This weeks reading response will have several components to it.

Part I: Technology Plan Analysis

Not all technology plans are created equal. For the first part of your assignment, you will obtain
a copy of your schools technology plan (and if you are not in a school or your school does not
have a technology plan, find a technology plan available online) and evaluate it based on this
rubric. For each criterion where possible, use evidence to support your rubric value selection. Be
sure in your response to include a link to the plan you evaluated. If the plan is unavailable in an
online format, you can upload the file to your blog and post it there.
Criterion
Executive Summary

Exceeds

Meets

Does Not Meet

Exceeds - Identifies clearly and concisely for the reader the vision, mission,
goals and objectives, background, findings, issues, conclusions, and
recommendations of the technology plan.
The executive summary is clearly identifies the four main areas of focus for this
Technology Plan: learning community, staff development, administrative
technology and technical services. (2)

Identifies
Contributors and
Stakeholder Groups

Membership list has

complete description of
constituencies and
stakeholder groups. All
areas are equitably
represented.

Membership list is
provided and describes
constituencies
represented.

Membership is not listed

or is inadequate to
determine representation
of stakeholder groups.

Vision Statement

Meets -Vision statement provides adequate description of how technology will

improve learning but instructional outcomes not fully addressed.
While the plan clearly states its vision for the use of technology it does not
complete address the learning outcomes of their goals. In their statement, they
are focused on students and teachers having access to appropriate technology
such as classroom labs, libraries, and offices, using both desktop computers
and mobile devices (3). However they do not focus on how these should be
implemented in the classroom and what they expect their staff and students to
learn about the technology implemented by the program. They mention that
they expect their staff and students to use appropriate technology as one of
the tools for teaching and learning (3). The only goals that mentions mentions
understanding focuses in the Districts policies and guidelines for digital
citizenship, which I do not consider a learning outcome because in the majority
of schools, staff and students must sign a waiver stating that they acknowledge
and will follow the technology policies put in place by the District, regardless
of the amount of technology available.

Mission Statement

Meets - Mission statement addresses learning outcomes but provides limited

information about what, why, and for whom the school or district is doing the
plan.
The Mission Statement really borderlines between Exceeds and Meets
expectations as it makes their goal to create individuals who are effective and
independent contributors in a democratic society and an interdependent
world. (1) However, it does not explicitly say how they will include technology
into these goals.
Goals

Exceeds -Goals are broad, comprehensive and realistic in addressing teaching

and learning needs. Goals clearly answer the questions: Who? What? By when?
By how much? According to which instrument?
The goals and expectations are broken down by school level and then by grade
level and/or content area and are based off of the ISTE National Educational
Technology Standards. They are clearly stated, but offer enough room for
teachers to have creative freedom with their projects and how to implement the
goals. This district is utilizing a 1:1 program that slowly builds up the student
and staffs experience with using instructional technology, while teaching
students how to use a variety of programs for future projects and classwork and
life skills management.
On the Elementary level, the goals are organized by the ISTE goals and grade
level. For each section they state how the technology should be used and what
learning skills should be addressed, but are open enough that the teacher can
interpret and use them the best way to address her students needs and abilities.
These skills include using technology for letter recognition development,
drawing and creativity, and basic computer skills such as turning on the
computer, using the keyboard efficiently, and saving documents.
The Middle School's goals are called CHOICE goals which aim to help
students develop their digital portfolio, their knowledge of different programs,
and how to incorporate technology independently to become more well
rounded students. The goals are broken down by content area and are applied
to all grade levels. To help the teachers meet these goals the district allows
them to use the programs Schoolwires, Edmodo, and Google Drive to allow
teachers to extend classroom instruction beyond the schools day. (13) The
goals for English, Health, Mathematics, and Science all include goals that
utilize Google Documents and collaboration between the teacher and students.
It also includes using different applications, websites, and programs that are
specific to their content areas such as using Sibelius software for Music
Exploration.
Goals for the High School are broken down similarly to the Middle school, by
content, but their goals include more focus on the student's individual use of
technology and research. The majority of the goals of each subject focus on
gathering, organizing, and analyzing data using spreadsheets, databases,
graphing programs, and simulations. The skills that the students develop from
freshman year to senior year also focus on how to organize their lives outside
of school as their social study classes eventually turn to economics and the

learn to build a financial portfolio, create and manage budgets with

technology, and complete tax reports. The final goal of implementing
technology in the high school is to prepare the students for life outside of
school.
Objectives

Meets -Provides most of the objectives. Some objectives may not be readily
attainable or measurable.
While the objectives and goals are clearly outlined for each grade level or
content area, the plan does not clearly state how these goals will be measured.
For school, it simply states that the building principal or department chairs
will prepare a report each summer that summarizes progress with
competencies (29). It does not say how this data will be collected or what
evidence must be provided by the teachers. The goals and objectives set up on
the plan are incredibly realistic and manageable with all the technical support
the staff will be receiving, but there is no clear statement on how or what kind
of data will be collected to make certain these goals are met.

Needs Assessment

Assessment is
comprehensive and
contains detailed
information from
hardware resources,
technology needs
assessment and
Maturity Model
Benchmark surveys;
identifies use by
students and staff, and
training received and
desired.

Technology has been

assessed and analyzed,
but may not include
summaries of
information from all
elements in the
technology surveys.

Needs Assessment is
absent, incomplete

General Issues

Clearly addresses
issues of: staff
development, technical
support, technology
standards; student
access to computers;
integrating new with
old technologies;
capacity of present
facilities to
accommodate new
technologies; how
technology resources
and budget will be
distributed among
schools for equitable
access; how needs of
students with

Adequately addresses
most, but not all, of the
most significant issues.

General issues missing or

very incomplete; difficult
to understand

disabilities or limited
English proficiency
will be addressed;
student access to
computers; integrating
new with old
technologies; capacity
of present facilities to
accept new
technologies, etc.
Conclusions and
Recommendations

Clearly identifies the

most important needs
and challenges
confronting the school
or district and
recommends the
projects and steps to be
taken to achieve the
vision. Conclusions are
strong and relevant.

Conclusions and
recommendations are
adequately justified
although the basis of
some conclusions not
entirely clear.

Conclusions and
recommendations are
missing or are not
adequately justified
based on the information
gathered in planning
process.

Acceptable Use
Policy

Describes policies that

are needed to ensure
proper use of the
technology resources
(e.g., guidelines,
software and facilities
use policies, parental
consent for Internet
use, etc.) Includes wellwritten draft of
Acceptable Use Policy.

Provides an adequate
description of the most
relevant policy issues.
Includes an adequate
draft of Acceptable Use
Policy.

Policy issues are absent,

incomplete, or difficult to
understand; lack of
Acceptable Use Policy
draft.

Technology and
Learning Statement

Provides clear and

strong description of
how technology is
currently used in
learning environment
and ways it will be
used to achieve
instructional outcomes;
describes how
technology will
enhance curriculum
and teaching and
learning strategies; is
tightly coupled to other
reform efforts;
indicates what students

Provides overview of the

current and future use of
technology in enhancing
the teaching-learning
process for students.
Little detail on how
technology will be
integrated into learning
and curriculum.

Technology and Learning

statement absent or
provides incomplete
information on the
current use or future role
of technology in the
school or district and
how it will enhance
learning

will do environment.
Technology
Standards,
Requirements, and
Models for
Technology and
Learning

Provides clear and

comprehensive
description of the
capabilities of
hardware and learning
environments. It
identifies minimum
standards and
requirements for
computer hardware,
software, and
connectivity; describes
the types of learning
environments that
currently exist and
those to be created by
the plan..

Provides general
description of hardware,
software and
connectivity standards
and requirements.
Although clear, may miss
some information
elements.

Technology standards,
requirements and models
are missing, incomplete,
or vague

Staff Development

Exceeds - Clearly describes current and needed technology competencies;

Describes how plan will take teachers and other staff from present level of
technology competency and knowledge to the level of skill required in the plan;
describes staff development strategies and recommendations for incentives and
professional development resources.
The explanation for professional development is clear, regardless of its lack of
mention in the earlier portions of this document. It is broken down into
individualized training, staff workshops, teacher consultations, and collegial
coaching. The computer teachers within the school are the primary agents of
staff development and they will conduct the majority of staff development,
workshops, and individual support. (30) It also goes to define and explain the
difference between staff development and individual support. It goes to explain
that staff development is about addressing broad based issues and tasks that
address incorporating technology with the curriculum. Individual support is
based on the individual needs. The

Technical Support

Provides clear and

comprehensive
requirements and plans
for services available
and needed to support
technology use
(network, computer and
software support).

Provides adequate but

not comprehensive
description of technical
support requirements and
services.

Technology support is
absent or provides vague
or little information on
technical support
requirements for plan

Projects, Budgets,
and Timelines

Provides a prioritized
list of major tech plan
projects, tasks and
timelines. Provides

Provides most, but not

all, of the project,
timelines, and budget
estimate information.

Projects, budgets, or
timelines missing;
provides vague or little
information on project,

budget summary
estimate of capital
expenses (hardware,
software, facilities,
infrastructure, staff
development, tech
support, etc.) Identifies
possible alternative
funding resources.
Projects, timelines, and
budgets are realistic
and consistent with
plan goals and
objectives.
Clarity of Writing

Appears to be generally
consistent with plan
goals.

budgets, or timelines;
projects appear not
relevant to plan goals;
budget estimates appear
incongruent with plan or
unrealistic;

Exceeds - Writing is concise and clear; uses active voice when appropriate. No
misspelling, grammar, or punctuation mistakes evident.
The writing within this document is clear, propriate, and is accessible for
readers who have a minimal understanding of technology. The language is
clear and precise so that it is easy to understand the districts goals, vision, and
how they plan to implement technology.

After completing your rubric, answer the following questions:

What are the biggest positives and negatives about the existing plan?
One of the biggest negatives about this plan is the lack of the full
Acceptable Use Policy, which outlines how teachers and students should
appropriately use technology. I think it is important to include the full policy
within the Technology Plan so the reader can understand exactly how the
Technology can be appropriately used.
The biggest positive about this existing plan is that it is well
organized and the language is easy to understand, which makes it accessible to
everyone, even those who do not have a lot of experience with technology.
What changes would you make to the plan?
The vision statement in the beginning of the Technology PLan
should include learning outcomes for students and staff. It should state what
knowledge the intend to give the staff so the teachers can make an educated
decision on what technology they would like to include in their curriculum and at
least have a basic acknowledged about what is offered. There should also be a
statement on what they expect to know about the different types of technology and
their programs and how to access and apply them to their learning. Teaching a
class the basics of accessing a widely used program within the district should not
completely fall on the shoulders of the teachers attempting to implement it into
their classroom. Students should have the basic acknowledge of what the
technology/program is, how to sign in and access the materials, and what its
purpose is; anything more advanced, including how it will be implemented in the
classroom, should then fall onto the teacher who has had training.

 On the whole, do you feel that this plan accomplishes its goal?
On a whole, I think that his plan accomplishes the goal of a
comprehensive technology plan. The plans mission statement and goals are
detailed, but do not the whole plan justice. For example, when first reading the
vision statements and goals of the plan, there is no mention of staff development
or the learning outcomes. However, when you read further into the document the
planning for staff development and the student and staff learning outcomes are
clearly detailed.
Part II: The Times They Are A-Changin (or maybe not)
Read the following article: Developing Effective Technology Plans by John See from the
Minnesota Department of Education. This article was published in 1992 when I was still a
sophomore in High School!!! Answer the following questions:
What pieces of this article are still applicable now to what current technology
plans need?
Technology plans should be reviewed every year during budget
reviews to make sure the school doesnt become locked into a plan or does not
have enough money to accomplish the plans goals
Technology plans should focus on what the goals are for the staff
and students and how they will incorporate the technology, not just on what new
gadgets will be bought
The real question always must be, what applications of
technology are available that will help our students, staff, and administration work
smarter, not harder?
You cannot just focus on computers when creating a technology
plan. Technology plans need to incorporate different types of technology to be a
comprehensive plan
Need to include technology across all curriculum, not just for the
technology classes/rooms
Need staff development that educates staff on how to use, access,
and incorporate technology into their classes
What pieces of this article no longer apply to developing modern tech plans for
school districts?
Technology plans now span for 2-5 years as there is usually a 5
year turnover rate for technology now