"Technology should be leveraged to provide access to more learning resources than are available in classrooms and connections to a wider set of “educators,” including teachers, parents, experts, and mentors outside the classroom."
- The National Educational Technology Plan
In order to ensure success of your digital learning plan, and the budget needed for it, community support and involvement is essential. The needs of all students -- both traditional and nontraditional -- must be addressed. Your digital learning plan committee should include representatives from adult literacy and education programs, and local public library personnel, along with students, parents, and community members. Also consider possible opportunities for collaborative work within the community.
Using Your Community Resources
Your digital learning plan should consider goals and actions that involve the community in specific and clear ways. You can use the specific county and town/city census data and other information in your district description to figure out what resources and needs are available in your community and try to include them in your goals and actions. Community involvement is a great way to gain support for the schools and your school budgets, and should be integral parts of any local education improvement or strategic plans that your district may have. Plans to promote community involvement projects which include funding sources like grants and private funds will allow you to connect with your community and help with funding. Strong collaboration with adult literacy providers in your area along with participation in adult literacy programs relative to technology can gain support for technology budgets in your community. Another community component you may want to include are additional collaborative projects that involve other organizations in the community. The use of social media to spread information and as a collaborative tool is increasingly becoming more prominent. While email notification systems can help gather feedback and disperse information, social media will engender more support and interest. Consider updating social media policies and using social media outlets for parents and community members to share information. It will enable your school district to engage with the community and share resources in new and interesting ways that will heighten public support. Use these outlets to send quick messages for emergency weather closings and other events.
The Power of Family-School-Community Partnerships (National Education Association)
School Community Collaboration (Southeast Education Network)
Family and Community Engagement (Learning First Alliance)
Involvement or Engagement? (Educational Leadership)
Five Steps to Better School/Community Collaboration (Edutopia)
The Importance of Community Involvement in Schools (Edutopia)
Innovative Examples of Community Involvement in Schools (Digital Promise)
Top Benefits of Family and Community Engagement (HR Hanover Research)
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