I took on the task of reviewing the
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools (WSFCS) Technology Plan. This is near and
dear to my heart given the fact that my sixteen-year old son is currently
attending a WSFC school. The plan is fairly comprehensive and focuses on what
the technology planning committee deems as five strategic priorities. The
aforementioned technology planning committee is made up of nineteen members
with varied levels of experience and roles within the school system. There are
five technology leads (Directors and Supervisors), seven school administrators
and seven school technology facilitators that make up the team. In short, the
vision of WSFCS is “to utilize the power of technology to transform education,
changing the way we teach, learn, and communicate every day.” WSFCS expresses commitment
to this plan but rightfully points out that the “technology plan is
comprehensive but also a work in progress.”
The plan starts with a brief overview of the five strategic priorities as follows:
- Astatewide shared services model
- Universal access to personal teaching and learning devices
- Statewide access to digital teaching and learning resources, including digital textbooks
- A statewide model of technology-enable professional development
- 21st Century leadership for all schools and districts
The plan further dissects each of the five strategic
priorities and provides a list of aligned objectives to each of the following:
- Career and College Ready, Set, Go!
- Race to the Top Local and State Scopes of Work
- WSFCS District Strategic Plan
- NC State Technology Plan
Finally, the plan breaks down each priority into specific
goals/targets, year 1 tasks, year 2 tasks, and evaluation feedback. I would say
that this is pretty comprehensive for sure. Given the fact that I come from a
corporate arena, I would also say that the committee has done a great job with this
plan.
Now for
the former school administrator in me and an extreme advocate for the kids……here
is what I really think! The plan focuses a lot on budgeting for various things
such as technology services, platforms and mobile learning communities. I would
have liked to have seen more focus on technology that is already available and available for free. It seems that with this plans implementation and roll out is still down the road a bit. The technology-enabled professional development and 21st
Century leadership are key priorities for sure. I just know from firsthand
experience, dealing with two high schools here in Winston Salem, there is still lots
of guidance and instruction needed in both of these areas.
I do not
want to be overly critical because WSFCS has taken a very positive step here
with their commitment to this strategic technology plan. My only caution to
them is to seek resources and information that is readily available and most of
all, resources that are free. I believe some of this strategic plan would have
been better served to focus on things like specific system-wide technology
tools. Then, developing a plan to train, implement and evaluate those tools.
Much like what learning should be for our kids. Focus needs to be on the
process not the outcome. If we train our school “how to” then the “what it is
or what it becomes” takes care of itself.
Focusing
on strategic priority number 2, Universal access to personal teaching and
learning devices, I put together a quick meta-analysis spreadsheet that you
should take a look at.
Based on
my analysis of the WSFCS technology plan and the literature review link above, I have a couple of things that I
would highlight as points of concern for them. Be careful about moving forward with
a full head of steam without getting your key stakeholders to embrace your
plan. Primarily, schools will often seek to convince the state, their local
school board, administrators and teachers. What about your parents and
students? My literature review clearly shows the need to include parents and
students as part of your key stakeholders.
Finally,
developing a plan that focuses on safety, security and training for its users
is paramount. I know the three seem very different but I believe that each is
very dependent on the success of the other. A good technology plan should
highlight safety and security when talking about any type of universal access
as it relates to computing. Training at every level, users (students, parents
and teachers), administrators, and IT/technology facilitators, all should be
properly trained in order for any technology plan to be successful. Again, I
often see parents and students being left out in the WSFCS plan. With a few
modifications and considerations, I think WSFCS can spearhead technology usage and
growth within North Carolina. You may want to consider adding some parents and students to your technology planning committee.
Your recommendations are sound and supported by the research you reviewed. There is clearly a need (based on literature and personal experience) for districts to emphasize training for all users (teachers, parents, and students) and to provide opportunities for all users to learn about safety and security. Unfortunately, as you see with this district's tech plan, professional development and safe usage often some of the last items considered. Districts tend to focus on purchasing devices and ensuring access rather than building capacity for what folks will do with the devices and access. I especially like your recommendation for students and parents to be included on the technology planning committee. These are valuable perspectives that should be contributing to this planning process. You also made a great point about the omission of free open resources from the district's plan. Why do you think more districts are not leverage freely available open resources? What do you think might be some barriers or concerns?
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