Technology Plan Evaluation

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A comprehensive technology plan is essential to the educational setting. Students,
faculty, and staff are constantly exposed to technology on a daily basis. It is critical to create a
plan that both addresses the current needs and the future needs. Another crucial part is to ensure
a sustainability plan is also tied into the technology plan. This is a must for maintaining
technology equipment and upgrading software applications. The technology plan must also
address the cost factors for the increasing usage of technology across a school district. This could
create a situation that is overwhelming to the budgetary restraints of the school district. With
this, the districts must seek out grants that will support the building and upgrading of the
technology infrastructure (1998). This will offset the cost on the upgrades and procurement of
technology equipment.
One example is when a need analysis was conducted for a Building Construction
Technology Program and inadequacies were found in the instructional delivery method.
Through this evaluation process, it was determined that the instructional program required
additional technology to support the classrooms lecture modality. The final determination after
the needs assessment was completed and analyzed was the need to incorporate smart room
technology in the classroom setting. However, the cost was a huge factor during that financial
year so the project had to be placed on hold. The following year the college had an opportunity
to use Perkins funding to procure the equipment, thus decreasing the budgetary responsibilities
for the college. This was a great strategy to shift the cost of equipment to other agencies.
Another good strategy is using train-the-training method for technology personnel. This
decreases the financial resources for training personnel on new technology.
During the research study, it was determined how practical it is to have a fully developed
technology plan to guide a district college or business. This helps establish a priority list and
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timeline for completion or integration of technology equipment in the facility. The technology
plan is also tied to the strategic plan and the mission of the entity (1998). Also, the plan helps
with clarifying the short and long-range planning for the integration of the technology across the
district, college or business. The research article from NYSED.gov gave a great guideline from
establishing a proper technology plan. The article focused on various essential parts that
encompassed planning, hardware, training, funding, application, and modeling of the technology
upgrades (2009).
First is the planning component that includes the data, standards, student requirements,
facilities, and personnel. The article also focused on methods for providing technology to certain
class levels and also technology readiness levels. Planning is the key to target the correct
population within the instructional process. Next, the article focused on integrating new
hardware and wiring into the existing network system (2009). Through this, the article discussed
the establishment of a priority list of adapting the technology infrastructure for supporting the
new technology equipment. This included upgrades to severs, switches, computers, smart room
equipment and etc. These upgrades to the network equipment helped increase processing speeds
of the computers for better instructional processes. The upgrades will also support the integration
of new software and help support better engagement of the students.
The article also addressed the importance of training personnel in the new technologies.
This will help create a well-informed population of teachers that understand the importance of
how to utilize technology in the proper methods (2009). The training process will also encourage
the creation of new instructional pedagogical strategies that will support student learning. This
will create a learning environment that is supportive of the new technology. It also improves the
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knowledge and abilities of student or trainees with in the educational and training process, thus
improving the overall technology readiness of the institution (1998).
The process of obtaining proper funding is key to the success of the technology plan. This
is accomplished through internal and external funding sources that include: foundations, grants,
federal programs, and state allocations. The entity is responsible for evaluating and prioritizing
the suggested list to determine where the funds should be allocated and create a cost model for
the plan. This process encompasses the evaluation of the equipment, professional training,
technology support, maintenance, and life cycle. The proper usage of funding is also tied to the
sustainability and longevity of the plan during the timeline.
The technology applications are important goals of the implementation plan that give
merit to process. This encapsulates the required engaging software, problem solving applications,
language and communication learning processes, and math and science training technology
devices. It also includes the development of learning management systems that help foster
students mastery in the subject manner. This is an important component of the technology plan
that shows the application of the new information.
Teacher demonstrations are the catalyst for technology usage in the district. The teacher
is the motivating agent that will create buy-in for rest of the district faculty members. It also
gives directions on how to apply the new technology into their classroom environment. The more
demonstrations that are available for the instructors, the more knowledgeable and comfortable
the trainees will be. Training and demonstrations are the best models for instructor engagement
into the new technology. The teachers or trainers have to see how the instructional process will
be enriched with the implantation of the new technologies. Without this, the technology plan will
not be an effective measure for improvement.
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Next, the technology plan is a great guide that helps to organize the Instructional
Technology Departments in the school district. Creating an effective technology plan is critical
to manage the ever-changing technological environment. This is of paramount importance for
maintaining technology equipment and keeping ahead of the technology curve (1998). The
proper management of instructional technology equipment should be the primary focus of the IT
manager. This will ensure that the technology infrastructure is maintained properly and new
equipment is procured and integrated in the educational setting. Additionally, the staff and
faculty are also being trained on the new instructional technology that is being integrated into the
classroom environment. This should also be addressed in a comprehensive technology plan.
Educational entities have to think outside of the box when it comes to improvement of the
technology requirements within their infrastructure. This will ensure that their student body is
properly engaged in the classroom environment and are also prepared to meet the needs of the
job market (1998). The technology plan also justifies the expenditure of money for professional
development for the instructional technology and academic divisional personnel.
The technology plan of the Stephenson area school district was tied directly to the
mission statement of the district. This was an integral part of the technology plan that ensured
that funding and support would be available for the implementation to occur. The technology
plan that was established for the school district incorporated a timeline for implementation of
new technologies in the classroom. This included a curriculum integration model for the
instructional process. Within the model, the instructional process is focused on providing correct
technology instruction for all students within the district. Additionally, the student will have to
use a learning management system for remedial work and also fulfill the requirements of the
individual education plan.
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The technology plan for Stephenson District is designed to engage the students with
various technology enhancements and applications. One of the attributes of the plan is to focus
on student achievement by the utilization of interactive software programs to engage the
students. This includes all of the subjects within the curriculum for the district. The timeline for
the integration of the technology is based on the instructional model for the course. The use of
technology is also tied to student assessment in various subjects. The behavior of students is also
addressed through the use of technology in the LSM. Teachers will have the opportunity to
access professional development for the new technology. This will help the teacher to be
equipped with knowledge and skills to apply the new technologies into to the classroom setting.
The district will also provide adequate technical support to mediate issues as they arise. The
instructional technology department will also be in charge on the replacement of obsolete
technology equipment. Another responsibility of the instructional technology department is
ensuring that technology infrastructure is adequate for the increasing demand for broadband.
Finally, the district has established a method of funding all of the opportunities within the
technology plan by using grants from local, State, and Federal entities. This will ensure the
technology upgrades will be sustainable for the duration of the timeline.
The Greenwich School Districts technology plan is very similar to the Stephenson
District plan. The districts plan is focused on providing technology related activities to all
students and faculty. The mission statement of the district also supports the use of technology to
support the use of technology in the classroom. The districts technology philosophy is on the
same level as Stephenson district. Greenwich School District is focused on providing learning
through the use of smart technology in the classroom setting. The comparison between the two
districts is very little in the area of their technology plans. Both of districts provide resources to
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meet their respective technology timelines and implementation processes. The districts are both
providing the proper professional development opportunities for the staff and faculty members.
Additionally, the districts are integrating the technology in all classrooms. The only difference is
the telecommunication requirement for Greenwich School District compared to the lack of a
communication tools for Stephenson School District. The use of a technology plan is key to the
success of both districts technology upgrades for the short and long-term timeline.






















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References
Not complete
http://www.p12.nysed.gov/facplan/articles/technolo.html
http://www.ukessays.com/essays/education/instructional-technology-plan.php
http://www.greenwichschools.org/page.cfm?p=820
http://www.stephenson.k12.mi.us/TechPlan/TechPlan14.pdf
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/technlgy/te300.htm