Tip:
When I have been asked to work with schools and a group of teachers to help them develop projects integrating technology, the first thing I do is a complete assessment of what resources are available. I ask the teachers, administrators, media specialists, and technology leaders to look in their classrooms, closets, district office, library, media center, computer labs, and school community for resources:
- Hardware, including desktops, laptops, tablets, etc.
- Software titles and versions with number of licenses
- Peripherals: printers, PDAs and keyboards, scanners, cameras, probeware, microscopes, etc.
- Textbooks and associated resources
- Core literature and number of class sets
- Manipulatives, materials for experiments, and artifacts
- Example curriculum, lessons, and templates
- People including guest speakers, authors, experts
While pulling all the resources together, review the existing school improvement plan and technology plan to see if the school and district has the resources they had expected to acquire. If districts write a scope and sequence that expects teachers to use specific technology at certain grade levels, then they need to have the resources mentioned available.
Submitted by:Barbara Bray
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