Tech Plans
A Technology Plan is a tool that guides the thoughtful implementation of technology.
Organizations want to have a technology plan for several reasons:
- It is required for certain funding programs, most notably Priority 2 E-Rate
- It helps stakeholders achieve consensus on the role of technology (e.g., what does it mean to be an educated citizen of the 2st Century?)
- It reduces costly mistakes (e.g., acquisition of incompatible hardware and software, unsupportable donations).
For Priority 2 E-Rate funding, "a technology plan is a plan prepared by a school or library to explain how telecommunications and information technology will be used to achieve educational goals, curriculum reforms, or library service improvements."
- From SLD http://www.universalservice.org/sl/applicants/step01/default.aspx
The logical flow of a tech plan unfolds from curricular goals to infrastructure gap analysis.
The "logical flow" of a compliant tech plan
The technology plan must:
- Be written prior to posting an E-Rate Form 470 to initiate a competitive bidding process
- Be approved prior to implementation of services eligible for E-Rate funding
- Cover these key elements:
- Improved Curriculum / Library Services
- Professional Development strategy to support improved curriculum/services
- Infrastructure assessment and gap analysis
- Evaluation process to monitor progress toward the specified
- (Optional) Budget recap.