Plan of action

Although in the needs assessment surveys (one last term and one this term) teachers indicated a basic knowledge of ICT, after looking at the draft plan, several seemed unsure about their ability to apply this knowledge to real tasks,  This supports the reading which pointed out that certification is less and indicator of expertise than experience.

Vision

To develop the ICT vision, the staff must identify what should be included and the focus areas.  An ICT management team should be identified to lead the process of development.  This team should conduct a needs assessment of staff.  This will help in gaining an accurate picture of what really needs to be addressed to create an effective policy.   Once a policy is drafted it must taken back to the general staff for review and refinement.  Once the policy has passed muster it will be put into use.

The policy must be reviewed at least once a year to ensure that it remains relevant.

Budgeting

In a government school, budgeting is different from a private school services are provided. In making an ICT budget, I realized just how many maintenance services are provided by the government.   This frees up any money gained from fund raising to be spent on curriculum development.  It would be good to use ICT resources to raise funds because fund raising takes too much time. 

Draft Policy

While doing the staff development draft, I focused on teachers' development.  After reading the blog comments, I realized that administrative staff should be included.  When drafting a policy, it is important to do a needs assessment and resources inventory to ensure that one knows exactly what areas of the school need development.  A generic framework always needs adjusting to ensure that it is relevant.

Policy

I would not include community use in an ICT policy.  This is not applicable.  Staff development and curriculum is crucial to ensure that the school improves its standards.  Infrastructure and security need to addressed also.

SWOT ANALYSIS

This exercise was helpful in analysing the true situation at the school.   Thinking about each (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat) specifically allowed me to identify the potential for growth in the school.  This was especially helpful since it is a new posting and I was not aware that there were so many resources present.