plan in a PDF file.

Find whatever you're looking forwith Totally Local Yellow Pages West Prairie School District's three-year technology plan, approved by the district's board of education Thursday night, includes steps to move the district towards implementing a one-to-one digital learning program that would provide students with their own device, such as a laptop computer or iPad.