K-12 Technology Experts’ New Book “Vision” Is Definitive Guide to Technology in the Classroom
San Diego, Calif. (PRWEB) December 09, 2014 -- Working to change the way technology is deployed and used in K-12 classrooms, Networld Solutions, Inc., a leading provider of value-added information technology solutions, today announced the availability of a new book co-authored by the company’s VP and Principal Education Technology Consultant Darryl Vidal. Michael Casey, who has more than 30 years of experience working in both education and technology, and now serves as director of technology for the Del Mar Union School District in San Diego County, is the other co-author.
Titled “Vision: The First Critical Step in Developing a Strategy for Educational Technology,” the book is now available on Amazon. According to Vidal, “Vision” provides a straightforward approach to developing a school or school district’s vision to guide all stakeholders toward a common goal with educational technology.
“A lot of school districts have rushed to get technology into students’ hands without really having a vision for how the devices support the districts’ instructional practices,” said Vidal. “The reality is, there are a thousand ways to implement and utilize technology. But school districts need to recognize that their technology vision must directly support their educational vision – it needs to embody the essence of what teachers are attempting to achieve with their instructional practices in the classroom.”
The book discusses educational technology in a non-technical manner and not only brings to light ideas and concerns about 1:1 computing and bring your own device solutions (BYOD), but also provides solutions that K-12 schools can implement now. “Vision” answers the following questions for U.S.-based K-12 school districts:
- Why do we need a VISION for Technology in Education?
- How do we develop our own VISION for Educational Technology?
- Does our VISION for educational technology support our District Strategic Plan?
- How do today’s infrastructure requirements, instructional applications and equipment impact our VISION?
Also coming into play in the book is TIME (Technology Independent Model for Education™), a new concept in K-12 technology introduced earlier this year by Vidal, who has been involved with planning technology for school districts for more than 20 years. TIME is designed to optimize education outcomes for school districts across the U.S, and concentrates on moving K-12 technologists beyond BYOD to focus on the use of technology for advancing curriculum objectives.
“Vision” is the second in a series of K-12 technology books published by the authors. In February 2014, they released “N3xt Practices: An Executive Guide for Education Decision Makers,” which is aimed at guiding K-12 education decision makers through the successful planning and implementation of technology strategies.
Both books draw upon the authors’ experiences working with school districts across California, including San Diego Unified and Santa Monica-Malibu Unified. In addition to his current position as director of IT at Del Mar Union School District, Casey also previously served as executive director of IT for the San Diego Unified School District.
More Than a Concept: TIME Is a Movement and Methodology
Networld Solutions’ TIME model embraces a process and methodology similar to the company’s service-marked MapIT™ methodology, with an approach that will not only help school districts define curriculum requirements, but also establish the processes and procedures to manage diverse, multi-device environments using a just-in-time provisioning model.
Like MapIT, TIME provides a system of rules, principles, processes and practices for the customization and successful implementation of educational technology. This proven approach, combined with deep industry expertise, enables Networld Solutions to effectively deliver highly customized, state-of-the-art technology solutions.
For more information on “Vision,” visit Vidal’s blog at http://www.vidalcasey.com/?p=421. The book can be ordered on Amazon here.
About Networld Solutions
Serving businesses throughout California and the West Coast, Networld Solutions, Inc. offers a team of value-add IT consultants for customers in K-12 education, healthcare and the enterprise and small to medium business markets. Networld Solutions, Inc. is in business to help organizations grow through the strategic use of IT, and takes pride in its customization expertise and can design and implement any solution to fit a business’ needs. For more information, visit http://www.networldsolutions.com.
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Paula Johns, Paula Johns Communications, +1 (760) 522-0941, [email protected]
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