Online toolkit facilitates strategic planning

When school boards seek community engagement as part of a strategic planning initiative, technology can be a major part of the process.

Michael Derman, special projects manager for the Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit (CSIU) in Lewisburg, Pa., demonstrated at a Saturday conference session how districts can use the School 2.0 eToolkit to encourage collaboration between educators and the community.

The eToolkit (http://etoolkit.org) was developed by the U.S. Department of Education and maintained by CSIU and the International Society for Technology in Education. It provides a set of resources designed to encourage an outcomes-based, systemic approach to K-12 technology planning.

Derman said the website also offers links to research, articles, videos, interviews, and other resources on technical and instructional issues. It includes the Learning Ecosystem tool, an interactive online map that offers a graphical presentation of a community making robust use of educational technologies. Embedded in the map is a series of videos, text pieces and resource links, all of which explore the impact that information technology can have on common situations in schools.

The Reflection Tool is a set of two online self-analysis questionnaires, one for principals and one for technology coordinators or chief technology officers. The tool presents questions designed to help users reflect on their skills in technology integration and identify areas for growth.

The School 2.0 eToolkit Bandwidth Planner helps users understand the components of their current bandwidth usage and plan for future needs.

Not all of the activities and resources that make up the eToolkit are used on the Web. The Transformation Toolkit, for example, includes off-line activities for starting community-wide discussions about education technology, including ideas for group conversations, icebreakers, and the creation of a model technology-equipped classroom.