Sunday, May 20, 2007

Technology Planning

In terms of leadership, I believe one of the most important things that we can do in our schools is build capacity. When we do this, the necessary changes in the system will occur in a more timely and meaningful manner, with the most positive effect on the school/district culture. One of our major efforts this year was to develop a technology plan for our district. The one in place prior to my arrival was your typical plan - descriptions of infrastructure, charts reflecting numbers of computers and a listing of one-shot professional developments designed to train teachers in “technology skill.” Needless to say, it was more like a technology report than a technology plan. And that needed to change.

Development of this document was essentially a year-long process that involved a significant number of people. Yet it never got bogged down in too much process. A district-wide committee was assembled consisting of teachers, library media specialists, parents, students, administrators, board members and community representation. We looked at sets of data unique to our district, looked at the research and then developed vision, mission, belief and goal statements. From this, we articulated action steps to achieve those goals within the next three years. Once this work had been done, subcommittees within each level—elementary, middle, high—were organized to develop action steps specific to their level.

I am pleased with the plan that we have assembled. First, it really is a plan. We now have direction, supported by data and research, to move our schools into the 21st century. We also have a framework in which to prioritize curriculum and technology decisions. Does the plan address everything? Will there issues arise that are not necessarily part of the plan? Probably. But the decision making process for the future will now be grounded in the priorities established and agreed to by many people in the organization. They have established their ownership of these goals and action steps. In short, we have strengthened our capacity for change. And I do believe that this will pay off in the next three years and beyond.

Now, how do we educate our school board and community on this new direction?

Salisbury Township School District Technology & Learning Implementation Plan

Posted by Randy on 05/20 at 08:50 AM
Leadership • Reflection • (1) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
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