Durham Public Schools 2009-2013 Technology Plan
Oak Grove Elementary and Hillandale Elementary School Technology Plans
http://www.dpsnc.net/about-dps/26/technology-plan
Lapeer Community Schools Technology Plan
http://www.lapeerschools.org/techplan.htm
Woodside School Technology Plan
http://www.woodside.k12.ca.us/pdf/WoodsideTechPlan0609.pdf
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
DISCUSSION ITEMS
In my research for this assignment I feel that all three plans I evaluated were very similar. However, the scope of the district plans was much more in depth. As a technology facilitator it is difficult to find time to create an elaborate plan, but I believe Hillandale, Oak Grove and Woodside School do a great job focusing their plan on student achievement.
I feel that I learned the most from the Lapeer Community Schools Technology Plan. I found it interesting because it is very detailed. I also like the way it is in pdf format because you can search the document to very easily find specific topics of interest. The 72-page plan outlines every step of the process. I plan to implement some of the strategies they used in my local school technology plan.
As stated earlier I feel that all plans generally contained all four basic elements. The district plans were much more detailed, but each plan contained a vision statement, needs assessment, implementation, and some form of evaluation.
I feel that the table of contents from the Lapeer Community Schools is very helpful because it lists all areas that are covered in the plan. I plan to use this in the future updating of my technology plan for this class and my school.
I feel that I learned the most from the Lapeer Community Schools Technology Plan. I found it interesting because it is very detailed. I also like the way it is in pdf format because you can search the document to very easily find specific topics of interest. The 72-page plan outlines every step of the process. I plan to implement some of the strategies they used in my local school technology plan.
As stated earlier I feel that all plans generally contained all four basic elements. The district plans were much more detailed, but each plan contained a vision statement, needs assessment, implementation, and some form of evaluation.
I feel that the table of contents from the Lapeer Community Schools is very helpful because it lists all areas that are covered in the plan. I plan to use this in the future updating of my technology plan for this class and my school.
DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES
Vision Statement:
All three plans share similar visions and goals. Obviously, Lapeer Community Schools district plan is much more depth. The vision statement for Woodside School was simple and to the point. It is “Improve the use of technology for classroom instruction, student learning, and communication with parents” which is very similar to my school (Hillandale).
Needs Assessment:
Unfortunately, the only needs assessment information I could find was for Lapeer Community Schools. If you open up the pdf link listed above and search for needs assessment you we see the various needs assessments that were performed. I found the staff needs assessments very useful because many stakeholders had input. Durham Public Schools or DPS also asked tech facilitators from the district to provide input about the tech plan. They even created a website blog where people from the district could provide expertise into the technology plan. Click here for a link to this blog. The school level plans did not have a formal needs assessment. However at my particular school we did an informal needs assessment by allowing teachers to give input the their Media Technology Advisory Committee team member to bring forward at MTAC monthly meetings.
Funding Sources:
Funding sources varied between all three plans. It is difficult to know exactly how much funding will be available from year to year. At Hillandale the main sources are PTA, Title 1, and grants. Since DPS is a fairly large district we receive state monies for hardware and software. The district focuses on the WAN and the local schools purchase hardware and software based on the individual school needs.
Technology Team Members:
Hillandale and Oak Grove each have a Media Technology Advisory Committee, which has representation from all areas of the school community. Woodside School has a similar technology team. DPS and LCS have representation from various district employees.
Staff Development:
At the core of any technology plan should be staff development. It is not enough to just have technology present, training must be provided. At Hillandale and Oak Grove we provide staff development at staff meetings. DPS and LCS both offer district staff development for employees. It is crucial to train teachers how to use the available technologies to improve student achievement and to create successful learning environments.
Evaluation:
All technology plans should be constantly evolving documents. In the world of technology things move very quickly and it is important to amend the plan as needs change. I feel all the plans discussed in this assignment have a process for evaluating and changing the document to reflect desired outcomes.
All three plans share similar visions and goals. Obviously, Lapeer Community Schools district plan is much more depth. The vision statement for Woodside School was simple and to the point. It is “Improve the use of technology for classroom instruction, student learning, and communication with parents” which is very similar to my school (Hillandale).
Needs Assessment:
Unfortunately, the only needs assessment information I could find was for Lapeer Community Schools. If you open up the pdf link listed above and search for needs assessment you we see the various needs assessments that were performed. I found the staff needs assessments very useful because many stakeholders had input. Durham Public Schools or DPS also asked tech facilitators from the district to provide input about the tech plan. They even created a website blog where people from the district could provide expertise into the technology plan. Click here for a link to this blog. The school level plans did not have a formal needs assessment. However at my particular school we did an informal needs assessment by allowing teachers to give input the their Media Technology Advisory Committee team member to bring forward at MTAC monthly meetings.
Funding Sources:
Funding sources varied between all three plans. It is difficult to know exactly how much funding will be available from year to year. At Hillandale the main sources are PTA, Title 1, and grants. Since DPS is a fairly large district we receive state monies for hardware and software. The district focuses on the WAN and the local schools purchase hardware and software based on the individual school needs.
Technology Team Members:
Hillandale and Oak Grove each have a Media Technology Advisory Committee, which has representation from all areas of the school community. Woodside School has a similar technology team. DPS and LCS have representation from various district employees.
Staff Development:
At the core of any technology plan should be staff development. It is not enough to just have technology present, training must be provided. At Hillandale and Oak Grove we provide staff development at staff meetings. DPS and LCS both offer district staff development for employees. It is crucial to train teachers how to use the available technologies to improve student achievement and to create successful learning environments.
Evaluation:
All technology plans should be constantly evolving documents. In the world of technology things move very quickly and it is important to amend the plan as needs change. I feel all the plans discussed in this assignment have a process for evaluating and changing the document to reflect desired outcomes.
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