Technology Assessments

I think it is important and extremely valuable for stakeholders to have access to educators' technology leadership knowledge and skills because they are involved in the success and outcome of student achievement.  If stakeholders understand the mission and vision of today's educational system and the importance of technology, this creates a positive and ubiquitous mentality and "buy-in" from the community to support this initiative and less push-back in the long run.  If the community is more informed of the education they are supporting as taxpayers and voting constituents, they are more inclined to support and encourage this movement.  All community members are stakeholders whether they believe it or not!  If they have children, they are stakeholders.  If they have a job, they are stakeholders.  If they vote, they are stakeholders.... and so on.  Therefore, they should play a vital role in keeping up with educational trends and reform and voicing their opinions.  Technology literacy is critical to our future and this is exactly what 21st Century learning entails.  The more invested stakeholders become, the more resources there will be for the 21st Century learning environment including facilities, available technology, and professional development opportunities. 
Along with this level of community involvement comes pros and cons.  A pro would obviously be that stakeholders know where their money is going and know it is being used wisely and successfully.   The other side of this is of course that they realize the effectiveness of technology is not at the target level defined in the plan and this can be discouraging.  Frequent blogging from educators and students can limit the feeling of discouragement if the level of technology achievement can be explained and rectified by a certain timeline.  Posting ongoing data analysis and trends to report to the community will keep them updated and optimistic.  This not only gives stakeholders something to look forward to, but also creates accountability for students, educators, and leadership to meet these standards.