guidelines

=Guidelines=

Date: Thu, Dec 11, 2008 at 11:46 PM Subject: Tech Planning Process: Initial Guidelines

Hi, all. It was great to start the process of working with you on the tech plan this afternoon. I'm excited to be involved in the planning process in your district, and I hope we'll be able to "cause some trouble" or perhaps create a "spiritual experience" as a result of our work. ;)

In any case, to begin the process I'm providing four sets of guidelines below: how to access the planning wiki, how to set up your Google account for the shared documents, who to appoint for the committee, and a brief description of the schedule we hope to follow. I know this is long and detailed for an email, but I hope it gets us all started off on the same page. Please reply and let me know if you have any questions.


 * ACCESS THE PLANNING WIKI**

Please visit (and bookmark) the planning wiki at the address below: http://lbtechplan.wikispaces.com

This is a website anyone can edit, so feel free to click "Edit This Page" at the top to make additions or improvements.


 * SET UP YOUR GOOGLE ACCOUNT**

If you don't already have a Google Account, you can set one up for free (using your LBUSD email) at the following address: https://www.google.com/accounts/NewAccount

Once you have created your account, please use the form below to submit it to me (so I can add you as a collaborator on all of the tech planning documents): http://tinyurl.com/5598nt


 * APPOINT ADDITIONAL COMMITTEE MEMBERS**

Please select each of the following (if applicable) to join the larger tech planning committee:

- Two Teachers From Your Site (Principals Only) - Two Community Members or Other Stakeholders - Two Students (Middle and High School Only)

NOTE: The teacher representatives should include your site tech leads.

Please ask each of these individuals to join us for our first full meeting on January 29 from 3:30 to 5:50. You might also give them some sense of what will be asked of them (based on the schedule described below). If we need to include other committee members or change the composition of the committee over the course of the planning process, that flexibility will be available to us.


 * PROPOSED SCHEDULE**

Victor and I discussed the composition of the committee and possible ways to structure the process to make the best use of everyone's time. The following is the way we propose to proceed:

1. INITIAL MEETING: The process will being (on January 29) with an initial face-to-face meeting of all committee members. This meeting will include an overview of the tech planning process. The guiding questions for each section will also be provided.

2. GUIDING QUESTIONS: Each subgroup will work asynchronously (using Google Docs) to answer the guiding questions for their section.

3. GOALS AND BENCHMARKS: The next five face-to-face meetings will each be dedicated to one chapter of the tech plan. During each meeting the subcommittee for the chapter in question will meet to review the guiding questions and compose draft goals (and, time permitting, begin work on benchmarks). Mark and Victor will continue work on benchmarks between meetings. NOTE: As draft goals for each section are completed, they will be shared with the following subcommittees to guide their work.

4. FIRST DRAFT OF CHAPTERS 3-7: Mark and Victor will work asynchronously with the steering committee (district leadership) to complete a rough draft of chapters 3-7, the core of the plan.

5. FIRST DRAFT REVIEW: During the seventh face-to-face meeting the entire committee will gather again (for only the second time) to review a draft of the core chapters of the plan. Everyone will be able to comment on the plan synchronously and discuss their ideas or concerns.

6. STAFF FORUM: All LBUSD staff will be invited to attend an open forum in which the draft of chapters 3-7 will be presented. Feedback will be solicited and collected from attendees.

7. COMMUNITY FORUM: All community members will be invited to attend another open forum in which the draft of chapters 3-7 will be presented and feedback will be solicited.

8. POLISHED DRAFT OF ALL CHAPTERS: Mark and Victor will work asynchronously with the steering committee (district leadership) to complete a polished draft of the entire plan, including chapters 1, 2, 8, & 9. This draft will incorporate feedback from the committee review, the staff forum, and the community forum.

9. POLISHED DRAFT REVIEW: A tenth (and potentially final) face-to-face meeting will bring the entire tech planning committee back together to review and comment on a polished draft of the entire plan.

10. FINAL DRAFT AND REVISIONS: Mark and Victor will work asynchronously with the steering committee (district leadership) to complete a polished draft of the entire plan, which will be submitted to the county office for feedback. A revised version will then be submitted to the state department of education. If necessary, additional revisions will be made until the plan is approved.

The committee will then continue to meet regularly in the coming years to monitor and evaluate progress on the plan... and eventually, to compose the next plan in three years.

NOTE: Currently we have only five meetings calendared, but this schedule will require ten. Victor and I will work to calendar these meetings in coordination with the district schedule (and your schedules when necessary). Once a calendar has been established, those dates will go out to this group and to the entire committee. Dates already on the calendar are the following:

Thu Jan 29, 2009, 3:30pm – 5:30pm Thu Feb 5, 2009, 3:30pm – 5:30pm Thu Mar 19, 2009, 3:30pm – 5:30pm Thu Apr 23, 2009, 3:30pm – 5:30pm Thu May 21, 2009, 3:30pm – 5:30pm

Again, I know this is long and detailed for an email, but I hope it gets us all started off on the same page. Please reply and let me know if you have any questions.

-Mark

Mark Wagner, Ph.D. President, Educational Technology and Life Corporation 5405 Alton Parkway Suite 5A-305, Irvine, Ca 92604 www.edtechlife.com mark@edtechlife.com MarkWagnerIM (AIM) markdwagner (Skype) markwagner (Twitter) 949-394-6071