Hunter Elementary School Technology Implementation Plan Ashley McDowell Azusa Pacific University Spring 2013

Introduction Hunter Elementary is a PK-5 school in Meridian, Idaho. We are a school that focuses on fostering a community comprised of students, teachers, and parents. We view this as a partnership that works together to ensure a quality education is given to each and every student. Recognizing that we are part of a 21st century world, we want to strive to include more technology in the classroom to aid teachers in teaching and students in learning. We have formed a technology committee consisting of a representative from each grade level, special education teachers, and the building administrator. Through this committee we hope to implement technology in a new way throughout the building. Areas of Need We recognize that we have a long way to go before being considered a technology proficient school so we have chosen to tackle our schools needs in the following order. 1. Funding and Budget 2. Infrastructure-Hardware-Technical Support 3. Professional Development 4. Curriculum Edutopias Mobile Learning Guide has served as a great resource for getting started with our new technology committee and new technology plan. It shows some great ways for getting students involved and active in their own education. Funding and Budget Timeline: 2012-2013 School Year and ongoing

The primary goal of the technology committee for the 2012-13 school year is to obtain funding for technology in the classroom. It has been confirmed that we will receive no financial support from any district funds. As a committee we are working to obtain funding from outside sources, which include the following: Box Tops for Education Drive goal of 3,000 per class between now and March 2013 to purchase 1 iPad Mini per teacher CapEd Federal Credit Union goal of each teacher applying for the $750 grant to obtain 2 iPad Minis. PTA

*The committee is working on finding additional grant opportunities that are available.

Assessment: Our primary goal is to get a minimum of one iPad in each classroom to start. If we can achieve this by the end of the year we will have met our primary goal. From there we will meet to determine the area of greatest need for adding addition resources.

We are choosing to go after the iPad or iPad mini because of the availability of free apps and the versatility that is offered to the user. After the initial purchase price of the device costs will be relatively low. Although just as Mary Beth Hertz has suggested in her 2012 article Apps in the Elementary Classroom, its sometimes worth it to pay for quality and functionality, we will consider raising additional funds to pay for apps that are needed.

We have acknowledged the fact that the needs of our kindergarten teachers will be very different than that of our fifth grade teachers. The iPads offer that versatility. Primary teachers

can use the iPads to foster collaborative activities and projects while the intermediate teachers can focus on more in depth research activities. Infrastructure-Hardware-Technical Support Timeline: ongoing Once devices are obtained, the technology committee will be responsible for maintaining and updating devices. Requests for applications will have to be approved through the committee. Each grade level representative will be the primary contact support at their grade level and will consult the committee when needed. Professional Development Timeline: Monthly, beginning January 2013 Starting January 2013 monthly professional development workshops will be held. Technology committee members will be presenting ways to use technology in the classroom to enhance instruction. As needed, classes may be held for usage of devices. With our newly formed technology team we are constantly looking for ways in which we can better support our staff. In a recent article from Elena Aguillar (2013) she shared the importance of school teams and working together. She related the journey of a school team to that of a flock of geese flying south. In order to go the furthest and with greatest success, everyone has to be working together. This is definitely something we will have in mind when planning our professional development opportunities. Curriculum Timeline: ongoing

We are establishing a share site for our teachers to post lesson plans and other technology related resources to share with coworkers. At this time we do not have any direct plans for developing a technology based curriculum.

Works Cited Aguilar, Elena. (2012). What can schools learn from geese. Retrieved form http://www.edutopia.org/blog/teacher-school-teams-geese-story-elena-aguilar Hertz, Mary Beth. (2012). Apps in the elementary classroom. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/apps-elementary-classroom-mary-beth-hertz Robledo, S. Jhoanna. (2012). Edutopia Mobile Learning Guide. Accessed from http://www.edutopia.org/mobile-devices-learning-resource-guide