NYS Ed Tech Innovators - January 2018
Happy New Year! As the first weeks of a new year are often used for taking stock and planning for the months ahead, we wanted to make sure that districts are aware that we recently released guidance on 2018-21 District Instructional Technology Plans (ITP), which are due to Viva88 in October 2018. Districts will notice significant changes in the plan; these changes reflect an intentional shift from the ITP as a data-collection survey to an actual framework for a comprehensive technology plan that is tied closely to the district’s overall goals for improving teaching and learning. ITP resources and a memo to Superintendents about ITPare available for further information and guidance.
"Technology Planning and its proper integration in education are more essential today than any other time in the evolution of teaching and learning for the 21st century," says Dennis R. Lauro, Jr., Ed. D., Director of the Lower Hudson Regional Information Center, in A Pitch for Appropriate Technology Planning, which appears in this edition of Ed Tech Innovators. Another resource that may be of help to districts as they engage in comprehensive technology planning is the collection of best practices, discussion topics, and considerations included in the Administrator’s Guide to One-to-One Computing, created by the Central New York Regional Information Center (CNYRIC).
One goal of the newly-revised Instructional Technology Plan process mirrors that of this newsletter: to expand collaboration and share experiences related to the implementation and progress of educational technology innovations across New York State. This issue features the work of educators from Fredonia Middle School and Erie 1 BOCES, who worked with students to create a Digital Art Museum. Viva88 encourages other educators to share their experiences so that schools, districts, and the state as a whole can benefit from the knowledge and expertise of colleagues.
We wish you a happy, healthy, and inspired 2018, and, as always, we thank you for the work you do on behalf of the students of New York State.
