National Education Technology Plan

The current administration has set two important goals for education: increase the number of college graduates, and ensure that all high school students graduate ready to succeed in college and careers.* Recognizing that technology is essential to achieving these goals,  The National Education Technology Plan 2010 (NETP) was developed. The NETP includes recommendations in five essential areas: learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure, and productivity.

The NETP plan calls for learning to be transformed. The goal is to utilize technology to create engaging and empowering learning experiences for students of today.  We need to leverage the technology that  is second-nature to our students .

The National Plan also calls for new and better ways to measure what’s happening in education.  Technology-based assessments can be used to measure and improve learning.

Teaching can be improved by utilizing technology to connect teachers, share information, and provide professional development in new and better ways.

Infrastructure needs to be improved in order to make fulfilling the rest of the goals possible. Without strong infrastructure extending not only in the schools, but at home, students will not be able to take advantage of the enriched opportunities.

Finally, technology needs to be leveraged to improve productivity. Following the example of private industries and business, we need to find better, more-efficient ways to perform in every area possible.

***U. S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology. (2010). Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology (National Education Technology Plan 2010 Executive Summary).  Retrieved from http://www.ed.gov/Sites/Default/Files/netp2010-execsumm.pdf

District Technology Plan

The FCC “E-rate” fund was established to help schools and libraries afford telecommunications and internet access. In order to apply, schools or districts must establish a Technology plan that includes goals and strategy for using the technology, a professional development strategy, an assessment of services needed, and an ongoing evaluation process. Previously, a budget resources section was also included, but that requirement has been removed beginning with FY2011.*

The District Technology Plan for Carroll ISD is currently under revision, so the following is a summary of the Keller ISD plan for 2009-2011.** The Keller ISD plan includes clear technology goals that closely mirror the NETP model of learning powered by technology.***  Major strategies include approaches to teaching and learning, professional development, administrative needs, and infrastructure.

For teaching and learning, the district goals include appropriate integration of technology in all subject areas, improving communication with all stakeholders, and compliance with Technology Application TEKS.

Professional development goals include increasing technology literacy skills for all employees, providing opportunities to attend conferences and participate in online learning communities, and mentoring.

Administrative objectives include establishing a comprehensive technology plan, participation across all departments in data-driven planning, utilization of technology for student management, and including the community in planning.

Infrastructure goals include increased network capability, internet connectivity, and exploration of innovative technologies.

The Keller ISD plan lists specific strategies to help reach each of their stated goals and objectives, including the budget plan support the initiatives, timeline, and status. It also includes lists of services and funding needed, and an instrument for tracking status of initiatives. The technology plan is clear and detailed, and, I believe meets the standards requested by the USAC for E-rate applicants. It might be possible to improve the plan by including more assessment information for tracking and evaluating progress toward goals. Currently the status evaluation choices are “in progress” or “completed”.  Breaking down the larger goals to allow closer evaluation of progress would make the plan even more useful.

*Universal Service Administrative Company. (2011). Step 2: Develop a Technology Plan. Retrieved from www.usac.org/sl/applicants/step02

**Keller ISD. (1009).  District Technology Plan. Retrieved from http://www.KellerISD.net/Community/ Technology/Documents/District_Technology_Plan/District_Technology_Plan.pdf

***U. S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology. (2010). Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology (National Education Technology Plan 2010 Executive Summary).  Retrieved from http://www.ed.gov/Sites/Default/Files/netp2010-execsumm.pdf

The Value of Technology Assessment

Technology assessment is necessary, and valuable, but imperfect. Campus, educator, and student assessment tools provide valuable information that is essential for technology planning. Information gathered from each individual assessment, however, should be treated carefully. 

Use of different assessment tools can provide varying results, depending on the wording of questions, the fluctuating attitudes of the persons answering the questions, and the interpretation of the data. A teacher who has had a wonderful day in class, where everything went according to plan, all the technology worked, and students were engaged in learning, would answer assessment questions much more positively than if they had just had a difficult day. In both cases, the planning, preparation, and use of technology would be the same, but the assessment would show different results.

Technology upgrades, although necessary, are another example of when an individual assessment may fall short of an accurate picture. When upgrading there is often a temporary setback in terms of usefulness until the new equipment can be explored and developed.  Anyone who has upgraded to a new phone experiences the same setback for a short time!

Even though a single assessment doesn't always provide an accurate picture of a campus, educator or student, results of assessments viewed over time do provide meaningful information. Assessment results can be used to track trends, provide baselines for comparison, track progress in different areas, and help in planning. Also, the exercise of completing an assessment on a regular basis is valuable. Participating in regular evaluations helps keep the focus on technology goals!