Several strategies and conditions have been described in the research literature as contributing to the use of ICT in education. Traditionally, researchers have focused on individual teacher conditions. Only recently, attention is paid to school level conditions as determining factors for successful ICT integration (e.g. Baylor & Ritchie, 2002; Tang & Ang, 2002; Tondeur, van Keer, van Braak & Valcke, 2007). An example of such a school condition is ‘having a shared vision and ICT policy plan’ (Hew & Brush, 2007). Especially the establishment of a school-based ICT policy plan seems to become more and more important. Such a plan acts as a blueprint for the sequences of events a school hopes to achieve regarding ICT integration, describes the overall schools’ philosophy of ICT integration, and explores how ICT will improve teaching and learning. It provides teachers with a detailed blueprint for the actions to be taken to integrate ICT in their classrooms (Baylor & Ritchie, 2002; Fishman & Pinkard, 2000). Recent research (e.g. Baylor & Ritchie, 2002; Bryderup & Kowalski, 2002) shows that the development of a school-based ICT policy plan is a crucial step toward the practical implementation of ICT in teaching and learning. Tondeur, van Keer, van Braak and Valcke (2007) for instance found that teachers in schools which have an ICT plan that stresses shared goals showed higher ICT use in their classroom. Similarly, Jones (2003) found a strong relationship between the existence of ICT school policies and pedagogical changes in the classroom. An ICT policy plan can be defined as a school document containing different elements concerning the integration of ICT in education Such document includes strategic elements (e.g. what are the schools’ ambitions?) as well as operational elements (e.g. which steps shall we take to realise our ambitions?) (van Braak, 2003). More concretely, an ICT policy plan includes elements like vision building, professional development, technology skills, technology curriculum, hardware and software, funds, etc. In this context, Fishman and Pinkard (2001) argue that the starting point for the development of an ICT policy plan is a shared vision on teaching and learning supported by ICT. An ICT policy plan does not focuses solely on hardware and software issues, but also put emphasis on instructional and curricular concerns. Additionally, Fishman and Zhang (2003) describe four characteristics of successful ICT policy plans: 1) an ICT plan is first and foremost a policy document, 2) ICT plans exist at multiple levels for multiple purposes, 3) ICT planning is an ongoing process that needs multiple iterations, and 4) ICT planning requires collaboration. Given the potential benefits for schools by creating an ICT policy plan, an on-line tool has been developed in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium. This tool is called PICTOS (Planning for ICT in School) and is designed to support Flemish schools while developing their own school-based ICT policy plan (for more information and a detailed description of the tool, see Vanderlinde, van Braak, De Windt, Tondeur, Hermans & Sinnaeve, 2008). PICTOS has been developed as a joint project between the government (Flemish Department of Education), a technology in-service teacher training centre (Regionaal Expertisenetwerk), a research institute (Department of Educational Studies of Ghent University) and a commercial IT company (Edu-Vision).

Research purposes of this study are threefold: 1. To design an electronic tool schools can use while developing their ICT policy plan; 2. To evaluate the use of PICTOS by schools; 3. To explore the schools’ process of developing a school-based ICT policy plan and the role of electronic tools within this process. A development research approach (Richey, Klein & Nelson, 2003; van den Akker, 1999) is applied in this study as the research questions are related to the design and development of an online tool for schools. This research approach aims ‘to improve educational practice through iterative analysis, design, development and implementation, based on collaboration among researchers and practitioners in real-world settings, and leading to contextually-sensitive design principles and theories’ (Wang & Hannafin, 2005). A development research approach contributes to two aspects of a research study: product improvement and knowledge growth (van den Akker, 1999; Wang, Nieveen, van den Akker, 2007). For this study, product improvement refers to the development of an online tool which supports primary schools in the development of their own ICT policy plan. Knowledge growth refers both to design principles for future tool development and to knowledge gain in the field of ICT policy planning. For these purposes, a case-study research has been conducted in three Flemish primary schools. These schools used PICTOS as a tool to support their process of ICT policy plan development in the context of a staff-development programme. Data from multiple sources has been collected and analysed: 1) interviews with the school leaders and ICT coordinators, 2) school policy documents analysis, 3) a questionnaire administered to teachers, and 4) field notes from the researchers as participant observers.

In our paper, we present the developmental process of PICTOS. Based on a literature review, special attention is paid to the theoretical foundations of the design process. The main idea behind the online tool PICTOS is to assist schools when putting ICT integration into practice and to offer a platform for the development of a school-based ICT plan. The generic ADDIE-model (see Gustafson & Branch, 2002) has been used as the design model. Based on the work of McKenney, Nieveen and van den Akker (2002), the tool can be labelled as a computer supported curriculum development tool for the meso or school level. Main characteristic of the on-line tool is the cyclic process of ICT policy plan development. This means that writing an ICT plan is a process of going through different steps: 1) gaining insight into teachers’ vision on education, 2) making an inventory of the actual use of ICT, 3) setting priorities, 4) considering new ICT activities, and 5) drawing up an action plan. Every step is supported by specific software and leads to school output (e.g. graphs and inventory tables) based on information provided by the ICT coordinator and the teachers. The output from every step is the basis for a team discussion in a staff-development programme and introduces the next step. All steps are under the responsibility of the whole school team and ICT planning is considered as team based, strategic and forward-looking. Next, we present the three case-studies and describe the process of ICT planning in these schools. The lessons learned from the case-studies are relevant for theory development in the field of ICT-planning and ICT policy plan development. Furthermore, specific guidelines will be presented for future tool development. This study adds to the literature in three respects. First, the action-based nature of the study illustrates how researchers can collaborate with schools and how a developmental research approach can be used in the field of ICT-research (Reeves, 2006). Second. The study learns more about the processes of ICT planning in schools and fills a gap in the literature about ICT planning. Third, the results of the case-studies are of particular interest for future tool developers.