TECHNOLOGY BY DESIGN – A COMPREHENSIVE PROCESS FOR MANAGING TECHNOLOGY CHANGE TO SUPPORT AN EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATION IN THE 21ST CENTURY

“To produce, there must be forethought, system, planning, intelligence, and honest purpose, as well as perspiration. Seeming to do is not doing.” Thomas Jefferson

A lot of what we do in schools includes intelligence, honest purpose, and perspiration. We work hard and we do it the way we have always done it. Or, we latch on to the greatest new fad and do it the new way because everyone else is doing it AND, if we don’t, we will fall behind. This is especially true of technology in schools. The theory of Technology by Design (TBD) is that all aspects of technology use in a school should be created to achieve an explicit purpose – clearly linked to what the school hopes to accomplish. If that purpose is simply to not fall behind, then so be it. But it would only make sense if not falling behind could somehow be linked to the mission statement. The formal tool that helps an organization establish that the purposes exist and that each initiative is linked to those purposes is a process that I call Technology by Design. The outcome of that process is often called a Technology Plan.

A Technology Plan built through the TBD process is a comprehensive examination of the organization and the ways in which technology can, does, and will enhance the organization. It provides a frank analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of existing technology initiatives and thoughtfully documents strategies for the implementation of design change as well as methods of evaluation and follow up to provide an effective continuous improvement strategy.

We are in an exciting time. Although technology innovation has been around since we moved from the cave wall to the chalkboard, today we are seeing dramatic changes happening relentlessly. If we are to harness the power of these innovations to serve our schools and our students, we must develop effective robust strategies. In this presentation, the author builds a compelling justification for the TBD process. He then describes the essential components of the process from identifying goals to building the plan as a living and working document. He concludes with some practical examples of how the plan can work and some of the pitfalls to be avoided.