Why do Technology Planning? This is a great question! Keep in mind, there is the process of creating a technology plan for your district/building which is submitted to the State for approval. This Technology Plan is particularly necessary when applying for E-Rate. Writing a new Tech Plan is a long and arduous project. You really need to talk to loads of people at every level to come up with your needs...and where you want to go in the future (in the case of current Tech Plan, that would be the next 3 years).
Previously, we used guiding questions from Edie Holcomb as a backbone for Tech Plans...Where are we now? Where do we want to go? How will we get there? How will we know we are getting there? How will we sustain our progress? I think these questions make it so much easier to create a good plan. They really can keep you on track...and encourage good planning.
Writing the Tech Plan and getting it approved is the start. The real work comes in implementing the plan. This takes buy-in from different groups in the district/school. The Technology Department cannot do it all! This is also why it is critical to include a variety of stakeholders in the planning process. It helps to prepare a draft timeline for implementing your plan. Different sections and different strategies in your plan will need different people to take the lead toward implementation.
When you have a good Plan, it will drive the direction for new purchases. This should eliminate the idea of folks buying "cool things" because they are new and fun, rather than purchasing "things" that fit the plan...that fit where we have decided we want to go.
A good Tech Plan is very important. So is good tech planning, which includes a variety of stakeholders. Implementation of the Plan is critical!
Remember, although the plan covers 3 years, you should do an annual update. This would be the time you could add a few things to the plan that have come up since the plan was written.
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