Tech Plan Critique I

[Ted Smith <tedsmith@capital.net>]

CRITIQUE OF BETHLEHEM (DELMAR, NY) CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT (BCSD)
TECHNOLOGY PLAN

(http://www.wizvax.net/bcsd/bc_website/district/technology/tech.html)

DEMOGRAPHICS
	While not stated in the plan, this information is found in the
associated home page (five elementary, one middle, and one high school -
3500 students, 400 faculty).

COMMENDATIONS
	Direct and brief (seven pages text), it begins with a philosophical
rationale encompassing a district educational philosophy, technology
mission and vision statement.  This is followed by a summary of the
current status of technology found in the schools and a compilation of
future goals, objectives and actions.  This includes a district wide
area network, building local area networks, appropriate computer labs,
classroom computers, integrated computerized school libraries, faculty
professional development, and ‘targeted’ instructional software by grade
level and subject.  The document concludes with an explanation of the
personnel structure supporting the implementation of this plan: a
district wide steering committee, local building technology committees
and technical aides, and the district Instructional Technology
Coordinator.

UNEXPECTED FINDINGS
	I found no specific unexpected findings relevant to the plan itself. 
Rather, in an effort to find a second plan of a neighboring school on
the World Wide Web (WWW), I could not find one.  Bethlehem is the school
district in which I live.  A member of the Suburban Council, which is
comprised of the eight school districts surrounding Albany, NY ( the New
York State Capital), none of these district technology plans were
available via the WWW.  A broader search of the 24 school districts
which comprise the Capital Region BOCES (Board of Cooperative
Educational Services) to which BCSD belongs revealed only 12 districts
with District Home Pages.  None of these home pages contained a district
or school building technology plan.  Of course this is not to be
construed as stating that these schools do not have a district
technology plan.  It is my understanding that the New York State
Education Department requires a formalized technology plan for each of
New York’s 700+ districts.
	I do take this as a proxy measure of the current state of WWW usage
with regard to Web Page publishing by upstate New York school districts.

MISSING FINDINGS
	A strategic planning model was not in evidence.  That is, this plan is
a high level document lacking sufficient detail regarding actual
implementation.  I would like to have seen the inclusion of a process
for ongoing plan review and revision, and gauges to be used to measure
success and failure of the currently stated plan.  Specific goals and
goal achievement criteria need to be articulated.  Implementation
actions and dates should be included  A budgetary statement and
formulation process is necessary, as well.
	While professional development was included in the plan for teachers,
no mention was made of the importance to include the formal educational
leaders in the district, namely the district administration and building
principals in this very critical ongoing activity.
	Also absent was the inclusion of the community as a direct beneficiary
of the instructional technology being made available to the school.  For
example, will these labs be open after school and during the evenings to
the other community members?  What provisions are planned for
coordinating instructional technology use in the school with student
computer use in his/her own home?  What approaches will be used to
educate the parents as to how the integration of technology in the
school will improve the education of their children.
	I would also like to have seen strategies stated to reach out to other
best practices districts, professional associations, schools of
education, etc., to avoid the need to ‘reinvent the wheel.’

RECOMMENDATIONS
	It is clearly time to revisit and revise this plan; it needs to be made
current.  There is no mention of the place of the INTERNET in the
educational process.  Likewise mention of distance learning
opportunities for BCSD students is absent.  There is a glaring omission
with regard to the inclusion of technology into the ‘business side’ of
the educational enterprise.

RATING
	5.5