Technology & Learning - May 2008 - (Page 29)

Sponsored by: About the Fundamentals of K-12 Technology Programs Brought to you by Technology & Learning and sponsored by HP, this new series will cover the educational technology topics that matter most to the profession’s leaders, practitioners, and innovators. Look for the other issues, where we will address these key subjects: • Anytime, Anywhere Learning • Security • Money Matters • Educational Technology Leadership • 21st Century Learning and Assessment Infrastructure and networkIng The Backbone of Educational Technology Programs As districts develop educational computing initiatives, they have to create a vision and plan for the infrastructure needed to support the program. This infrastructure consists of the technical foundation and support needed to establish and maintain an effective digital learning environment. It includes not just the notebooks used by students and staff but also the networking capacity, servers, storage, and human support. The technical and human infrastructures are critical components for making any technology implementation successful. Vision Whether your school or district’s vision is to implement a few notebooks or a full-scale one-to-one computing program, it’s important to work with key stakeholders to agree on the short and long-term vision for your technology program. Identifying what you are trying to achieve and why it’s important will help you align your tactical plan with specific details and timelines. As you determine your vision, the stakeholders will represent all of the perspectives of your learning environment—high-level IT decision makers, administrators, instructional technologists, teachers, school board members, and students. All bring important points of view to the vision and planning process. With all voices considered, you are more likely to garner support throughout the planning and implementation process. You will also be able to articulate your vision and goals more clearly and concisely. Plan This planning team should determine the overall expectations for technology in the classrooms, administrative offices and across the school or district overall. The technology must support the vision, which means that planners should establish the process and timetable for acquiring, deploying, and providing access to technology for intended users. They should plan strategies for implementing technology to meet classroom and administrative needs and that support the organization’s overall vision. • Professional Development • Strategic Data Management & Decision Support • Mobility Solutions • New Tools for Learning For more information, go to http://www.techlearning.com/K12/Fundamentals http://www.guide2digitallearning.com Elements of Infrastructure Planning • Establish clear goals and a realistic strategy for using technology to improve instruction and administration in the education organization. • Assess the hardware, software, networking, human resources, and financial resources needed to improve education and administrative services. • Provide for a sufficient budget and schedule to acquire, maintain, and secure the hardware, software and related issues (e.g., training) that will be needed to implement the strategy. • Strategize to accommodate the evolutionary issue of security. • Address interoperability and flexibility by making sure the deployment adheres to industry standards, not a sole source solution. • Create a professional development strategy to ensure staff members know how to use these new technologies. • Establish an evaluation process that enables the organization to monitor progress toward the specified goals, and make midcourse corrections in response to new developments and opportunities as they arise. Special Section of Technology & Learning 1 http://www.techlearning.com/K12/Fundamentals http://www.guide2digitallearning.com

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Technology & Learning - May 2008 Contents New@techlearning.com Editor’s Desk News and Trends E-Learning Gets Real Cover Story: Make Students Info Literate School CIO Product Guide Reviews Best of the Blogs What’s New LOY Profile Series

Technology & Learning - May 2008

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