Introduction

It is the best of times, it is the worst of times, it is the most interesting of times.  We are living through a literacy revolution. The first revolution occured with the invention of language somwhere back in prehistoric times, the second is credited with the development of writing so information could be passed on from generation to generation without great distortion. The next big literacy revolution is attributed to Gutternburg's  printing press  in the 1450's  that facilitated the distribution of books to the general population not just the elite and religious leaders had access to the writings, beliefs and stories of others. Now a fourth revolution, the technology and communication revolution is upon us. Known as ICT  (information and communication technology), anyone can publish to the world, communicate anywhere there is internet access and run an Ebay store from their home.  When Bobby Dylan wrote "times they are a'changing" in the 1960's he was  somewhat prophetic because computer and information technology have changed how we communicate, are entertained, shop, learn and conduct business. According to a Rand study in 1999 "Life in 2015 will be revolutionized by the growing effect of multidisciplinary technology across all dimensions of life: social, economic, political, and personal. Biotechnology will enable us to identify, understand, manipulate, improve, and control living organisms (including ourselves). The revolution of information availability and utility will continue to profoundly affect the world in all these dimensions." Will our students be prepared for this world? Will we?

The only place technology is not used very much is in classrooms, yet schools are supposed to be preparing students to be functioning members in our society. The reasons are many but the essential ones come down to money, resources and time.

• Technology keeps changing so how can a school afford to keep up?
• Teachers are not digital natives, how can they be taught how to use information and communication technology to its best advantage in education?
  
• How can you be sure they are using it adequately with their students.
• How can you assess and demonstrate that students are ICT literate?
  
• Some students don't have computers at home and many do not have broadband access. How can these inequities be addressed?

Task
New requirements ask for evidence that demonstrate that your students can meet Vermont State grade expectations in technology. Your task is to work as a team to answer the bulleted questions above and come to a solution that is best for your school/district setting. You will have to examine different issues, particularly as they apply to your community and create a a technology plan that supports your goals. You will have to identify:

• your vision of technology use
• what your current state of technology use is
• implementtion steps to get from your current state to your vision
• funding to support your plan's implementation and
  
• a way to present this to the stakeholders in your supervisory union or school district before this school year ends (for real).
  

You will work in a team of four or five, with each member assuming one of the roles described below to examine evidence and research from your role's perspective to support your goals. You will then have to negotiate in your group to find a common ground. It is highly recommended that you choose a role that is not yours so you can begin to understand the perspective of others.  Each of you will have to compromise to some degree and as they say, just like in a democracy, no one really feels they've won but you will come to a workable solution that is best for your supervisory union.

You should probably begin by creating a timeline to estimate when different parts of your plan have to be accomplished. You should also keep a log of meetings whether they are virtual or face to face, who participated and a summary of progress made.

Role #1: You are a retired teacher living on a fixed income. You have always supported education because you know how important it is to have students that develop into citizens that make wise decisions and can problem solve. You have never used a computer much except at the town library although you grandchildren are always sending you digital pictures of themselves through snail mail because your children live far away.When you were a teacher you did not have to use computers because they didn't exist. What do you think should be done about integrating technology into classroom teaching? Are you willing to pay more taxes?

Role #2: You are a member of the school board and you are trying to do what you think is best for your supervisory union. You want to remain on the school board because you feel that education is a priority in your town and understand that the many people consider the quality of your school system when deciding to move to your town, yet you understand the financial impact that higher taxes can have on residents being able to keep their homes and property. What is your position on integrating technology into classrooms and how it should be funded?

Role #3: You are a student and you think technology tools make learning fun. At home you don't have a fast connection to the Internet but you love to write e-mail and to Instant Message with your friends. You play computer games and even those that sometimes are considered "edutainment" programs. You wish you had access to a computer in all your classes because it keeps you active and it's easier to take notes and research information.

Role #4: You are the superintendent and wish to remain the superintendent of your supervisory union. You work very hard and there are many pressures and interests pulling at you in different directions. You wish you had more funding, more personal, and less restrictions but there are factors you cannot control. You are required to submit a technology plan that you can implement and meet state and local requirements. How can you do that?

Role#5: You are a teacher and have been one for twenty years. Computers weren't used when you were a student although have been trying to learn to use one better to enable you to use it in your teaching. You've been to a couple of workshops and even taken a course on how to use a computer but they can be so complicated. You live in the town you teach in and have a computer at home but it is now seven years old and crashes quite a bit. How are you going to learn how to integrate technology well enough to support its best use in your teaching and to support your students in using technology to meet their grade expectations?

Resources
You will need to identify a number of resources to help you through this process. Some of these may pertain to

• Technology Planning
• Technology Policies
  
• Data collection
• Technology and Curriculum Standards
  
• Technology Assessment
• e-rate information
• Copyright law
• Professional Development..etc

As you find good resources that are electronically shareable (ie. a url or pdf or doc) we would like you to add these to the Vermont Commons for Information Technology Educators site (VTcite) http://www.vitcite.org so they are useable between your different groups. Add them to the appropriate category under the Resource Database if this resource is deemed useful and not already there. A goog place to start is at the Vermont Department of Education Technology Planning Site.

	Beginning 1	Developing 2	Accomplished 3	Exemplary 4	Score
You have a clear vision of how you would like to see technology integrated into your schools classrooms	You do not have a vision, you have a description of how it is now being used.		.	You have a clearly written vision of how you would like to see technology integrated into your classrooms based upon Vermont and National Standards
You have a clear assessment-based description of how technology and communicaiton tools are now being used in your SU's classrooms.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting a beginning level of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting development and movement toward mastery of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting mastery of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting the highest level of performance.
You have a clear and conmplete description of your school's technology policy	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting a beginning level of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting development and movement toward mastery of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting mastery of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting the highest level of performance.
Stated Objective or Performance	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting a beginning level of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting development and movement toward mastery of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting mastery of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting the highest level of performance.
Stated Objective or Performance	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting a beginning level of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting development and movement toward mastery of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting mastery of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting the highest level of performance.

What have you learned in participating in this webquest? How did your technology plan differ from the one's in the past? How will you present this to your school board? Community?

Create a presentation for your community explaining your technology plan and budget.