Reflection - Module 7

Much of this week’s work and research focus on setting the stage for Enterprise Architecture.  Typically, school districts have maintained separate plans for technology and the district. For example, a district creates a “district education plan” and then has a separate “technology plan.”  Moving forward, do you think this is still a good practice, or should they be combined? Please provide a rationale for your decision. ​

It is possible that twenty years ago a district could have two distinct plans - a "district education plan" and a seperate "technology plan." However, today's increasingly digitized world and the prevalence of technological tools being used inside and outside the classroom must cause districts reconsider this approach. Even if a district is not using very much technology, it is now forced to rethink this, since the lack of using technological tools could be putting their students at a great disadvantage in comparison with districts that are leveraging technology to better deliver content and provide for individualized learning plans that can be customized and monitored through increasingly sophisticated technological solutions. 

Furthermore, districts where technology is being adopted through a technology plan, will find that if not developed in conjunction with their district education plan, these will often be misaligned and not take full advantage of the resources that technology can provide to teachers and students in relation to classroom education.  They will also miss out on opportunities for optimization of the learning experience and of more easily gathering data around learning progress. In conclusion, these two plans may still exist as separate artifacts but should be built out together with clear alignments and foundational architecture between the two plans so they reinforce and complement each other and are based on the same ultimate goals and outcomes, such as success for all students and ease of use for all end users.