STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR ICT

Strategic Planning for ICT in an Environment of Educational Reform



Strategic Planning for ICT in an Environment of Educational Reform

Introduction

Planning is a human behavior aimed at reducing uncertainty. Planning involves future thinking, decision making, integration, and formalized procedure (Mintzberg, 1994). Introducing Information Communication Technology (ICT) into schools heightens uncertainty due to the complexity and ambiguity of the process. Complexity stems from the powerful, flexible and intricate usage of ICT, while the ambiguity results from the high expectations embodied in ICT integration versus the schools' limited ability to change (Cuban, 2001; Tyack & Cuban, 1995).

Planning is one of the tools helping teachers to cope with ICT in school. By decomposition, articulation, and rationalization of ICT-based practices, teachers can better integrate it into the classroom. More and more literature deals with teachers' management of ICT integration (Kozma, 2003; Tubin & Chen, 2002; Venezky & Davis, 2002) but almost nothing has been written about teachers' planning of ICT usage.

The aim of this paper is to address this gap by studying the process of teachers' planning and its effects on ICT implementation at one elementary school. The rest of this introduction presents a theoretical background of planning, planning in education, and the relationship between planning and ICT integration into school.

Planning

Planning literature presents two basic types of planning. The first is strategic planning, a guide for future action that evolves from past patterns, including realized and intended strategies (Mintzberg, 1994). Strategic planning is characterized by being long-term and holistic, and it includes clear goals, a stable environment, linear progress, and convenient audit and control tools (Bell, 2002; Bennett, Crawford, Barley, Glover, & Levacic, 2000; Fidler, 1998).

The second type is emergent planning, where a realized pattern is not expressly intended. This kind of planning is characterized by a general concept, navigation according to unfolding events, checking alternatives, and evaluation in light of the changed situations (Bennett et al., 2000; Fidler, 1998; Mintzberg, 1994). Few, if any, strategies can be purely one kind or another. Real-world strategies combine both ways, attempting to control uncertainty without stopping the learning process (Mintzberg, 1994).

The organizational planning process is formed by external factors such as the level of environment stability, market expectations, and political, economic, and demographic trends. Internal factors affecting planning are the organizational structure, culture, coherency, reputation, and financial state (Bennett et al., 2000; Fidler, 1998). While this is true in general, educational organizations have some special characteristics.

Planning in Education

Over recent decades many countries (e.g., England, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Israel) have engaged in educational reform aimed at providing the school with greater autonomy while demanding greater accountability (Datnow, Hubbard, & Mehan, 2002). This has obliged schools to engage in more strategic planning and development planning (Davies & Ellison, 2003).

The findings regarding school planning processes are mixed. Some found them helpful in gaining legitimacy and increasing managerial control (Leggate & Thompson, 1997), and in improving student achievements (MacGilchrist, Mortimore, Savage, & Beresford, 1995). However, criticism of school planning holds that it has become an empty ritual ...