Six-Step Process in Creating a Technology Plan Step 2

Six-Step Process in Creating a Technology Plan

Step 2: Technology Mission Statement

	1 Getting Started
6 Disseminate, Monitor, and Evaluate the Technology Plan		2 Technology Mission Statement

5 Develop and Implement Action Plans and Timelines		3 Current Technology Raw Data and Analyze Data
	4 Goals and Objectives

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

GUIDING QUESTIONS

RESOURCES

DOWNLOADABLE TEMPLATES

SCORING GUIDE

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INTRODUCTION

The Mission Statement Everett Loughridge, Belton School District

Technology plans usually cover a time-period of three to five years. These plans must dovetail with all other district and individual building plans that will impact upon the action plans laid out in the technology plan. Technology plans must reflect the assessed and defined needs of the student learners, the teaching and support staffs, and administrators. Resource distribution and use and technical support must also be addressed in the technology plan. A technology plan must be realistic and attainable with flexibility for redirection or change when circumstance dictates such action.

It has been said that a functional technology plan must be viewed as a VERB, and not just a NAMING NOUN. Noun only TECH plans generally reside in the dark reaches of file cabinets, or on bookshelves gathering dust. They remain inert because they are ineffectual in helping those involved with technology to make sound technology decisions on a day-to-day basis. Inert TECH plans tend to say one thing while decisions relating to technology go in a different direction without any explanation.

Technology planning, like all planning processes, must have a starting point and a well-defined point of focus. The starting point for a meaningful school district or building technology plan must be a clear statement of mission.

There are many definitions of a mission statement. It should suffice here to say that the mission statement is a clear, concise statement of what the district and its schools are all about. It’s the organization’s reason for being in the educational business. It is its charter. It must fully reflect the beliefs and vision for the organization. A mission statement is a formal expression of the inalienable educational beliefs, convictions, values, and commitments of a group or organization. It is the anchor for all programs and initiatives of the organization. Goals, objectives, and action plans (tasks and functions) must flow naturally out of the formal mission statement. Technology plans that dovetail clearly with the organization’s overall mission ensure that technology actions happen for a purpose, and are not executed as knee-jerk happenings. Everyone involved with technology must understand the game plan: what, who, why, how, and when of the plan, and how things are intended to unfold over the duration of the plan. Plans that lack a solid technology mission statement tend to fall apart during implementation.

You may have heard the phrase: "Plan the work and work the plan". This really does work, but first you must produce a good, solid plan. Technology plans are no exception. In the greater scheme of organizational planning and development, the five Technology Focus Areas (TFAs) must be used to reflect a mission that is realistic, doable and better than the present.

I suggest that you get a couple of well-developed mission statements from other districts and use them as a launching pad for developing your own. Your technology team should include representatives from all levels (K-12), students, teaching and support staff, parents and other community stakeholders. Let them help you in the process of developing your statement for the technology plan so they will all buy into the plan and be committed in making it work.

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CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

GUIDING QUESTIONS

RESOURCES

DOWNLOADABLE TEMPLATES

SCORING GUIDE

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GUIDING QUESTIONS

What is the role of technology in fulfilling the district’s mission statement and Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (CSIP)?
Why and how could technology help students learn?
Have appropriate samples of mission statements been identified and reviewed?
How will technology be used to reflect a future that is realistic, doable, and better than the present in terms of the five Technology Focus Areas (TFAs)?

Student learning (includes technology skills)

Teacher preparation and delivery of instruction

Administration/data management/communication processes

Resource distribution and use

Technical support

Does the technology mission statement include both instructional and administrative components?
Is there appropriate expertise to facilitate the development of the technology mission statement or has a resource been identified to assist with this process?
Based on state, local, and national initiatives what emerging technologies should be included in the three to five year plan?

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RESOURCES

Technology Planning Guides

Basic Principles of Technology Planning. North Central Regional Technology in Education (NCRTEC) Consortium, North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL).

Education Leadership Tool Kit: Change and Technology in America’s Schools. National School Boards Foundation, National School Boards Association.