​​​​John Blick​

Project Description:

The major project of the Organization & Administration of Instructional Technology class, the Technology Plan served as a look into the inner workings of the administrative technology team. Working with members of the technology department, including Technology Director Kurt Paccio and High School Technology supervisor Jeff Fragnito I was able to put together a comprehensive plan that accurately depicts Northampton High School’s current technology situation and sets forth specific and reachable goals for the next seven years. The plan begins by determining where we are, and describes the district and analyses the current levels of success in reaching the goals of the previous tech plan. An inventory of the school’s current technology assets, infrastructure, and employee skills helped to build a picture of where the new technology goals should be set as well as providing a starting point in planning for success. The goals and objectives set forth in my technology plan are based on the information from the inventory and the districts real world plans moving forward, including the short throw projectors and 1:1 initiative. The budget and the funding are realistic, and in certain cases taken directly from information obtained through the technology department. Some of the other aspects such as the monitoring procedures are theoretical, but realistic as we have monitored other aspects of the school and curriculum in similar ways.

 

Demonstrates Mastery:

The Technology Plan showcases the depth with which I went to carefully catalogue the current technology situation at Northampton, including the current infrastructure and technology department. Through communications with two members of the department I found that we are currently operating an older wireless network, which is why I added a goal in my plan of updating that network to accommodate a larger amount of traffic when the new 1:1 initiative grants every student a Chromebook. The network I proposed would be faster and more secure, while giving teachers and administrators more options to interact with the short throw projectors and other educational tools to be made available. My plan sets out a clear direction to improve the technology of Northampton at all levels, and could have a major positive impact on the achool.

 

Reflection:

I learned great deal in completing my Technology Plan. It allowed me to get a look at how the technology department operates, and exactly what kind of difficulties they face on a yearly basis. The hardest part of the process was to set realistic goals that could be clearly articulated and successfully completed in the next few years. I believe it was able to do that by using our actual district’s plans and building off of that with a few extra additions that could really be good for the school and the students. I did see some of the problems we currently have in a much different light, and through my plan feel that there are ways to improve those areas. As a teacher, I see everything we do from one specific point of view, and having the chance to put myself in the shoes of the people who are focused on providing the technology we use on a daily basis helped me to gain a better understanding of the things that are truly missing and need improvement.