Enterprise Architecture Frameworks
I started this course not even knowing there was such a thing as Enterprise Architecture. What I did know was that technology is becoming more and more important in education, yet it is being integrated into classrooms in an inconsistent way. I also knew that technology is a used in the work of the business side of the educational enterprise, as well as the classroom side of the enterprise. I also knew that training and/or professional development are a crucial component to promoting the effective use of technology in education. Questions I had getting into the initial reading included: What is an effective method for developing a plan that supports both the “business” and the “human” needs of an educational enterprise? (In my research of the i21 Plan for San Diego Unified the two components weren’t necessarily intertwined.) Another questions was: how would a framework help an education agency to make best use of the available technology? (This is near and dear to my heart because I’m not sure we’re making the best use of the technology we have at my site.) A third question: how can all stakeholders be involved in the process of designing a framework? (I think the investment of stakeholders is crucial to its success.) and finally: how can professional development be designed that will help stakeholders understand the plan, and implement it effectively? (Once the plan is designed, what needs to happen to make sure it does what you needed it to do?) What I have learned so far is that there are five major Enterprise Architecture Frameworks: : Zachman, TOGAF/Open Group, DoDAF, FEAF, and Gartner. Of the five Frameworks, some are specific to businesses and some are specific to government organizations. I have learned that an EA can provide the structure to make the vision of an enterprise into a reality. I have learned that Enterprise Architecture can be thought of as Strategy + Business + Technology. And I learned that there are 6 core elements that must work together: governance, methodology, framework, artifacts, standards and best practices. I think these ideas are the skeleton -- now I need to put the meat on the bones to see the fully realized body. I am the "Digital Teacher Leader" at my site, a position created by San Diego Unified School District to provide support to teachers at school sites as the i21 Technology Plan was put into place. In this position I have attended monthly meetings to be kept informed of the district's plan for technology integration, and I have participated in technology-related professional development opportunities. I have also had the support and encouragement of my administrators at my current site, and that has been parlayed into an extra "prep" period for the last three years which gives me time to support teachers and students in their use of technology in the classroom. In my role as the DTL I have been invited to participate in the decision-making for technology purchases and I have been a part of the planning and designing of technology professional development activities for our site.
I wish I had known about Enterprise Architecture several years ago because I think that my site is missing a well-planned architecture for the integration of technology in our classrooms. We have followed the district guidelines, and have all of the required equipment, but implementation is spotty, and I don't think there is a fully thought-out plan for how technology is expected to be used by teachers and students. I feel like a comprehensive professional development plan would have helped us to truly integrate technology into each and every classroom. I don't know if that is truly "Enterprise Architecture," but I think the idea of a long-term plan, with consideration to the inter-connectedness of delivery of content, integration of technology, and identifiable student outcomes, would have been very beneficial to teachers and students alike. Reflecting on my personal and professional history for this post, I find I have many things I would have done differently if I had the knowledge or insight I have now. Professionally I am happy with the paths I have chosen and the opportunities I have had, but I think about the many lessons and activities and units I have used with students that I would/will do differently the next time around. There's always something to be tweaked!
Personally, I wish I had made more of a commitment to the "experience" I jumped into during my first two years of teaching. After graduating from college I was hired to teach at the American School in Guadalajara, Mexico. I had decided that teaching in another country was a great option for that time in my life (especially as California wasn't hiring many teachers at the time), and I'm so glad I made that choice. What I do regret is, as I said, not really committing to it (the experience, not the job). I made the decision to return to San Diego after two years, and in hindsight I wish I had stayed longer so that I could have traveled more, interacted with more people, and had new experiences while I was young and single. I think I missed out on some great opportunities -- but I am grateful for the opportunities I did have! Enterprise Architecture is a brand new term for me. I had never heard it before, and I didn't know how to wrap my head around it -- specifically how to connect it to this class about educational leadership and technology. As I watched the video, however, it brought to mind the idea of backward planning. In the classroom backward planning is used to look at the desired objectives at the end of a unit, and then plan lessons, activities, assessments, etc., that will help students to meet those desired objectives. It seems to me that Enterprise Architecture is also about stepping back to look at a big picture view, trying to anticipate future needs, and then creating a system that will help all to get to that future desired state. As far as desired knowledge, I'd like to to learn more about having the "insight and knowledge to make choices for the future" (a statement from the video.) How, as a technology leader, can I gather that insight and knowledge to make smart decisions about technology use in my classroom, my school, my district, ...? Information Technology Architecture: Introduction to Enterprise Architecture
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Dena Hause
Educator, Student, Busy Human Being Archives
May 2015
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