The Facts:  

Twenty-first century career skills demand the use of computers to be competitive in the global economy.

While nearly all U.S. schools currently use computers, the demand to create one-to-one access for all students is increasing exponentially.

To ensure access to technology, leaders must create a vision, enlist others and successfully develop a strategic plan to accomplish educational objectives that maximize the use of technology.  

Build a Task Force…  

• • Start this conversation at the state or school district level.
• • Loosely define short and long-term goals.
• • Include the community.
• • Limit the number of people on your task force.
• • Enlist the support of other key stakeholders.

 Identify Stakeholders…

 A one-to-one initiative impacts the entire district — teachers, administrators, students, parents, board members, IT staff, facilities and procurement staff, and curriculum specialists.

• Everyone impacted by one-to-one computing has the potential to become a champion for the project.
• Early buy-in is mission critical for the initiative.
• Be practical while seeking the ideas, needs and input of all stakeholders.
• Minding these considerations facilitates identification of key objectives.
• In the end, the leader must make decisions and implement them.

 Determine Objectives…

• Student Achievement • Revitalize Student Interest
• Reduce Drop-Out Rate • Change Teaching Methods
• Individualized Learning • Improve Technology Skills
• Increase Job Skills • Eliminate Digital Divide
• Extend Access to • Improve Communication the Community

 Align Existing Policies...

• Create a strategic plan • Consider funding long term
• Create a policy document • Review security policies
• Consider sustainability • Establish usage policies
• Review procurement • Evaluate district policies technology standards

 Create a Strategic Plan…

 A successful strategic implementation considers three elements: people, process and technology.

• Do a gap analysis.
• Learn from the experiences of others.
• Forecast technical infrastructure needs — expect to increase capacity.
• Consider beginning with a pilot or smaller scale implementation or use a phased approach.
• Seek vendor expertise to estimate project cost.

 Maximize Communication…

• Begin at the grass roots level — form a task force.
• Use written, oral and electronic communication.
• Communication needs to occur at milestones,
• informing stakeholders of major progress.
• It is crucial for people to understand what is changing,
• when the change will occur and the potential impact
• of the implementation.