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Planning Large Scale Ed-Tech: Complex AND Crucial
by Leslie Wilson


 

‘Planning’ seems a simple concept. ‘The best laid plans..’ is a commonly used phrase when hiccups occur along the way to realizing outcomes of ‘planning’. One-to-One Institute (OTO) spends a lot of professional development capital helping educators ‘plan’ for large scale education technology implementations. It is often the area needing most attention when we are called in to provide support.
Research demonstrates that gaps in planning for robust technology initiatives frequently result in failure to achieve goals and sustainability. ‘Planning’ is NOT a simple concept – but a complex, intricately detailed process. It is also uniquely tied to the organization, culture and personnel involved. Engaging the expertise of all stakeholders is essential to nailing down a comprehensive plan. It must then be evaluated against benchmarks, timelines and realistic expectations derived from lessons learned and best practices from those who’ve been there and done that.
OTO identified the key components of effective planning.  They are below. Overarching is the need for effective leadership – the kind that leads school transformations that accompany the many shifts that will be encountered with wide scale education technology work.
  • Development of shared vision among all stakeholders that addresses: 1) why do this initiative? 2) what is the supporting research base? 3) why is this a priority now at a time of budget constraints? 4) how will it be sustained and supported over time? 5) what is the impact for the community, teaching, learning, business, etc.
  • A strategic project plan that incorporates timelines and benchmarking of all foundational components: 1) all aspects of infrastructure-servers, internet access, wireless access point placement, test run, IT and troubleshooting support; 2) professional development embedded in work life for all stakeholders-including parents/caregivers, community members, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, security personnel, administrative assistants, maintenance staff, etc.
  • Preliminary and ongoing professional development for teachers, administrators and technology personnel – beginning well before deployment of devices to students-building internal capacity through a coaching/mentoring framework that is part of work calendar – with ongoing assessment of individuals’ progress.
  • A viral communications plan throughout stakeholder community that 1) shares components of first bullet on a consistent, ongoing basis through a variety of media sources; 2) a ‘frustration management’ process for internal sharing/troubleshooting/problem-solving; 3) provides frequent project updates including successes and challenges.
  • Realistic expectations for educators’ ability to meaningfully integrate technology with curriculum and instruction-regularly discussed through meetings, online professional learning communities, etc.
  • Policies: 1) board of education; 2) acceptable use for students, et al.; 3) safety – devices on/off campus, internet, social media, etc.
  • External evaluator who does formative and summative assessments of project outcomes, benchmarks, timelines, etc; 1) use the formative information to adjust program, fill needs, retool, call on external experts for support.
Leslie Wilson is President of One-to-One Institute (OTO), a national not-for-profit serving schools, districts, states and countries in their implementation of 21st century teaching and learning. She is co-authoring the national research initiative, Project Red (www.projectred.org).  Ms. Wilson’s consultancy, Wilson Public Sector Consulting, LLC, serves the education industry. She holds a BS Ed and completed Ed Leadership doctoral work from the University of Michigan, Sp Ed Administration endorsement from Eastern Michigan University and M. Ed in Instructional Technology from Wayne State University. lesliew@one-to-oneinstitute.org
 
 
 

 

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