When creating a technology-rich school, a vital step is to develop a community of teachers and students that have a mindset towards learning and growing.  This type of community feels free to take risks when using new digital methods for acquiring their knowledge. It is also appropriate for a shared, clear vision to be communicated within the building so that the expectations for technology usage are understood and successes can be celebrated and shared. This will encourage continued practice towards that vision.

In the online article, Guiding Teachers Into the Digital Age (http://www.edutopia.org/blog/school-leaders-guiding-teachers-digital-age-anne-obrien) the suggestion is that school leaders develop at least 3-5 guideposts that help with building this community of practice and with promoting an adaptive culture that contains specific learning impacts that can be measured.

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Task #2-You will be creating  Building Guideposts.  These guideposts describe your vision, hopes, and needs for future technology and learning practices implemented within your building.

Use the following template to develop your Building Guideposts. 
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1omnXWMK4XdNTpPzL50poa-BH_nXl2hieSxzQD7X1kPU/copy

To develop these guideposts, first locate any existing district vision statements or building technology plans that are in place at your school.  What are two of the most important existing desires or visions for your school?  Add those to the template. 

Then, examine the eMINTS Competencies  (https://sites.google.com/a/emints.org/eim-competencies-2016/).  Locate and list the eMINTS competencies that most closely resemble or align with your current vision.  
What are the expectations and behaviors that will assist you with reaching your vision?  Add those as well.

Use your existing district goals and the eMINTS competencies you located to develop instructional and technology guideposts.  Determine the best methods to communicate your guideposts to the teachers, parents, and students of your school.

​Later, share your new Building Guideposts with dcaldwell@emints.org by choosing the blue "Share" button of your google document and listing dcaldwell@emints.org in the "People" section and then selecting "Send".

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Finally,  consider including these guideposts that you have created into your eMINTS Program Plan (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GoqBO-S51pv6kEAARziFHUfVt1GaNKqsd4RrILRIdnM/edit​)

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Administrator Tip: Communities of practice exist in many forms.  Offline, the various ways that you and your teachers share ideas, tips, successes, and resources is an example of this.  (staff meetings, committees, curriculum teams, etc. ) Online, you and your teachers have access to digital versions of a community that also shares this purpose of collegial sharing.  Encourage your teachers to join the eMINTS Educators Google + Community.  https://plus.google.com/communities/108660529386878528917

​Please also take a moment and visit and join the Community of Practice for eMINTS Administrators if you haven’t done so already.
https://plus.google.com/communities/101053500704183403895.

These member-only spaces is where eMINTS Educators and Administrators will be sharing ideas with other members that are participating in the eMINTS I3 Project. 

Topic Standards (ISTE-A)-.b 1.b Engage in ongoing processes to develop, implement, and communicate technology-infused strategic plans aligned with shared vision.  
http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/20-14_ISTE_Standards-A_PDF.pdf