A number of districts are investing in video servers and video networks to support the growing use of video materials. District All school districts should consider items that have broad impact across all or most of the buildings in the district. A districtwide training and support program requires careful thought and planning to ensure that teachers will have the help and support they need, when they need it. We would recommend that any school or district working to develop a networking infrastructure seek advice from experts prior to embarking on a major school wide or district wide plan to ensure that the design plan adheres to common standards and ensures long term reliability and potential for expanded growth and demands. The local community can assist in the planning and implementation phases with the school district's adoption of technology.
Schools can open their doors during nonschool hours to support community learning opportunities.
This will, in turn, help schools raise the community's level of awareness and understanding of the benefits of technology in education. A district technology committee should involve members of the community including parents, business people, telecommunications representatives, local college representatives, school board members, and others. During this project, we found that while the technology issues required careful planning and coordination, that the components were relatively straightforward to install and place into operation. The major delays in the process were related to the process of making selections, establishing agreements with vendors and partner organizations, and the schools. The end result was that many teachers were trained long before they had a connection in their building and their classroom.