Module 10: Assessing Your School's Needs

In this section:

Define the Present
Plot a Path.
Three Reality Checks

 

Define the Present

Just as we asked questions of major stake holders in Session 4, we will ask questions here, but slightly different questions so that we can deepen our knowledge of the present status of technology use in your school(s).

In order to set realistic objectives and make solid plans for the future, you need to have a very detailed picture of where things stand now. We're going to do this in terms of specific success factors that help -- or hinder -- technology integration. Once you know where folks would like to be (the possibilities) and where they are (the present) we can establish a plan to get from the present to the possibilities (the path).

Just as you scurried about getting input from a number of sources for your vision -- the possibilities -- you'll want to consult multiple sources about how they presently use technology. In fact, you'll want to talk with many of the same folks (sources), such as teachers, students, parents, and so forth, as you did in Session 4.

In the Apply section you'll ask real people some real questions, so just mull over those success factors and think about how you and the folks with whom you work use technology and how they see the path to the future.

Plot a Path

There are two steps to plotting a path (pun intended).

Is the road clear ahead?

You can look at path finding as either clearing barriers to successful technical integration, or as forging a path for you to speed technical integration along on, depending on your situation. In reality, you'll probably need to do a little of both barrier clearing and path forging.

If your school has a history with technology, then you may find that you need to clear existing barriers. If this is all new to you and your school, you still need to anticipate potential barriers. But, hey, instead of calling them barriers, let's call them "success factors." Yeah, that's the spirit. Half full, half empty, you know?

Success Factors:

We've done a little reading in the literature about technology integration and discovered that there are about eight things you need to pay attention to if you want to ensure success with technology integration in your school. Here's a description of four of the success factors (we'll look into the other four in Session 11). After we go over these four success factors, you'll be asking your sources about them in the Apply section.

Staff Development and Technical Support

Great change requires great help and lots of support because it changes teaching. That takes time and effort. Schools going through this change will, not might, need support from professionals both within and without your organization. Throwing a bunch of computers at a school without also providing training and several types of support along with them can create big problems, frustration, and a bunch of nice, new, shiny, and totally useless computers. With respect to staff development, research reveals some surprising facts.

Studies show that teachers learn the most about computers by teaching themselves. After self study, learning is most effective in diminishing order, by: conferences and workshops on their own time, local university courses, district courses out service, peer instruction, and on site consultants. Basically, the ideal situation would be to give teachers computers to take home and free classes if they need them. In reality, examples of staff development include weekly software, hardware, and curriculum workshops and courses for slow integration. Another approach is to train a few teachers very thoroughly and ask them to teach and mentor others. No matter what strategy you decide on, it is very important to customize it to the specific needs and interests of individual teachers.

Technical Support can come in many flavors as well. Sometimes groups of teachers band together and provide support for each other. At other times, outside consultants, company representatives, or even -- you! -- could provide support. The most important thing about support is that there is some. Frustrated teachers have to have a place to call with a person on the other end who will listen. In other words, addressing the technical problem is less important than addressing the human problem first.

Availability of Technology

Access to technology is directly related to quality and quantity of use, and lack thereof is cited by many teachers as the main reason they don't use technology. Buying enough computers is, of course, essential, but what is also important is making access hours as broad as possible, especially considering the findings on the value of self study for teachers. More and more schools are loaning teachers computers to take home during breaks.

Students also need flexible access. While some may have computers at home, others may not and this puts students at very different levels of need.

The bottom line on accessibility is that people need time to fool around with new technology and teach themselves at their own pace.

 

Facilities and Maintenance

This is the factor most often overlooked -- to the frustration of teachers and students and the dismay of those responsible for facilities and maintenance.

Awhile back we consulted with a group of teachers and technology coordinators at a nearby district who were busy planning how to use some money they had just acquired for technology. They were excitedly planning how they and their students would use the six new computers each of their classrooms would receive with the new funds.

Excitedly, that is, until we asked how many electrical outlets they had in their rooms. A sudden hush fell over the group. Then after some hasty conversation they came to the realization that most of them wouldn't even be able to plug their new computers in. A quick calculation revealed that the amount of money it would take to wire their classrooms (forget networking for the moment) would put a serious dent in the amount they could spend on computers, software, training, and so forth.

Fortunately, they were still early enough in their planning process that they could start looking for additional funds to provide the infrastructure they would need. But if they hadn't thought of this until the boxes of hardware and software were sitting in their classrooms, and they had developed their curriculum, they would be feeling mighty low!

Of course, there is more to think about than just electrical outlets and networking. What happens when computers break? Do you have an adequate repair facility or contract to get them back online quickly? What about cleaning, routine maintenance and security? What about software licences, security, and upgrades? Do you have adequate furniture to meet ergonomic standards? Are staff trained to do what they need to do?

You'll want to take all these into consideration as you build your plan -- and plan your budget!

 

Assessment

Another bit that often slips through the cracks is assessment, meaning two things: 1) how will you assess success or failure of the technology plan as a whole, and 2) related to that, how will you assess student outcomes with respect to the new modes of teaching and learning that teachers will begin developing as they use technology more and more in their curriculum?

Let's unpack the latter point first. As teachers begin to use technology in their curriculum, they find they have more suppot for teaching methods such as cooperative learning, individualized instruction, and complex problem solving. These methods, in turn, often lead to more "authentic" types of assessment. When planning for technology integration, therefor, you might want to look at how you can help teachers develop new assessment methods such as portfolio assessment.

Which brings us to the first point. If your school board and others are looking for rapid, significant gains in standardized test scores as a result of the dollars they are pouring into technology, they may be disappointed. You may want to structure the assessment of your plan to emphasize things that technology is more likely to affect -- teachers' methods, students' time on tasks, higher level thinking skills, and so on. Be realistic and don't promise the world (see "Three Reality Checks," below)!

 

Drafting a Plan.

Once you have an idea of where the folks in your school(s) are with respect to the present and the path, you're ready to begin drafting your plan to implement your school technology vision.

An overview of the document looks something like this:

  1. Start with a title page, a page that lists the names and titles of the school and district administrators who will sign off on this report, and a page listing the many stakeholders who have had input on the plan. This is where you show that this is a broadly conceived and supported plan.

  2. Next, put the vision/philosophy statement for your technology integration plan that you drafted in Session 4.

  3. Next is a table of contents for the "objectives" for your plan, followed by the objectives themselves.

  4. End with a draft budget.

One way to present your objectives is to develop each one in three parts:

Here's an example of an objective with all these parts:

Title: Media Centers

Statement: Transform library into a media center to support access to information in a variety of media, including electronic encyclopedia and Internet.

Strategy:

Year 1: Library staff at each school will create a plan for transforming the library into a media center to provide appropriate Internet and other electronic information access for students, teachers, and community members. The plan will include computer-based card catalog and automated checkout, as well as reference, and, as needed, instructional software. Each elementary school library will have at least two dedicated card catalog computers and one automated checkout system. Each secondary school library will have at least four dedicated card catalog computers and two automated checkout systems. Elementary schools will each have two reference stations complete with CD-ROM encyclopedias and Internet access. Secondary schools will have at least four such reference stations.

Library staff will plan LAN access to reference stations and card catalog to all classrooms within each school (see LAN objective).

One library staff member, to be appointed by the school libarian at each site, will attend a conference or workshop related to developing training for students and staff. Under that individual's guidance, library staff will develop appropriate training and support for their school's students, staff, and community members, for using the card catalog, reference, and checkout systems.

Year 2: Each library will add two reference stations and a single checkout system. Implement LAN access to card catalog and reference systems from all classrooms (see LAN objective). Library staff will review and revise training and support systems for students, staff, and community members.

Year 3: Each secondary library will add two reference stations. Library staff will assess computer-based card catalog, reference, and checkout systems, and make recommendations to the technology coordinating committee for further development of media center access.

...and so forth for each year or your plan.

Budget:

Year 1:
Release time for staff planning activities: 100 hours @ $30/hour
Hardware: 28 computer-based card catalog servers @ $3500 ea
6 computer-based card catalog client systems @$1800 ea
56 computer-based reference systems with CD-ROM encyclopedia and Internet access @$2400 ea
Electrical upgrade to 14 libraries @$1200-$5600 ea
Instructional software for 56 systems @ $800 ea
Security for 90 computer systems @ $156 ea
Furniture for 90 computer systems @ $350 ea
14 conference attendances @ $2800 ea
2 hours release time for 520 teachers for staff development activities @ $35/hour

...and so forth, for each year of your plan. Notice that at this point your figures are going to be educated guesses, especially those for distant years. Also note that these plans must account for much more than some computers and some software!

Remember to build into your objectives the success factors described above and in the next session, including staff development and technical support, availability of technology, facilities and maintenance, and assessment. Study each factor with respect to each objective to discover whether and how it should be handled.

Three Reality Checks

Vision questing and dreaming about technology is essential. But without actually rolling up your sleeves and getting to work, it's just dreaming. Here are some "reality checks" to help keep your feet on the ground:

1. "It's a tool." Our first reality check is that technology is not a panacea for all the problems facing education. In the corporate world it is generally accepted that only about a 10 to 20% increase in actual efficiency has resulted from the billions of dollars spent by corporations on computers and networks. This is not to say technology isn't essential to modern businesses, but rather that it is just that -- essential -- not necessarily a miracle. While technology can allow people to work miracles, it has also created entire new departments and increased the complexity and cost of doing business.

The same is true for technology in schools. Bringing in technology won't result in an immediate hike in test scores with the entire school running more smoothly. In fact, things may even get crazier for a bit while people take time to adjust and become comfortable with the new tools of the trade. Then over time technology will weave itself into the everyday fabric of the school and expand and change the way students learn and teachers teach.

Technology has changed the way we do business, and it also changes the way we teach and learn. Technology has been shown to facilitate teachers working more cooperatively rather than individually. Technology also tends to move teaching and learning towards more project centered and collaborative approaches.

Schools are generally charged with preparing our children to live in our world. Since our world is literally filling up with technology, we can justify a need for technology in schools as well. But we must be cautious about putting too much weight on the shoulders of technology. Technology doesn't instantly change the way teachers teach -- everyone will not embrace technology. In the final analysis, technology must be kept in it's place, and that place is as a tool.

2. "It's a transition." This second reality check could be considered revolutionary, but only because it involves a question about revolutions. It is important to examine if indeed the "technical revolution" is a revolution at all. A revolution usually implies that an old way is violently thrown out and replaced by a new way. Is this happening with technology and the Internet? In the long term, perhaps, but the transition is a slow one that is integrating the old ways with the new. "Integrating" is the key word. The copy machine was supposed to kill the paperback, but instead book stores are full of paperback computer books. School technology is an addition to teachers' tool sets and a chang in the way students, teachhers, and administrators get things done. Sometimes these changes seem radical and revolutionary, but as a whole it is more of a "technical transition."

3. "It's chaotic." Reality check number three is that you should realize that you, as an educator, will be trying to assess your technical needs while society is smack dab in the middle of this transition itself. It may be prudent to remember the idea of technology evolution, versus complete revolution, because you will be acting as the "bringer of the technology" and thus be a focal point for many of the emotions associated with great change and new tools.

In other words, you'll be knee deep, maybe even neck deep, in group psychology the entire time you're working on technology integration.

To help ground yourself in this swirling chaos of emotions, personalities, and group behavior, it helps to remember your role in the chaos. Your role is to:

Now, of course you could also lose it while integrating technology! Signs to watch out for that you're loosing your balance are:

Try to stay somewhere in the middle. Be the keel, strike a balance, mediate, gather information and keep the moorings tied tight, but with a little slack for the tides. That's an unlikely mix of metaphors, but you get the point!

Page authors: Bob Hoffman and Caleb Clark
URL: edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/edtec596r/index.html
Last updated: February 20, 1998