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Any serious discussion of the concept of technology use planning seems to include several recurring themes: rethink, revise, vision, future, fluid, goal, ongoing, etc. This is because technology use planning involves much more than implementing an ad hoc solution to an immediate technology problem, or a static document with permanent objectives, but rather a focused, comprehensive approach which articulates a clearly defined goal, and a detailed approach on how to achieve that goal, while also considering the ever-changing nature of the field.
This week’s assignment focused on several excellent resources discussing this topic. Perhaps the most prominent was the National Education Technology Plan 2010 (NETP). The document “presents a model of learning powered by technology, with goals and recommendations in five essential areas”. Those areas include:
- Learning: Engage and Empower
- Assessment: Measure what Matters
- Teaching: Prepare and Connect
- Infrastructure: Access and Enable
- Productivity: Redesign and Transforming
I believe this document would be an excellent resource for technology use planning because of the very nature of the document’s intended audience. Because of the autonomy of the states, the federal U.S. Department of Education makes a variety of recommendations, however it leaves the specific details of implementation up to the states themselves. This is critical, as we have seen that it is important to consider concepts related to the digital divide and digital inequality in any plan to implement technology in education. The demographics of the states are varied, and so I think that the NETP is valuable in that it can be applied to a wide range of situations, whether it be at a state government level, or even in the private sector.
It was remarkable reading See’s article “Developing Effective Technology Plans”. Written in 1992, his core concepts were, and still are, an accurate methodology for implementing technology plans. I agree with See’s assertion that technology plans should be limited in scope, that effective technology plans are short term, not long term” at least in terms of making specific recommendations that would limit acquisitions to current technology. However, I think it is also wise to have longer term goals for specific items such as, for example, budget considerations; if a company is projected to grow by a certain percentage over the next few years, funding can be appropriated without limiting spending to specific technologies which may become outdated. However, as stated earlier, any plan for technology use needs to be a living, breathing plan, so to speak, so it could also be a worthwhile endeavor to make long-term suggestions, with the requirement that the recommendations be regularly re-evaluated.
I also generally agree with See’s statement that “effective technology plans focus on applications, not technology”. One of the thoughts I have been considering throughout this course is the relationship between “can” and “should” when it comes to implementing technology. Thus, consistent with See’s recommendation, any solution should start with a goal in mind, and any proposal to meet that goal should consider all possible methods, with the best solutions being made because they are the best solutions for the problem, not because they happen to be at the cutting edge of technology. I also appreciated his wisdom in that technology needs to be integrated into subject matter and not merely taught on its own. As See so eloquently stated, “Do we have classes called “pencil?” Then why do we have classes called “computer literacy?”
In my own field of work, I have had limited experience with making large scale technology recommendations. However, in my current school, I recently became a member of our school’s first Technology focus group. At our first meeting, we were asked to create a vision statement, and begin to draft 30, 60, and 90 day goals. In light of this week’s assignment, it is interesting to note that our team has already unknowingly begun by starting with a goal in mind, and having short term goals. I am looking forward to sharing some of the excellent resources that I was introduced to in this week’s assignment.
References
See, J. (1992). Developing effective technology plans. The Computing Teacher,19(8).
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology. (2010). Transforming American education: Learning powered by technology. Washington, D.C.
AECT Standards
This artifact conforms to the AECT Standard 3: Utilization, 3.4 Policies and Regulations, in that I was able to discuss a selection of policies and regulations that are used to influence educational technology, including the NETP.
Michael Reaves 
Michael,
I liked your post, it was very clear and easy to read and you cover the key concepts very well. I hope that now that your on the technology committee your insight and understanding from this lesson will help your school do a good job at implementing technology into thw classroom.
Good work..
T
Great learning post Michael! It looks like you met all the requirements for the rubric. The only thing I might add would be a link to the NETP and the articles you used in your learning post. I Your introduction has a great description of Technology Use Planning focusing on goal setting and reaching that goal. I also enjoyed your idea on can vs. should, I hadn’t really thought of technology in those terms but it fits perfectly. I think it is great that you are involved in a technology focus group and that this assignment will help you in your group. Great job!
Michael, your learning log post is right on target. Not only did you meet all aspects of the rubric (Description, discussion, well arranged, properly formatted, image, solid grammar, APA, and AECT standards) but you also explained technology use planning very well. You effectively summarized the readings and made their purpose very clear.
You said that your group was focusing on the application without actually thinking directly about the application. I think that it comes naturally when you have people who have worked in planning for a number of years. This is the point that we need to get to, collectively, but articles like See’s help individuals conceptualize the need for planning with a goal in mind, otherwise you end up with ineffective use of resources.
Great post, keep up the good work Michael.
I enjoyed reading your post Michael! Even though you have not had too much experience with technology use, it seems that you are on the path towards gaining quite a bit of experience. I believe that you have met all of the requirements for this assignment based on the rubric provided.