Chapter 1
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Case Study
Reflections from an Assistant Superintendent in California
Tech plans will change over the years. One of the most important aspects that organizations need to understand in determining their tech plan is to be aware of the elements that will be included in the tech plan itself. This may sound like reasonable advice. But consider that as our district began to look at our own tech plans, the county began to change the recommendations and requirements of the written tech plan and we had to rewrite ours in the middle of the year! The first thing is to go to an expert who knows the requirements. There are different funds that go in to the making of a tech plan. If a smaller district writes a 50-page tech plan, for instance, and ends up getting a smaller amount, then it’s best to understand what you are going to get from it. Writing a tech plan is very complicated so you’ll need to contact someone from the state or someone from the county office to move this along.
I just don’t think it’s wise to simply write a tech plan. We need to go in and say what is this a requirement for? This will determine what angle you’ll put on it. The U.S. Department of Education is working on strengthening things they will offer and things they will cut, so you really need to understand why you are writing it. This may be a complicated way to start, but you don’t want to start on your tech plan and realize you don’t need a big curriculum piece or a large budget piece. Unfortunately, all states are different; but it’s best to have as many advocates on your side. I think people don’t start there, however. I’ve seen individuals just start writing the plan. They need to be more aware of why they’re writing it and what it’s going to get them or what it’s not going to get them.
It’s also important to have all stakeholders at the beginning of the process when starting your tech plan. That should include someone at the district level, site level and include a teacher and a curriculum designer. Technical aspects are going to be just as important as curriculum. These two things need to bridge.
Finally, a self-evaluation of what is already in place is necessary. The idea of iPads may be nice for every student. But this may not necessarily serve the needs of the students very well, but a different need altogether. So a needs assessment is critical. The biggest premise of the tech plan, and what we may have lost sight of a little bit, is that it must be for learning. Just having a laptop for very child may look good; but answering the question of what do we want students to learn is even more important.
Source: Judith Arrow is the director of educational services at Dixie School District and is the assistant superintendent of educational services of the Marin County Office of Education, approximately 20 miles north of San Francisco. In this capacity, she oversees all technology plans written in Marin County, ultimately serving over 30,000 students. The Dixie Elementary School is a National Blue Ribbon School and a California Distinguished School.