Gearing Up for Technology Planning
Small schools derive strength from their uniqueness, from the initiative of their teachers, and from the engagement of their students. Small school educators value independence, but pay for that freedom with extra work organizing and coordinating efforts that would otherwise be the responsibility of a central office.
Technology planning is a function which need not, and should not, reside at a district level, when each school has a different culture and vision. Not every school will use technology in the same way, even if general categories of use may be standard or borrowed from existing plans. If use determines deployment (and it should), school technology planning is properly located at the faculty level than with district administrators or equipment vendors.
However, the task of technology planning is an education in itself, and not to be entered into lightly. It is an opportunity for teacher and student empowerment, but also for frustration and failure. A "teacher-friendly" approach to the process can help get the novices and the "techies" onto the same page, providing the tools and tips they need.
The Risk of Technology Planning
Schools have a history of planning initiatives falling flat. Inadequate funding, lack of follow-through, and changing priorities can all derail efforts. Four factors are central to small school technology planning:
* The support of an administrator with the ability to direct funding and sanction time
* The empowered commitment of a technology planning committee that represents the faculty well
* The effective use of an intranet to make the process efficient and transparent
* The advice of a technology integration expert who is not trying to sell the school equipment or software
Infrastructure on a Budget
Not all aspects of technology planning require faculty direction or even input. Two prior infrastructures, power and data, are best done as part of school construction or renovation. It is very difficult, and expensive, to change these fundamentals midstream. However, even a school with a low student to computer ratio and few classroom computers can accomplish a great deal, providing that teachers make use of new Web technologies for teaching and learning and ensure all students have home Internet access.
Open source software makes it possible to use extra equipment for classroom and home computing, as long as schools have the power and data infrastructure (and space and furniture). With the creative use of students and volunteers to help support the initiative, computer labs and classroom clusters can provide rich environments for teaching and learning with current tools, and access the world beyond school walls.
However, a teacher with a digital projector and a website where students can log in from home is much easier to create and support, and can be just as transformative for the teaching and learning process.
Preparing for Planning
School technology planning can (and should) be incremental, giving faculty and staff time to learn about their own needs and what works best in their particular setting as they make broader and more costly decisions. It is not necessary to draft a long and detailed document before purchasing initial levels of infrastructure and equipment, following an "action research" effort than a "master plan."
The first stage in small democratic school technology planning is gearing up for the job: getting a team ready to work, plan and learn together as they develop a sense of how to best work together and master the issues.
Preparing for a Participatory Planning Culture
Technology plans should reflect the unique culture and aims of each school. The technical and management expertise for technology planning can be learned on the job, and early mistakes need not be costly or final. The important thing is to consciously eschew the traditional bureaucracy of schooling and become a "learning organization" capable of moving incrementally and responding to the mid-course corrections.
Required Research
Putting technology to work in a school setting requires a Research and Development (R&D) approach. The R&D phase (called "Action Research" by some) should be chartered ("we're going to spend some time figuring out what works here") and honored (sharing results in mini-conferences with stakeholders).
A Teacher R&D Lab
R&D traditionally takes place in "labs," places set up for design and experimentation. A good lab has high-end equipment, appropriate tools (for configuring, fixing, replacing equipment), and resident technicians who can help new users learn to operate the equipment.
To support technology planning, designate regular hours for a "computer lab" to be set aside for teachers who want to explore teaching with technology together. Set this space aside a few afternoons a week where teachers (and invited students!) can work together in relaxed and informally focused way. If there are Internet filters that prevent access to blogs, forums, and other Web 2.0 technologies, find a way to disable them for this space during this time.
Coaching the Planning Team
Any significant change initiative, no matter how appropriate it may be to a given setting in theory, will fail without the concerted effort to make time and place for it. Regular meetings and designated team member roles (with attention to leadership, communication, and data keeping) can maintain focus and intention.
A purely ad hoc or reactive approach to technology implementation ("squeaky wheel gets the grease") can be wasteful and frustrating, and it is not the same as a planning process. For the faculty and staff of small schools, this isn't news, and it is as true of technology integration as it is of curriculum planning.
It's also important for the process to be enjoyable, that an efficient and pleasant collaborative culture develop among this group. Teachers must be capable of restraint as well as action. There is often pressure to rush out and buy equipment to get things going, when funds might have been better spent later on as needs became more obvious.
This article is courtesy of The Empowered Teacher, www.empowered-teacher.com.
