Activity 2f
Technology Plan
A Summary of the Technology Planning Process in Urbana
The Urbana School District put together its first technology plan in the 1991-92 school year and has been revising it on an annual basis. In the fall of 1997, the Technology Committee, which is composed of teachers, administrators, community members and parents, began to rewrite the technology plan in line with the ISBE Blueprint for Technology. As a committee we developed a vision after sharing our worst fears and best hopes for technology. The committee broke the plan into 4 main areas: Technology Deployment, Community Involvement, Engaged Learning, and Professional Development. Within each section, we did an analysis of our "current reality" through surveys, inventories, staff development attendance and a variety of other assessments. Then we determined the gap between our "current reality" and our vision and set goals. Then we began developing strategies for each goal and put them in 3 yearly phases. Within each of the strategies, we assigned responsibility, evaluation, and funding sources. This past June, the Urbana Board approved the technology plan. The plan will now go through the State's peer review process.
A Summary of the Urbana Technology Vision and Mission.
By using technology as a tool, the Urbana School District visualizes technology integration throughout all curricular areas so all school personnel will be able to manage learning environments effectively and efficiently. Wih the active participation from the community, the goal is to teach skills that will enable students to become life-long learners in a global society. At the same time, thedistrict views technology as an instructional tool to assist innovative instructional practices that recognizes the individual learning styles of students and provide immediate access to data to aid learning.
In order to accomplish these goals, the district seeks equitable opportunities for students in all buildings, establishes staff development opportunities, integrates technology into curricular planning and implementation, and coordinates equipment acquisition and maintenance.
Does My Classroom Reflect This Vision?
I don't have a classroom, but if I had to evalutate a random classroom within the district, chances are that it would not reflect the vision. Much of this has to do with the access to technology and staff involvement. But, I believe I could point to several classrooms in every building that are in line with the vision. I also believe that this number has increased dramatically over the past few years and will continue to grow with the increased opportunities for access and staff development programs.
Ways to Improve Technology in the District
After serving on the ISBE District Technology Plan Peer Review Team, I feel confident that the state is providing a positive direction for technology planning. I believe that to improve the effective and efficient use of technology in the classroom, we need to follow the plan that brings together - community involvment, engaged learning, professional development, and technology deployment . I think that one of the best ways to do this is to make each of the 4 areas interdependent. This requires a great deal of staff development.
For the past 2 years, we have een offering an Integrating Technology in the Classroom (InTech) during our monthly staff development days. During this time, as many as 30 teachers participate in a year long program to learn how to use some of the latest technologies, engaged learning practices and ways in which to involve the community and technology in their classrooms. This program has been expanding and will continue to move more teachers toward the district's vision for technology.
My Dream District for Technology
My dream district would be one that completely integrates engaged learning, staff development, technology deployment, and community involvement, while always taking into consideration the ipmementation of learning standards and a teacher's classroom styles and goals. This dream district would revolve around a staff development program that is directly tied to the distribution of technology to the participants.
I would like to have enough money in a district to equip all classrooms with enough computers to reach a 4:1 student to computer ratio. This would include other resources including ample printers, software, server resources and the like. But before any technology deployment would begin, staff would be required to meet a minimal competency for each additional computer that is added to their classroom. Through a comprehensive staff development program the staff could earn credits toward more technology resources in their classroom after completing a number of hours of training. Teachers would be able to choose from a variety of sessions to gain credit including:
This would provide an incentive for staff to take advantage of technology staff development while providing training on the effective integration of technology in the classroom to the teachers who are actually getting the technology.