How do you develop a plan for technology use if teachers don't know what they don't know? A staff development plan that embraces a variety of learning opportunities based on individual learning plans is the most effective design for teachers to use if they are expected to transfer the use of technology to their classrooms. Design a plan where everyone provides input. If teachers feel they have been heard, they will accept more ownership of the plan. We need to consider the different learning styles of adults as well as the students. Adults bring a highly developed set of beliefs about what is and what is not appropriate in a given situation. Any technology use has to be relevant to what the teachers are doing or plan to do with their students. This takes time. The ten steps to effective technology staff development are:

1. Develop a staff development sub-committee as part of the technology committee with representatives from all departments, grade-levels, administration, outside experts, technicians, and district office.
   
2. Demonstrate some examples of how technology can be used in the classroom. Then ask your staff for input. Use a form that asks them their needs, frustrations, fears, hopes on what they want to learn, and dreams and goals for their students as they relate to technology and their classroom. Brainstorm in small groups where they are now and where they want to be in the future, record results on flip chart paper, and post these results so everyone can refer to them.
   
3. Use a needs assessment instrument based on the Teacher Technology Standards (ISTE) that identifies comfort level and attitude about technology, basic technology use, and level of integration. Use this instrument to determine present level of technology use for each teacher and have them choose three to five areas where they would like to see improvement by the end of the school year.
   
4. Design individual learning plans (ILP) compiled from the data collected from each staff member. As an example, if a teacher lists themselves as comfortable with technology but new at graphic design, have them create a project or template as part of the workshop. The ILP is a database with examples of suggested learning opportunities. Each teacher can access the database, add to it, keep a reflection log or journal, and post any projects they may want to share.
   
5. Identify your staff cadre, the trainers or coaches at your site, from the data collected. Offer stipends for planning time and any workshops they provide after school hours. Provide resources such as technology for research and development of workshops they design. Realize that for every hour of a workshop, it takes over two hours of planning. Do not forget to offer advanced workshops for their professional growth. You may even identify some students or business partners to be part of your cadre.
   
6. Create a list of on-site workshops with goals, objectives and outcomes. Provide collaborative time at least once a week where the trainers offer workshops and coaching. Also build in release time for job-embedded staff development such as peer-coaching, team teaching, participating in a study group, shadowing other teachers, developing curriculum, "just-in-time" sessions, and previewing curriculum resources.
   
7. Share a list of off-site learning opportunities. Cover the expenses of conferences, workshops, and provide substitutes for off-site school visits. Other opportunities include grant writing, research projects, university classes, subscriptions to journals,, access to the internet and email, distance learning and video-conferences, zero-interest loans for computers, and videos, software, and lap-top computers for check-out.
   
8. Build in time for grade-level or department meetings to plan and correlate standards with technology, develop activities, projects and lessons that include technology, and design assessment strategies that evaluate student achievement. Include time for brainstorming, sharing, and developing materials.
   
9. At staff meetings, share successes and expectations not met. Celebrate projects in school newsletters, press releases to local newspapers, faxes to parents, on the school web site, at parent and board meetings, a video that can be checked out at the local video store, and even on the local cable station.
   
10. Continue with on-going planning and re-evaluating where you are and where you want to be. After you start using technology, needs change. Review and update the ILPs on a regular basis. Have teachers create a portfolio of their work and include examples for dissemination.

    This approach takes money and time, but if you design and use these strategies as a team, it will create a feeling of "We can do it!" over and over again.