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Where are we and where are we going?

Where are we and where are we going?. The Technology Plan Alvord ISD 2009-2010 . Kimberly Gaskins EDLD 5362 . Our Technology Mission Statement.

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Where are we and where are we going?

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  1. Where are we and where are we going? The Technology Plan Alvord ISD 2009-2010 Kimberly Gaskins EDLD 5362

  2. Our Technology Mission Statement • The Alvord Independent School District vision is to use technology throughout the educational system to increase the academic achievement of all students. The goal is for teachers to use technology in aiding in the development and management of their instruction, for administrators and support staff to use technology in achieving their mission to support instruction, and for all students and parents to use technology as a natural component of the learning process. We envision that technology will be used to foster lifelong learning, facilitate the acquisition of knowledge, and develop the skills needed to be competitive in the 21st century. (Alvord isd technology, 2010)

  3. Where are we today? An Overview…

  4. We have a District Education Improvement Committee (DEIC) that, along with our Instructional Technology Leader, acts as a Technology Planning Team because “To realize the benefits of technology, schools must develop a plan for integrating technology into the curriculum. An effective technology plan is based on the shared vision of educators, parents, community members, and business leaders who have technological expertise. It ensures that technology strengthens existing curricula and supports meaningful, engaged learning for all students” and that is our overall goal. (National education technology, 2009 Staudt, November, Costello, & Huske, 1998)

  5. Our Technology Planning Team • Bill Branum-Superintendent • Joel Waldo-Asst. Superintendant • Keith Crutsinger-Elementary Principal • Kimberly Sledge-Middle School Principal • Steve Henry- High School Principal • Simon Bettis-Instructional Technology Leader • Benn Holly- Business Owner • Gaye Houston-Business Owner • Teresa Mader-Business Owner • Gwen Hardee-Parent • Katy Sherman-Parent • Eleanor Randall-Student • Tanner Bowen-Student • Kim Gaskins-Teacher • Courtney Yates-Teacher • Cheryl Hale-Teacher • Jessica Bull-Teacher • Scheana Smith-Teacher • Donnette Hicks-Teacher • Linda Johnson-Teacher • Lisa Watkins-Teacher • DeannNivens-Teacher • Chrystal Holson-Counselor • Bonnie Foreman-Counselor • * This committee is made up of educators, parents, students, and community members to support the school's initiatives in the use of technology, as recommended under the National Technology Plan, 2009.

  6. Technology Plan Parameters This Technology Plan is driven by the state curriculum standards and supports the educational mission and instructional goals of Alvord ISD and by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Specific attention is given to addressing student standards for technology as defined by the Technology Applications Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), required in the Texas Education Code, Section 28.002. The Technology Applications TEKS found in 19 TAC Chapter 126 describe what students should know and be able to do using technology. As a part of the enrichment curriculum, these TEKS are to be used as guidelines for providing instruction. The goal of the Technology Applications TEKS is for students to gain technology-based knowledge and skills and to apply them to all curriculum areas at all grade levels.

  7. Current Alvord ISD Technology Data • Technology Expenditures: $1,243,972.00 • Teaching and Learning Budget: $430,000.00 • Educator Preparation and Development Budget: $29,700.00 • Leadership, Administration and Support Budget: $398,172.00 • Infrastructure for Technology Budget: $386,100.00 • Technology Expenditure Per Pupil: $836.00 • Number of Campuses with Direct Connection to Internet: 3 • Percentage of Classrooms with Direct Connection to Internet: 100.00% • Computer/Student Ratio: 2 student(s) for every computer • Computer/Teacher Ratio: 1 teacher(s) for every computer • Number of campuses that need to complete the Texas Campus STaR Chart: 3 • Percentage of campuses that have completed the Texas Campus STaR Chart: 100.00 %

  8. Existing Conditions Each classroom in the district has internet access and each teacher has a computer at his/her desk. The district has a connection to the Internet via TENET network through the Region XI ESC. Located in the high school are: (1.) A district server with Microsoft Server 2007 software which houses all the business software, controls logons for teachers and students, provides storage for teachers and students, houses various student applications, and filters email (2.) A N2H2 proxy server which filters all internet content (3. )A Symantec virus protection server (4.) A server for RSCCC Reporting Software

  9. Alvord High School • Located in the high school library are four distance learning computers. Students in the high school and community members may use these for college classes or other distance objectives. There are three computer labs in the high school, with the newest being an LAX lab equipped with a document camera and an interactive whiteboard. • The high school has a 100 mps switched network. Each classroom has at least 4 connections. Technology classes include BCIS, computer science, video technology, digital graphics, desktop publishing, computer science, web mastering, and multimedia. • Teachers use Gradebook software for classroom grades and attendance. There are SMART brand interactive whiteboards and document cameras in every classrooms at the high school campus.

  10. Alvord Middle School • The middle school has one computer lab, and at least two student computers with internet access in each classroom. • There are 2 administrative PCs and 12 teacher PCs. The library has 8 computers used for internet access and Accelerated Reader. Students in grades 6-8 are provided with classes in keyboarding. • All classrooms have an video projector, interactive whiteboard and a document camera.

  11. Alvord Elementary • The elementary school has one computer lab in which students take weekly technology classes. • There are 2-4 computers with internet access in each classroom and each teacher has a desktop computer. • The main focus of computer usage is for students to use reading and math games and learn typing and access the Accelerated Reading Program. • There is one full time technology aide who also helps with IT on the campus.

  12. Where do we want to go? “A ‘Best Practice’ in technology education is a human-created and directed activity whose purpose is to bring about purposeful change in student learning, teaching effectiveness, and program effectiveness in an exemplary way.” (Martin, 2009)

  13. At Alvord ISD, we want to incorporate as many of the ‘Best Practices’ recommended by the new proposed national technology plan. • These include such things as: • Improved professional development • Fiscal sustainability • Balancing security with flexibility • Teaching concepts, not just skills • Incorporating technology across all grades • and subjects • Breaking away from PC-Based Software • applications • (Patterson, 2007 and • Martin & Martin, 2006)

  14. Improving Professional Development • One area of our future focus will be in the area of staff development in technology. Technology courses for teachers should be relevant, practical and “just in time” in order to be most useful. We plan to incorporate these elements into the surveys that we send out periodically so that training can be delivered that will meet the needs of our professional staff. (Preis,2009)

  15. Fiscal Sustainability • When planning for and implementing the use of technology tools, it is suggested that the total cost of ownership be considered, not just the original budget outlay. This is a good practice to keep in mind, especially in the current economic situation. With budgets being cut and systems looking for ways to save money, the use of free Web 2.0 tools will be incorporated into our long-term plan. We are currently using government stimulus funding to purchase new hardware and software while it is available, and we plan to keep overall operating and maintenance costs to a minimum after these funds are gone through the use of Web 2.0 resources. (Preis, 2009)

  16. Balancing Security with Flexibility • This issue is a pretty big one for our school system. A great deal of emphasis has been put on security, blocking, and ‘locking down’ for the protection of students and of the network infrastructure. Our current filtering system sometimes squelches “teachable moments” by making many valuable resources unavailable when they’re needed. We will continue to search for alternative strategies that will allow greater access while still meeting CIPA standards and safeguarding our network. (Patterson, 2009)

  17. Teaching Concepts, Not Just Skills • While instructing students on how to use specific software applications, we will also be teaching them the concepts of how to use technology tools in general. With the rapid pace of change in the world of technology, learning to use a certain program will be mostly irrelevant five years from now, but the concept of how to apply a program is something that should remain useful. We will base our training more on the ISTE standards (which focus on concepts) rather than on specific applications. (Patterson, 2009)

  18. Incorporating Technology across All Grade-Levels and Subjects • The National Standards say that now eighth graders should be fully computer literate, we must not wait until eighth grade (or stop there) when addressing technology literacy. The key to this, we believe, is making teachers comfortable enough with technology tools that they will naturally incorporate them into their lessons, starting with our youngest students. When teachers model the use of technology, their students will naturally learn to use it too.

  19. Breaking Away from PC-based Software Applications • The concept of “cloud computing” was a fairly new one, but it makes a great deal of sense. Instead of focusing on proprietary Microsoft programs as we have done in the past, we plan to explore the idea of using Web 2.0 applications such as Google Docs and Open Office. If teachers can incorporate tools that students actually enjoy using (wikis, blogs, etc.), they will likely elicit much more enthusiasm and interest from their students. We plan to offer training to teachers on the use of these Web 2.0 tools so that they can become comfortable using them in their classrooms. (Preis, 2009)

  20. The Horizon Report 2009 The latest Horizon Report from a collaboration of the New Media Consortium and Educause describes the progress that schools should be making in technology over the next five years. In order to accomplish these goals, we will need to diligently work on the specific concepts of ‘cloud computing’, smart objects, and personal web applications that have been mentioned in this presentation, as well as others. We will need to continue to integrate as much mobile technology as possible into our curriculum at all grade levels.

  21. “Increasing globalization continues to affect the way we work, collaborate, and communicate.” Horizon Report, 2009

  22. “Systemic change is being shepherded through the efforts of dedicated teachers, administrators, parents and students. Technology ignites opportunities for learning, engages today’s students as active learners and participants in decision-making on their own educational futures and prepares our nation for the demands of a global society in the 21st century.” US Department of Education, 2004

  23. References Alvord isd technology plan. (2010). Retrieved from http://alvordisd.net Horizon report. (2009). Retrieved from http://wp.nmc.org/horizon-k12-2009/chapters/online-communication-tools/ Martin, G, & Martin, C. (2006). Best Practices in technology education. Retrieved from teched.vt.edu/CTTE/Images PDFs/BestPracticesInTE.pdf National education technology plan. (2009). . Retrieved from https://edtechfuture.org/

  24. References Patterson, K. (2009). Utilizing best practices in instructional technology. Retrieved from http://gaetc-ejournal.org/instruction/best/bestpractices.htm Preis, A. (2008). A Survey of instructional technology in international and ib schools. Retrieved from http://www.alanpreis.com/research/ITResearch.pdf Staudt, C, November, A, Costello, M, & Huske, L. (1998). Critical issue: developing a school or district technology plan: . Retrieved from http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/technlgy/te300.htm *Background Music from Highway Blues (New Stories) by Marc Seales, 1999 *All images included in this presentation are used with permission.

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