Planning to Improve

Creating the Vision

Envisioned Future –Part 1 is for describing a long-term goal, or envisioned future, that the organization desires to achieve. It is not a mission statement, but should align to the organization’s mission.  The envisioned future is an overarching long-term goal that will take many, many years to achieve.  It is where the organization wants to go — that which the organization aspires to become, to achieve, to create through systemic integration of ICT (information and communication technologies).  The more concise the statement, the easier it is to focus actions.

Developing an envisioned future for educational technology empowers every level of the system to focus efforts and resources toward the desired state.  This is the “target” that all other aspects of the plan should aim toward. It is therefore important that representatives from all stakeholder groups participate in creating the envisioned future.

Parts 2 and 3 will detail actions in several areas that focus efforts and resources toward the desired change.  Actions should be achievable in 1-3 years.

Actions/Strategies/Goals

Learning and Instruction – Today’s educators need to provide a learning environment that takes students beyond the walls of their classrooms and into a world of endless opportunities.  Technology promotes this transformation through integral digital-age resources for both the learner and the instructor.  Actions planned in Part 2 may also align to the organization’s continuous school improvement plan.

• Student Learning and Productivity:  Actions in this section should focus on creating the envisioned future relative to enhancing student learning and productivity.

• Curriculum and Instructional Practices:  Actions in this section should focus on creating the envisioned future relative to the teaching environment, multimodal delivery of curriculum, and effective instructional practices.

Actions in Part 2 requiring a supportive action can be tagged providing a heads-up to one or more of the support systems in Part 3.  The support system(s) indicated will see a copy of the Learning and Instruction action and must include its own action in response.

Systems, Services and Supports

For technology planning purposes systems, services, and supports are defined as “activities or functions required for successful completion of an educational process, program, or project.”  Actions to meet the envisioned future can be independently defined to the functional areas, or be a requisite-action to one identified in Part 2: Learning and Instruction.  Address Erate-specific technology plan requirements in this section. Functional areas include:

• Core Applications and Information Systems:  Actions in this section center around applications (software and hardware) within the organization that support the storage, retrieval and maintenance of systems supporting the instructional and administrative services within the organization. Examples:  Student Information system, HR/Financial systems, Learning Management System; and includes backup and recovery for business and learning continuity.

• Telecommunications Systems and Services:   These are the facilities for sending and receiving information such as sound, visual images, or computer data over distances through the use of electrical, radio, or light signals, using electronic devices to encode the information as signals, and to decode the signals as information.  Actions in this section focus on all systems (infrastructure, software and hardware) that provide communications services of the organization (voice and data transport, email, networking, and Internet).

• Professional Development:  Building capacity at all levels of the organization will assure that the investment in technology is achieving its fullest potential. Actions in this section should engage all aspects of the organization including both certified and professional staff.