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MS Strategic Planning
MS Strategic Planning
Strategic planning
In 1971, Alan Kay, inventor of key technologies behind the first graphical computer user interface, said, The best way to predict the future is to invent it.1 The sentiment arose, one can infer from the context of the citation, from circumstances in which stakeholders involved in a project did not share a common vision. In this specific instance, the conflict was between researchers at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center and a team of researchers who, by 1979, had a lab of computers networked together, sharing email and running a crude version of a mouse- and windows-driven user interface. Yet all of these core technologies were developed and brought to market with wild success by companies other than Xerox. In hindsight, it is easy to look back and judge winners and losers based on how the marketplace responded to the companies commercializing the technologies, but the core lesson is more subtle and more powerful: Had all stakeholders embraced the same vision and strategic plan for Xerox the company, as opposed to having been in conflict, perhaps Xerox might have left behind a richer, more transformative technological legacy.
The heart of good strategic planning works to resolve the conflict between keeping operations running as efficiently as possible and the need to drive an organization to new and exciting places. Shifting from an operational mindset to a strategic mindset can be difficult and confusing, however. In fact, multiple sources and surveys point to the lack of good strategic planning as a top concern for information and communication technology (ICT) in education.2, 3 The processes that define operations typically approximate closed-loop systems with well-defined approaches to management and resourcing. Strategy, on the other hand, requires consideration of the environment outside of the walls or the network. Good strategies must consider the core competencies that will drive future success and must therefore take into account how the internal environment compares to others in the global marketplace. Especially during times of scarce resources and increased accountability, leadership at all levels must strike a different balance between operational excellence and strategic relevanceit is no longer enough to be good enough with the resources at hand. Institutions must demonstrate to all of their stakeholders that the future everyone desires is a better, more engaging, more efficient, and more prosperous one, and that is the future that policymakers are betting on with their scarce resources. Strategic planning that aligns all policy stakeholders with an exciting and transformative vision of education for a prosperous future can turn cynics into optimists and can be a key driver of future economic success. We believe that strategic planning for education policy can invent the future for your own geography.
drive scalable innovation in efficient ways. Such partners would also understand the core wants and needs of all key stakeholdersnot from reading about them but from deep experience of working with them, at scale, across all facets of the global education ecosystem.
The following diagram and descriptive text provide a concise overview of the Microsoft approach to strategic planning for education. The approach begins with a common vision of delivering a 21st-century education and then focuses on the core needs and concerns of all key stakeholders.
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The Microsoft approach to 21st-century education includes an all-encompassing vision, while focusing on core individual needs. 1. 2. Vision. Leadership at all levels is needed, and governments must involve all key stakeholders in the creation, planning, and delivery of education policy. Policy. Schools do not have the resources to build ICT infrastructure without appropriate ICT policy for allocating the proper resources. Policy should define plans, goals, and milestones so that each school can address their own needs within the context of the overall plan. 3. Research. Stakeholders must assess, quantify, and evaluate the impact of ICT investment on the education community and use this evidence to provide real-time guidance to the planning and implementation processes. 4. ICT Infrastructure. Education infrastructure must provide access to reliable
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power, Internet resources, and affordable computer hardware. Additionally, the latest PC technology, coupled with local content and quality software, can help to promote social and economic inclusion. 5. Software. Innovative solutions capable of incorporating ICT into the education process can give students, teachers, and parents the tools they need to help ensure effective instruction and optimal student performance. 6. 7. Curriculum. Classroom content must match the needs and priorities of the local education community. Training. Educator development should not only help ensure that all teachers have basic literacy with core ICT tools but also provide for ongoing training for all educators so that education remains relevant to local communities and the global marketplace. 8. Communities. Educators must find and develop connections with each other and with education partners so that they can share best practices, test ICT solutions, and connect with others working on similar issues. Dynamic learning communities can help drive transformative change by helping to bridge the divide between borders, cultures, and languages. 9. Support. Sustainable use of ICT in education requires an ongoing commitment to deploying service and support that is both affordable and effective, while meeting the needs of staff and students within the school. Bill Gates, referring to education, states, Of course technology by itself is not the answer. It needs to be part of an integrated, holistic approach that includes teacher training, relevant curricula, parental involvement, and programs. Microsoft understands that the introduction of ICT into education is not a panacea; building systems and support that foster local innovation and workforce development requires deliberate and strategic planning. We believe that after these drivers of social inclusion are satisfied, we will be one step closer to our wider global goals of increased wealth, better health, greater prosperity, and improved economic and environmental sustainability.
Education Impact can assist in mapping the opportunities represented by technology to the best strategy for a particular geography to develop, adopt, and sustain ICT initiatives for education institutions. A clear education vision is critical and central to the entire programfrom initial discussions with stakeholders to the successful implementation of new programs and technology in schools. Learning applications, policy, pedagogy, curriculum, teacher training and enablement, and student resources all work in concert to prepare students to be valuable participants in the 21st-century economy.
Case Studies
Results from pilot Envisioning Workshops with Education Impact
Kazakhstan
for e-learning. Outcome
Challenge or issue leading to workshop The Ministry of Education chose the workshop to help integrate international perspectives and modern trends on ICT in education into the ministrys vision
International perspectives and modern trends were integrated into the Ministry of Educations strategic plan for education.
Next steps Develop secondary school portal. Establish a remote monitoring system to monitor students progress at a regional level. Organize distance learning. Create electronic information-sharing model. Provide database for administrators and decision-makers.
Malaysia
Challenge or issue leading to workshop The Ministry of Education wanted to consolidate and prioritize national initiatives for ICT in education for K12 schools in Malaysia. The ministry also wanted to enhance the alignment of private/public partnership programs in support of the goals identified. Outcome The Ministry of Education strengthened the education partnership with Microsoft by extending the Partners in Learning (PiL) program until 2013. The ministry signed a three-year consortia agreement for Microsoft licenses covering 10,000 public schools and 300,000 desktops. It also integrated PiL programs into the National ICT Strategic Plan, which goes into effect in 2011.
Cape Verde
Challenge or issues leading to workshop Cape Verde wanted further development of its existing ICT strategy road map for its ICT-in-education program, Mundu Novu. It hoped to overcome key change management issues in Mundu Novu by bringing a global perspective to attendees and by telling the Cape Verde story to a global audience.
Outcome and next steps The Envisioning Workshop yielded the following recommendations on the Mundu Novu program: Help ensure that future ICT rollouts are driven by use of ICT for core functions of schooling. Emphasize professional development and leadership capacity. Deepen local ownership of Mundu Novu. Develop showcase to share Cape Verdes vision and achievements.
Other countries or regions that have run Envisioning Workshops include Colombia, Indonesia, Latvia, Morocco, Panama, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, South Korea, Tanzania, Trinidad & Tobago, and Ukraine. If you have completed an Envisioning Workshop, or if you have a strategic plan in place for transforming education, working with Microsoft on a Partners in Learning Alliance can map key Microsoft programs and offers to your specific needs for education.
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School Agreement Campus Agreement Microsoft Live@edu Partnerships for Technology Access Education Impact Community Technology Skills Microsoft IT Academy MSDN Academic Alliance Microsoft DreamSpark Digital Literacy Students to Business Micrsoft Imagine Cup Education Support Centres Microsoft Fcaulty Connection Premier Support
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The Microsoft approach to strategic planning for education supports a transformative vision.
1. http://www.smalltalk.org/alankay.html 2. EDUCAUSE Review Magazine Top Ten IT Issues 2009. http://www.educause.edu/2009IssuesResources. (Additionally, IT Funding has been at or near the top of the list of concerns for IT for each of the last 10 years.) 3. 2009 EduTracker survey of global education markets.
Visit us at www.microsoft.com/education.
MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY. This document is provided as-is. Information and views expressed in this document, including URL and other Internet Web site references, may change without notice. You bear the risk of using it. This document does not provide you with any legal rights to any intellectual property in any Microsoft product. Microsoft and DreamSpark are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
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