eTechPlanner Training Workshops Scheduled
Message Posted January 23, 2001
Most Technology Plans are Due by April 30, 2001
Frequently Asked Questions Listed Below
The Pennsylvania Department of Education is pleased to announce four workshops on the eTechPlanner, the web-based technology planning application
that was developed by the Colonial IU for the Pennsylvania Department of Education last year. The workshops are being held to assist the hundreds of
public school entities that will be submitting technology plans for approval if they are receiving Year 4 E-rate discounts or will be applying for the
Technology Literacy Challenge Fund this spring.
School districts, AVTSs and intermediate units whose plans have expired or will expire before June 30, 2001 must use the eTechPlanner to
develop and submit their technology plans for approval. To determine when your technology plan expires, go to:
http://www.etechplanner.org/generalinformation/plandue.asp. These entities are strongly encouraged to avail themselves of the workshop opportunities.
Public school entities that have technology plans due must submit them using the eTechPlanner no later than April 30, 2001. Read FAQ # 3 to find out if
your tech plan is due.
The eTechPlanner workshops will provide an overview of how to use the eTechPlanner to create and submit your technology plan. Time will be
set aside to answer your questions. The workshops are being offered at the following locations. To register, go to:
http://www.regonline.com/default.asp?Customer=236132
February 7, 2001, Montgomery County Intermediate Unit 23, in Norristown
AM Session: 9:30 A.M.-Noon
OR
PM Session: 1:00 P.M.-3:30 P.M.
February 16, 2001 Westmoreland County Intermediate Unit 7, in Greensburg
AM Session: 9:30 A.M.-Noon
OR
PM Session: 1:00 P.M.-3:30 P.M.
February 20, 2001 Pennsylvania Department of Education, in Harrisburg
Heritage Rooms A/B
AM Session: 9:30 A.M.-Noon
OR
PM Session: 1:00 P.M.-3:30 P.M.
February 13 - at the PETC Conference
There also will be a 1-hour workshop held at the PETC Technology Conference in Hershey on February 13, for those individuals who will be attending the
conference. Check your conference schedule for the exact time of the training session. This will only be a brief overview and districts wanting in depth training should attend one of the 3 longer workshops mentioned above.
The most common questions regarding the eTechPlanner have been compiled and answered below. There are additional, more technical questions regarding sections of the eTechPlanner listed on the www.eTechPlanner.org website.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who is required to use the eTechPlanner?
Public and nonpublic schools and libraries are required to have an approved
technology plan in order to receive federal E-rate discounts. The SLD, the
federal agency that administers the E-rate program, has "certified" several
entities that can approve technology plans in Pennsylvania and they are
listed at: http://www.pde.psu.edu/usf/zztechnology_plans.html . The
Pennsylvania Department of Education is one of these certified approvers.
In order for public schools to apply for the Technology Literacy
Challenge Fund program, they also must have an approved technology plan, and
it must be approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
Where the schools are required to or choose to have their technology
plans approved by PDE, they just submit their plan using the online
technology plan tool, eTechPlanner.
2. When do I need to submit a technology plan with the eTechPlanner?
Technology plans will be submitted through a phase-in process depending on
when your current plan expires. If you are unsure of when your plan is due,
go to http://www.etechplanner.org/generalinformation/plandue.asp to view a
PDF file containing the dates when all school district plans will be
expiring.
3. If my plan already has expired or will expire on or before June 30,
2001, what is the deadline for submitting my technology plan using
eTechPlanner?
If your plan already has or will expire on or before June 30, 2001, you must
submit your technology plan electronically using eTechPlanner no later than
April 30, 2001. This allows time for the peer review process to approve
your plan and for the Department of Education to provide final approval no
later than June 30, 2001.
If your technology plan expires between July 1, 2001 - June 30,
2002, your eTechPlan is due by April 30, 2002.
4. What is the difference between eTechPlanner, the PlanBuilder, and
the Inventory?
eTechPlanner is the name of the entire program which includes the
PlanBuilder and the Inventory.
The PlanBuilder section is designed to assist you in creating your
technology plan online and submitting it electronically to the PA Department
of Education. The technology inventory is a comprehensive technology
survey done each year that all public schools are requested to complete on
an annual basis, and is an integral part of the PlanBuilder as data from the
inventory is automatically seized and used in the technology plan.
5. I lost or forgot my password to the PlanBuilder section of
eTechPlanner. How can I retrieve it?
If you have lost or have forgotten your password to the PlanBuilder, go to
http://www.etechplanner.org/etechplanner/utilities/ForgotPassword.asp. Fill
in the requested information and your password will be emailed to your email
account. If you are a new Technology Coordinator and the email address
entered into the PlanBuilder for your district is no longer accurate, use
the Contact Us Form available on the eTechPlanner web site to request that
your password be sent to you.
6. My password from the PlanBuilder will not work when I try to login
to the Inventory and vice versa. What is wrong?
Your login ID for both the PlanBuilder and the Inventory is always your
district AUN number. However, the password for the PlanBuilder and the
Inventory may be different. If your password is not working in one of the
applications, it indicates that someone from your district who has access to
the eTechPlanner has set a different password. Use the retrieve password
function in the appropriate application to retrieve the correct password.
7. Several sections of the PlanBuilder have many tasks. How long will
it take me to complete the eTechPlanner process?
The eTechPlanner is designed to assist you in creating your plan in
electronic form; however, you will still need to plan an appropriate amount
of time to research and create your plan. Many parts of the PlanBuilder are
optional, such as the Guiding Questions, committee tasks, Assistant Tools,
etc. therefore making the eTechPlanner easier to complete.
It is difficult to put a timeline on how long it will take a
district or school to complete the entire eTechPlanner process. Smaller
districts should need a shorter amount of time than larger districts simply
because there is less information to be entered. However, we encourage all
school districts to keep their responses to the tasks succinct while at the
same time being thorough in their answers.
8. How do I submit my technology plan?
When you have worked through all of the processes for the technology plan
and are satisfied with the technology plan output, you can click the
Technology Plan Submission link in the far-left. After you select the
Technology Plan Submission link, click 'Submit Plan for ePeer Review' at the
bottom of the page. Clicking the Submit Plan for ePeer Review automatically
moves your plan into the queue for review by an ePeer reviewer.
9. How does the ePeer review process work?
After you have completed all sections of the PlanBuilder, you will use the
link on the left of the main menu called Tech Plan submission to submit your
technology plan. AFTER YOU SUBMIT THE TECHNOLOGY PLAN, YOUR PLAN IS LOCKED
AND CAN NO LONGER BE CHANGED. Your plan will go into a queue and assigned to
an ePeer reviewer. The ePeer reviewer will review your technology plan and
make any additional comments he/she finds necessary. The ePeer reviewers
will have two weeks to complete the review of your plan. If there are
sections that need to be revised, you will receive an email telling you the
ePeer Reviewer had comments, and you should log into eTechPlanner and make
the necessary revisions. Your plan will be unlocked at this point. If the
ePeer reviewer does not have any comments and believes that your technology
plan meets the established criteria, you will receive an email informing you
that your technology plan has been forwarded to the Department of Education
with a recommendation for approval. After PDE gives your plan final
approval, you will receive another email telling you that your technology
plan has been approved.
10. Where can I find the criteria that the ePeer reviewers will use to
review my technology plan?
You can find the criteria the ePeer reviewers will use by going to
http://www.etechplanner.org/overview/overview.asp. Part III of the
overview will list for you the criteria that the ePeer reviewers will use.
11. What type of judgments will the ePeer reviewers make about my
technology plan?
The ePeer reviewers will be instructed to review your technology plan to
make sure that all required criteria have been addressed in a thorough
manner. They will not make judgments about whether or not your goals and
activities are appropriate for your district, whether or not your district
is providing enough computers, or whether or not your district is spending
enough money on technology. They will only verify that your technology
plan has been completed and that the required components have been
addressed.
12. How will I know when PDE has officially approved my technology plan?
After PDE approves your technology plan, you will receive an email informing
you that the Department of Education has approved the plan. The approval
date and the date your next technology plan will be due will also appear as
the Technology Plan Due list found at
http://www.etechplanner.org/generalinformation/plandue.asp.
13. How can I become an ePeer reviewer?
You can become an ePeer Reviewer by completing a form at:
http://www.etechplanner.org/etechplanner/epeerreq.asp. Reviewers will
receive $500 for reviewing 20-25 plans.
14. When will I have to update my Link-to-Learn Inventory?
The 2001 Link-to-Learn Technology Inventory will be due by June 4, 2001.
15. Will I have to do my Inventory from scratch as I did last year?
No. The data that you entered last year for your Link-to-Learn Inventory
will be in the new inventory for you to modify. However, there may be
additional questions for which you will have to enter new data.
16. Will I be able to get a printout of my final inventory data this
year?
Yes. As a response to many requests, you may now print out a final copy of
all of your inventory data after you have submitted it to the Department of
Education.
--John
----------------------------------------
John P. Bailey
Director
Office of Educational Technology
PA Department of Education
333 Market Street
Harrisburg, PA 17126
Phone: 717.705.4486 Fax: 717.787.7222
jbailey@state.pa.us
Visit our websites:
Link-to-Learn www.L2L.org
Distance Learning Exchange www.dle.state.pa.us
Department's website www.pde.state.pa.us
State's website www.state.pa.us
eTechPlanner www.eTechPlanner.org
Julie Tritt Schell
Executive Policy Specialist
Pennsylvania Department of Education
333 Market Street, 10th Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17126
(717) 705-4486
(717) 787-7222 - fax
jtritt@state.pa.us
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