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See also...
Transferring Planner functionality to StIMS
Many current users of the Planner are hoping that StIMS will have the kind of functionality that they currently enjoy. And this would have additional benefits - it would
- maximise the speed and outcomes of the StIMS project
- reduce the period in which there are the two systems being used in schools
- remove the need for me to continue to support users of the Planner
I am very keen for this to happen: the features of the Planner would be even more effective in that online environment. It would also allow further developments that are beyond the current working arrangements for the Planner.
For some time there is a belief that I am currently working with the Department to achieve this end. Now this belief looks like becoming a reality. And I am very
History - my involvement with StIMS
- Until just recently (30 Oct 06) the last time I had an opportunity to demonstrate the Planner to a senior officer of the Department was in 1999 or 2000. The Planner has progressed a bit since then!!
- The Planner is currently in use in almost 50 schools and Cluster support teams. Some Clusters have adopted the Planner in all their schools.
- In December last year three members of IMB visited two northern schools that use the Planner. After their visits we met for lunch, and one made the comment, "The Planner is what StIMS should have been".
- As part of our conversation I was asked to put up a proposal for how I might contribute to StIMS
- I put forward a proposal that would transfer my intellectual property and
the copyright of the Planner and its components to the Department for a modest
fee.
- The suggested fee equates to approximately one tenth of 1% of what the Department will pay the developers of StIMS over the next five years.
- My proposal probably represents one 1/40 of one per cent of the total cost of implementing StIMS across the system
- Getting a good working relationship with one significant student and family would easily return this value over the lifetime of StIMS
- The already proven functionality of the Planner typically increased the effectiveness of support staff by 10 to 40%.
- The value of new practices developed around the use of the Planner far exceed .
- As a locally developed and tested prototype the Planner's possible value to the StIMS project is many times what I have proposed
- Receipt of the proposal was acknowledged but I am still waiting for a response
- In June I had a conversation with the person responsible for the roll-out of PBS across the DoE in relation to possible contributions from the Planner. The officer had seen the Planner but perhaps had misunderstood its potential.
- There are currently two groups working on StIMS in areas that overlap with
the functionality of the Planner
- behaviour (PBS)
- students with special needs
Each group includes one or two members who are currently using the Planner in their own schools.
Contrary to popular belief I am not a member or contributor to either.
And the above areas are not actually different areas as experienced users of the Planner will confirm - problematic behaviour is just an indicator of another special need.
- (30 October 2006) Mike Willie has given a commitment to ensuring that StIMS will have the functionality associated with the Planner.
It is all about practices
There are two common mistakes that are frequently made in projects like StIMS. And the fundamental mistakes are made early in in the project, e.g., it would be easy to assume that
- StIMS is about student records
- StIMS is about information (data and reporting)
- StIMS is a technology project
- StIMS is about creating contemporary tools for doing what we have done before but better and easier
These are all true but do not capture the heart of the opportunity. Initially it can be difficult for most people to get past record keeping and better decision making (both of which are important but not the final story).
A better approach might be to work collaboratively on the basis that StIMS is really about
- StIMS is about the success and well-being of students, and everyone involved in working with them
- StIMS is a key element in a communication system
- StIMS is about communication (especially in conversations)
- StIMS is an organizational development project
- StIMS is about developing better practices (new, easier, better...) and some tools to support them
This means people understand that the Planner is much more about
- knowing what is happening,
- making sense of what is happening
- collaborating to improve what is happening: more success & well-being
through
- communication and cooperation, and thus
- enabling everyone involved to collaboratively put together better responses
- things that will more easily and directly help the students (their
teachers and families) achieve success & well-being.
I am keenly interested in promoting practices that add to the success and
well-being of students, their teachers and families: that is why I developed the
Planner in the first place.
I look forward to making a direct contribution shortly - a commitment has been
made by the Department towards making this possible.
I will use this page to keep the history up to date.
