Does Your District Need a Technology Audit? #9

By Howard Pitler
Learning & Leading with Technology
April 2007 Vol. 34 No.7

Mr.Pitler makes a great case for auditing school districts on their technological status. He makes the great point that districts are always looking at the financial statements and their accuracy. So he makes the point that school districts should conduct a technological audit to better assess a districts capabilities. Technological audits would provide better views of teachers feelings concerning the use of technology as well as how students actually use that technology. Furthermore Pitler makes the case that an audit would help break down any barriers between students and teachers that might prevent effective use of technology. Districts can develop their own personal tech plans for auditors to help maximize their effectiveness and integrate it into the system.
The use of focus groups can also be helpful in these audits. These groups should be comprised of staff members, parents,students, and local business leaders. By forming groups of diverse individuals the technological audits for school districts will be much more effective in determining what they need for the future. Although some may argue that the cost associated with an audit would cost too much but Pitler argues these costs will be worth the investment.
1) What planning processes exist for the upgrade of hardware and software assets to stay technologically current?
A current audit of a particular school district would be a valuable resource in determining those assets.
2)What should a technological audit look at first?
A quality audit will look at the perspective of those involved first. Staff and students should be at the beginning of the process.