Week 4 - Action Plan

EDLD 5232 - EA 1151

James Taylor

Week 4 Assignment - Technology Action Plan

As a campus leader, creating an action plan would start with a needs assessment.

When generating an effective needs assessment plan, multiple stages with a variety of requirements. Groups would be developed to focus on specific areas. Stakeholders from a variety of levels would be included. Meetings would be established for allotted times. An action plan would be developed, and evaluation criterion would be established.

Technology Areas

§ Funding: local funding, alternative funding

§ Software: programs, educational games, free-ware

§ Hardware: laptops versus desktops, alternative devices

§ Computer Labs: usage, sizes, locations, sign-ups

§ Teacher Abilities: individual levels, comfort levels, barriers

§ Student Abilities:

§ Facilities: electrical necessities, WAN/LAN connections, internet/wireless connects, computer/classroom ratios

§ Curriculum: integration, projects, subjects, lessons, textbooks

Staff members will be divided into groups from all levels, subject areas, experience levels, and educational levels (administration, teachers, aides.) Students will be included to participate in each area with the ability to contribution. They will be allowed to select their three preferred areas, and groups will be evenly distributed with as accommodating to their input as possible.

Meetings

§ Chair meeting

§ Introduction, staff development purpose

§ Identifying strengths and weaknesses

§ Developing action plan on greatest need

Groups will meeting in three different stages for two hour sessions with early releases in the spring semester. Teacher leader staff (non-administrative) will be selected to chair the meetings. A chair meeting will initiate the meeting series with an overview, purpose, and role information session. Pertinent information such as STaR Chart information, district information, or other technology data will be disseminated.

The first group meeting will be an introduction with an explanation of the staff development purpose. Information and premade question guideline will be presented by the chair members. Clarification and questions will be developed. Current levels of each focus area will be discussed (strengths). At the conclusion of the meeting, the members will have appropriate information to start expanding on their strengths and creating weakness charts.

Meeting two focuses on bring ideas together. Weakness areas with suggestions on improving those areas will be discussed. A consensus will come up with the top five focus areas. A discussion of the needs to accomplish these goals will be prefaced for the final meeting.

Session three will center on developing a realistic and actual goal from the top five areas previously discussed. Logistics and funds will be addressed. Details for implementing an activity or goal will be documented. The meeting sessions are complete, and I will be edit and revise the outcomes and appropriately extend to proper campus personnel for further analysis or implementation or to necessary administrators or committees. An evaluation is completed by each group in whole or individual form of the process.

The action plan will be specific to the findings of the groups. Multiple proposals may be initiated in different areas at different times. Many suggestions may require further logistical support and be properly initiated for the fall semester of next year.

Action Plan

A plausible action plan could easily be on improving teacher abilities with technology, which is a weakness across most campuses in Texas. A series of staff development, starting with a required summer session for all staff, would be focused on individual levels. Avoiding the one size fits all staff development, question and answer time slots will be a part of each session. The first session will be a self-evaluation, similar to the 8th grade required levels, provided through broad technology usage questions.

Through planned teacher in-service days, service center sessions, on-campus specialists, and early release days, short activity sessions will be created to provide continual technology improvement for teachers and staff. YouTube video clips can be sources of information on basic computer functions such as opening, saving, and editing Word files. Q & A sessions or curriculum/technology integration sessions will be allotted.

Self-evaluation sessions will show personal growth and other need areas for teachers. Policy for the district and campus will be visible and measureable for teachers to focus on improvement. The action plan will flexible but require mandatory involvement with administration supervision to make the adjustment from status quo to daily integration.

Conclusion

Once the idea of technology evaluation, improvement, and integration has taken hold on the campus, the first steps have been taken and real improvement can take place. In following years, analysis of strengths and weaknesses needs to show improvement in areas for effective throughput. Links to grants, funding, and other federal and state mandates can be fulfilled with these steps in forming the action plan.