Technology @ Your Fingertips, Chapter 2

Chapter 1: Knowing What to Do

Chapter 2: Knowing What You Need

What is a Needs Assesment?

Who Should Do Your Needs Assessment?

Who Should Participate in the Needs Assessment Process?

What are the Steps in the Needs Assessment Process?

Functional Needs

Technical Requirements

Security and Ethical Standards

Writing Your Statement of Needs

What Should Be Included in a Set of Functional Specifications?

Chapter 3: Knowing What You Have

Chapter 4: Knowing What to Get

Chapter 5: Knowing How to Implement Your Solution

Chapter 6: Knowing How to Train Users

Chapter 7: Knowing How to Support and Maintain Your Technology Solution

Chapter 2: Knowing What You Need

Case Study- Act 2, Scene 1

Objective: By the end of this chapter you will be able to conduct a needs assessment to help you define your technology requirements.

Have you ever tried to construct a lesson plan without a learning objective? Or run a meeting without an agenda? The result is chaos and anarchy. Before you even consider buying a new computer, software, or networking services, you have to decide what you want the technology to do. This is not an easy task, especially if you don't know everything that technology can do. Technology is changing so rapidly that this book will not even presume to identify all of the functions you might want in your education organization. Still, you must have some ideas about what you want, and chances are there are people who work with you who have additional ideas about what would be valuable. This chapter will help you gather all the possibilities (i.e., perform a needs assessment) and lead you to consider the priorities for your technology solution (i.e., define your technology requirements).

<< back >> next