This week I'm working to organize my thoughts and refine my ideas about helping meet the technology needs in our district, starting with the creation of a Technology Integration Plan. Through conversation with our Technology Specialist, I have discovered that our district does not have such a plan and hasn't (to her knowledge) since she joined the district in 2019. In hopes of finding a little direction, I perused our state education website only to find the state is no longer requiring school districts to develop Technology plans. In anticipation of creating a plan from nothing, I searched for and found a Technology Plan from our state ("Oklahoma City Public Schools Technology Plan 2014-2015") for reference. To ascertain the practicality of that document, I am comparing and contrasting the information and framework of that plan with that found in the "District/School Technology Plan Template-Your Blueprint for Success" document.
The Oklahoma City Public Schools (OCPS) Technology Plan identifies 13 specific components that align with the previously required minimum requirements for a good technology plan, as suggested by the Oklahoma State Department of Education:
- Strategies for Improving Academic Achievement and Teacher Effectiveness/Needs Assessment
- Goals
- Steps to Increase Accessibility
- Promotion of Curricula and Teaching Strategies That Integrate Technology
- Professional Development
- Technology Type and Costs/Timeline
- Coordination with Other Resources
- Integration of Technology with Curricula and Instruction
- Innovative Delivery Strategies
- Parental Involvement
- Collaborations with Adult Literacy Programs
- Accountability Measures
- Supporting Resources
The "District/School Technology Plan Template-Your Blueprint for Success" document specifically addresses - Goals
- Professional Development
- Technology Funding (Budget) and Timeline/Schedule
- Coordination of Resources
- Desired Academic Results/Tech Integration into Curriculum
- Methods of Evaluation (Accountability)
Despite looking vastly different, both documents share many of the same focuses. Both plans are multi-year models and include a section where the technology planning committee members are listed (along with their stakeholder role-OKCPS) so it is easy to ensure stakeholders from a wide variety of groups are included in the creation of the plan. They both identify a vision/mission statement that seeks to explain how technology will impact learning in their respective district. They each include clearly defined goals, a section for budget considerations and timelines, and a section for professional development. Additionally, both plans address resources, considerations for tech integration into the curriculum, and accountability.
While the plans appear to be pretty much in line with one another, the OKCPS plan seems to have a broader focus which encompasses strategies for improving academic achievement and teacher effectiveness, as well as parental involvement, steps to increase accessibility, collaboration with other programs, and content delivery strategies. Further, it specifically includes a Needs Assessment and reference to the ISTE standards whereas the District/School Technology Plan Template (DSTPT) does not. Conversely, the DSTPT appears to go into greater detail with regard to certain components, specifically budget items and funding/grant opportunities.
When pondering Ed Tech integration, Gura (2018, p.58) states, "...the most advantageous condition for success and avoidance of counterproductive efforts will involve clarity through common understanding," and I believe this to be true. For that reason, I believe, when developing the framework for my own integration plan, I will use a combination of the two plans I compared/contrasted. The plan will obviously be developed with input from a variety of stakeholders, include a shared vision, contain clearly defined goals, budget and timeline considerations, and address professional development as well as accountability and evaluation considerations.
References:
District/School technology Plan Template-Your Blueprint for Success https://www.uslegalforms.com/jsfiller-desk15/? requestHash=ea0f9346aba2aeac65baa76ba11ac7838e33a36c5dd98504b08aeaeaf20e78ed &ref=https://www.uslegalforms.com&projectId=969677596&loader=tips&replace_gtm=false& et=as#17b242fa7b5745caf30dd1a61265dad2
*(In the vein of complete transparency, I feel like I downloaded and printed this resource from the documents shared on our course BlackBoard. However, when attempting to locate the original source, I came up empty. Therefore, I am crediting the source I found online as above.)
First, I really love that you searched for something in your state that you wanted to see especially since here in Oklahoma is not requiring districts to have them at this point in time. I am similar to you as it took me awhile to find our over 10 year plan!! I did look at the OKC Public Schools plan and the Moore Public Schools plan because I know they both were investing time and resources into technology. I liked the OKC plan a lot especially because you knew who was working on things and that they valued input from the community. They also want to make resources available to all in their district. I liked a lot of ideas in there. I really look forward to seeing what you come up with!
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