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.