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1、1PROPOSAL International Conference on Learning and Teaching On-Line ()TITLE: Strategic Planning and Electronic Technologies Create Global Schoolhouses (sub-theme items 5 6) By 1991, the Oswego City School District had to admit it: Despite well-intentioned expenditures to improve its educational tech
2、nology, it was difficult to claim that the investment was paying off. Our teachers had little access to computer labs, received virtually no training on using technology in the classroom, and reported little or no use of computers for instruction. Our students seconded that opinion, citing a lack of
3、 technological relevance. Employers and college admissions officers alike regarded our graduates as suffering from a lack of technology preparation. The Aelectronic doorway, if it indeed existed, certainly did not open into our classrooms. What caused our district, like so many others, to go so wron
4、g? Simply put, we had no strategic plan. Our investments in technology were little more than spontaneous reactions to a fear that our schools and students were Afalling behind. No sustained, systematic efforts provided continuity for any technology programs; the district focused more on getting comp
5、uters into the classrooms than on using them effectively once they were there. In fact, despite annual technology Aimprovement expenditures of hundreds of thousands of dollars, we had failed to create resource-rich classrooms. The arrival of a new Superintendent of Schools in 1991 initiated a critic
6、al review of our technology efforts and pushed for a strategic plan for improving our schools from a technologic perspective. Drawing upon the expertise of Dr. Frank Betts of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), the district began a process to forge a dynamic plan that
7、looked at todays instructional needs and anticipated those of the future. By the start of the 1994-95 school year, we had begun a process equivalent to turning the Queen Mary: a total restructuring of the district=s technology program. The district focused on the full integration of technology into
8、all appropriate facets of our instructional program. The result? Today, all students in the Oswego City School District learn in one of the most technologically advanced and resource-rich teaching and learning environments in the country. Three initiatives led to the district=s success: C Charting a
9、 new course focused on using technology to improve teaching and learning C Building a flexible, future-oriented infrastructure C Developing technological skills among faculty and staff 2Charting a new courseOver the course of three months of effort by more than 100 Oswego parents, teachers, students
10、, business people, community leaders and school board members, a vision statement grew. Out of this Vision Statement, three primary objectives were developed for the first three years of the plan: C construction of a fiber-based wide area network (WAN) infrastructure that would deliver any electroni
11、c resource directly into the classroom, C implementation of a deep program of staff development based on teachers expressed needs. C Infusion of appropriate and relevant software and hardware following the identification of instructional needs.Insert Figure 1Building the InfrastructureAchieving the
12、intentions of the vision statement (i.e., to create resource-rich environments for teaching and learning) required a unique network design, one that could deliver any educational resource, regardless of medium, to every classroom and desktop. We chose to assume that education will increasingly rely
13、on access to information maintained on electronic servers and the Internet and that much of this information would include video. Maximizing student access to these resources was considered critical. The selected network meets current needs and will also accommodate needs of the future by offering t
14、he following five characteristics: C Stability We determined to Ado the right things right the first time and create the network once to avoid disruption of teaching and learning. C Flexibility We identified standards for applications, platforms, protocols, and carrier services that provide for grow
15、th. C Manageability We adhered to industry standards and committed to managing the network from a central location. C Performance We designed enough capacity for growth and implementation of new technology and applications. C Cost-effectiveness We built a single network for voice, data, and video.Us
16、ing the local telephone service provider (NYNEX), we connect our eight schools, public library and district office to a potential 7000-node network. With 2000 nodes (computers) active, we have seen no degradation in performance as we bring more computers online.Insert Figure 23Cost EffectivenessAll school servers reside in the district office. Two full-time staff members successfully manage the districts network, diagnosing and co
