Conclusion

Interest in the development of academic web sites continues to grow as more and more homes become computer-friendly. The community wants to know what is going on in its schools, and parents want to keep track of the academic progress of their children. It is increasingly expected that, with the presence of the web, access to education agencies is to be available to students, teachers, and parents at all times.

The purpose of this guidebook is to provide an overview of the Internet and intra-agency networks, to discuss the development and standardization of World Wide Web sites, and to examine procedures that provide a secure environment for education agency networks and web sites.

Systematic technology planning is essential for every organization. Technology development is costly and complex and the development of a technology plan is difficult work, involving participation from all areas of the agency. Without a plan, the technology is still accessible, but its use may be haphazard and unduly expensive. If an agency has no plan at the outset, it is a certainty that a plan will be necessary later.

Education agencies should understand that there is no "one size fits all" plan for technology development or technology security. Each agency must develop an individualized plan that meets the specific needs of the organization. Guidebooks like this sometimes leave the impression that once a technology initiative is implemented, it is finished. Technology is never finished. Effective technology implementation involves a continuing professional development program, a plan to replace and/or redirect hardware and software, current virus protection, time allotted to evaluate existing policies/procedures, and an ongoing budget to accomplish all of these tasks.