Candidates facilitate the design, development, implementation, communication, and evaluation of technology-infused strategic plans. (PSC 1.2/ISTE 1b)
Reflection: I completed to determine the current condition and realities in regard to technology uses integrations and needs at our school. In completing the SWOT Analysis, I was able to determine strengths and weaknesses of our school in terms of ISTE’s Eight Essential Conditions (ISTE, 2012). The SWOT Analysis is an analysis of technology needs and giving recommendations and planning for improvement (Creighton, 2003, p. 39). I collaborated with administration, instructional coach, and classroom teachers in my school when obtaining information for our SWOT analysis. Standard 1.2, Strategic Planning establishes the expectations for design, development, implementation, communication, and evaluation of technology-infused strategic plans. This artifact demonstrates my ability to assess the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to instructional technology in order to develop and implement plans for improvement in collaboration with my colleagues and school leadership. The information this analysis was utilized to help write our school’s plan for technology improvements included on our school’s improvement plan, crafted during the summer planning retreat. Plan during the summer planning sessions in regard to strategic plan. One of the first steps in designing and developing a plan is to determine the desired outcome, but the next, and most important step is team collaboration. In order for a school level technology plan to be effective, all stakeholders need to be active participants. The results of the SWOT analysis are being used to improve the ISTE Essential Conditions that are weak in our school in order to ensure action steps for technology improvements on the school improvement plan are being implemented throughout classrooms at our school. The technology improvement plan is discussed in weekly professional learning meetings and at monthly school leadership team meetings. Administrators also use the technology improvement plan to plan with their collages at Assistant Principal meetings and at Principal Meetings throughout the county. The plan is included on the school website and made available to parents and stakeholders. As the technology goals in the plan are achieved, these accomplishments should be Data collection throughout the school year was kept and shared in weekly PL meetings and in school leadership meetings to determine the effectiveness of the plan and if the goals and vision for technology at our school are being met through the implementation of the steps included in the technology improvement plan. Completing this SWOT Analysis was a positive learning experience. From this experience, I learned how to analyze the technology needs using the SWOT matrix (Creighton, 2003, p. 32). This also taught me to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses effectively and accurately at my school and devise goals, plans and action steps to rectify these weaknesses. If I could make and changes to this artifact, I would create more clear and concise visualization to communicate the results of the identified strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to make the findings more visually appealing and easy understandable to all teachers to view during weekly professional learning sessions and at the leadership team meetings. This would increase teacher buy-in and help teachers to be more willing and active participants if they clearly understood the data, research, and reasonings behind the goals and action steps. The SWOT Analysis was an integral part of the making changes for technology improvements in our school’s improvement plan this summer. The analysis provided the leadership team with valuable and meaningful information regarding the current realities of classrooms at our school and helped the leadership team to develop reasonable and attainable goals for improvements in technology integrations. Through conducting this analysis, the leadership team was able to determine areas of strengths and weaknesses in regard to technology integrations. This information helped us determine the needs of our students and how more effective technology integrations would benefit all students. The impacts will be assessed by measuring the goals in the technology plan and how consistently they were carried out and determining if action steps were taken and if they were attainable. Creighton, T. (2003). The principal as technology leader. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press, Inc. ISTE (2012). Essential conditions: Necessary conditions to effectively leverage technology for learning. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/standards-for-students/nets-for-students-essential-conditions