2014 Educational Technology Plan Project Kickoff

1. 2014 Educational Technology Plan Project Kickoff

2. Agenda Agenda • Introductions • Project Scope & Objectives • Team Structure, Roles and Responsibilities • Critical Success Factors • Tasks Already Accomplished • Common Themes Already Identified • Upcoming Key Tasks • Project Timelines • Breakout Into Work Groups

3. Introductions Our Core Team: • Wendy Spivey-Executive Sponsor • Claudette Flynn- Project Manager • Rob Cardelli- Facilitator & Industry Expert • Christian Heneghan- Facilitator & Industry Expert

4. Purpose of Today’s Meeting • Dramatic advances have been made in technology since the last educational technology plan was conducted in 2009. The goal of this planning meeting is to: • Use our time most effectively • Collaboratively write a state educational technology plan that can be used as the baseline for the district’s educational technology plans • Identify opportunities for schools, districts, local businesses and state agencies to collaborate to identify common goals, objectives, issues and opportunities to better leverage technology • Finalize the schedule of events necessary to complete the writing of this plan

5. What Will We Focus On? • Interview key personnel to determine how they interact with technology • Teachers and instructional professionals • Educational technology experts • Administrators • Higher education representatives • Local businesses • State Agencies • Examine how technology is currently utilized • What tools and services are being used? • How and why are these specific technology assets being used? • Are these technologies still relevant and cost effective? • Is there standardization and/or redundancy in their application and use?

6. What Will We Focus On? (continued) • Evaluate the latest technology products and services, asking: • What potential do they hold for us? • Would they make sense for us, and if so, why? • Are they cost effective and sustainable? • What is the viability of their associated companies? • Who else is either already using these technologies or plans to, soon? • Technology integration - How should we integrate new technologies? • Technology support - How can we properly support all of our technologies? • *We will also examine policies, procedures and business processes

7. Modern Educational Technology Framework

8. Outline Of Our Approach Create working groups Review past evaluations and discuss lessons learned Define roles, responsibilities and expectations Finalize project scope and schedule Schedule interviews and meetings Conduct product evaluations and benchmarking activities Write the draft technology plan Review draft plan with team and incorporate feedback and changes Finalize plan, present it to State Superintendent Implement findings and measure success

9. What Do We Need From You? • Your help in gathering data about our current use of technology • Your assistance with the identification of key issues or limitations surrounding our use of technology in South Carolina • Your thoughts on which products and/or services may be of value to you • Your honesty (all interviews and feedback will be confidential) • Your time: active participation for the remainder of the year: • You will decide your level of participation • We will schedule calls and meetings to make them as convenient as possible • We will set aside times to work directly with you to keep you updated in the event that you are unable to attend a specific meeting • Your commitment to help us to complete our assigned tasks on time 

10. Who do We Need?

11. Tasks Already Underway • Interviews and surveys to gather data and perspectives • Identification of additional team members • Thorough review of lessons learned from 2003 & 2009 technology plans • Research and documentation of education trends and predictions • Other states • Product analysis • Peer benchmarking and identification of success stories • Discussions with local vendors • Discussions with higher education institutions • Identification of common themes • Creation of the technology plan outline

12. Common Themes- Infrastructure • Disparate network capabilities create the perception of haves and have-nots • Wireless issues/limitations lead to problems utilizing classroom technology • Issues with desktop support directly impact education process • Outdated computers and lack of standard technology refresh process • Outdated software (i.e. Microsoft XP) • Multiple types of computers complicate support model • Decentralized website ownership leads to multiple complications • Security is complex and creates risks for all districts • Technical support staff are reactive and unable to be proactive

13. Common Themes- Classroom Technology • Districts and schools are proactively identifying, purchasing, implementing and utilizing classroom technology at an increasing rate. • For the most part districts and schools are having great success leveraging classroom technology. • Vendors target different districts and schools with the same products and there doesn’t appear to be standardized evaluation and purchasing process. • Different products exist across school districts and within school districts. This complicates training and support and reduces our ability to collaborate. • Technical support staff have limited ability to support the multitude of products and services in use. This sometimes requires teachers to have to provide their own support.

14. Other Common Themes • Multiple school districts stated they could benefit from assistance in the following areas: • E-Rate counseling and consulting • Grant writing and counseling • Regional technical training • Assistance auditing, monitoring and supporting security requirements • Creation of online communities for districts and schools to network and share lessons learned, best practices and locally developed content • Standardized technology and refresh cycles • Collaborative purchasing agreements

15. Overview of Schedule

16. Next Steps • Breakout into working groups • Classroom Technology & Professional Development • Collaboration Opportunities & Research • Infrastructure & Security • Writing team • Discuss the information that has already been obtained • Examine common themes, raise additional challenges and explore opportunities to improve • Identify additional resources we should interview or ask to participate • Plan next meetings

17. Regional Meeting Schedule 17

18. For more information please contact Wendy Spivey • Title: Total Quality Management Officer • Phone: (803) 734-1434 • Email: wspivey@ed.sc.gov