Ottawa Area Intermediate School District Technology Planning ...

OAISD Technology Planning – General Overview
Within the Ottawa Area Intermediate School District, technology
planning is a natural extension of the many planning activities that
already exist within the organization including strategic planning, school
improvement, annual budgeting cycles, and a myriad of other building
and department level strategic and tactical planning activities.
Technology planning is a dynamic process which seeks to continually
enhance the capacity of the OAISD to achieve its mission, i.e., the vision
for technology is that it be aligned with the broader educational and
operational goals for the organization. This particular document serves as an overview of the technology
planning and alignment that is continually in motion rather than being the result of distinct activity
performed by a special committee. Indeed, to offer anything other than an illustrative overview would
betray the paradigm of technology alignment in which we operate.
The Ottawa Area Intermediate School District currently has three ‘over-arching” goals that guide its
planning and operations:
• Increased Student Achievement,
• Improve OAISD and LEA Financial and Infrastructure Stability, and
• Influence Political Decisions that Impact Schools.
These goals are the heart of the ISD’s educational mission to serve our community, our customers and our
children and educators. These goals are encompassing in their breadth and depth and are the foundation
for curriculum programming and technology support. The Ottawa Area Intermediate School District also
exists within an operational environment that is constantly changing, e.g., OAISD provides services to
approximately 40 autonomous LEAs in addition to continually adapting to changes in state and national
requirements.
Ottawa Area ISD is a dynamic organization – ever striving to meet the changing demands of its students,
the LEAs, and state and federal requirements. As such, its planning processes reflect the need for
flexibility and continuous improvement. An important step is the continual solicitation of input from the
wide array of its constituents through many different systems. Examples of this include:
• Affiliate Groups, for example
o Ottawa Area Superintendents Association
o Ottawa Area Technology Directors
o Ottawa Area Curriculum Directors
o Principals and Counselors
o Business Directors
o Transportation Directors
o REMC7 Advisory Group
• Parents and community participation, for example
o
o
o
Technology is both a tool
and catalyst for change.
Careerline Tech Center’s Business Advisory Committees (these committees meet
regularly to assess program curriculum and recommend changes in teaching
methodology, resources, technology and curricula to assure relevance with workplace
skills and expectations)
Schools operated and managed by the Special Education Department are highly
specialized and involve a great deal of parent interaction ranging from involvement in
committees to IEPT meetings.
Ad hoc – for example the recent Career Tech Education Vision process that solicited
input from a broad cross-section of the community.
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