Latasha McCord, Kecia McGouirk, & Kristy Slaughter Technology Plan Update FRIT 8132 Part 1: Narrative The

Monroe County School System is a rural school system located in the heart of Georgia near both Macon and Atlanta. The system includes six schools-- three elementary, two middle, one high school, and one alternative school-- and serves just over 4,000 students. The population is 68% Caucasian, 27% African-American, and 5% other ethnicities. Fifty-six percent of the students are classified as economically disadvantaged. The Monroe County Technology Plan seems to be of fair quality. It exhibited both strengths and weaknesses throughout; it is clear that the plans goals and strategies are achievable and measurable. Assessment of technology services is evident through data which supports the National Education Technology Standards (NETS). The weaknesses displayed are professional development, the current budget resources, and ongoing evaluation. Professional development is preferred for stakeholders but not specifically explained in guidelines. The budget resources are vague and may lack the explanation needed for plan development. Furthermore, the ongoing evaluation process also seems ambiguous due to limited details. The following areas should be revised in the technology plan: Professional Development, Budget Resources, and the Ongoing Evaluation Process. The Professional Development Strategy encompasses implementation of desirable new technologies, but stops short of explaining exactly how and when the professional development for teachers will occur. For example, one of the success indicators stated for FY2012 simply says Continue training teachers to use response devices and mobile technology in classroom instruction. This is not an indicator that can be effectively measured. In other areas, the plan suggests that training may occur during the Leading Learner Summit offered to all employees during the summer. The plan does seem to acknowledge the issue of professional development quite often, such as in another goal that states that during FY2013-2014 the district will Train teachers on cybersafety and integration of mobile devices into instruction. It also reflects the need for providing online learning options for professional development when it states that in FY2014-2015 the system will continue to train teachers on various technology applications, and provide online forums for continued learning. It even mentions potentially building some custom courses for certain teachers, but no specifics are given. The plan could be improved upon by including a specific timeline for staff development on emerging technology. Unfortunately, the budgeting resources lack specific details. The funding source/amount is definitely provided; however, it does not fully depict precise data. Furthermore, the plan should offer a more indepth explanation of such resources that correlates with planned goals and proposed strategies.

In the area of Ongoing Evaluation, the plan does include some formative assessment strategies, they are often not specific and measurable or details of the assessment are not clear. For example, it mentions collecting survey data from stakeholders concerning technology initiatives, but does not detail who the surveys will target, how they are to be collected, or how results are to be analyzed and used for improvement. One positive aspect of the plan is that a person or team is assigned to each goal which allows for increased accountability in the evaluation process. To improve this element, more detailed information could be included concerning the evaluation process. This might include a schedule of when surveys will be distributed as well as information about the analysis.

Part 2: Create/ Update the Technology Plan

Suggested Section for Technology Plan:

Broad-Based Support
Valerie Mercer, Chief Technology Officer Judy Gibson, Technology Specialist Kelvin Hughley, Technology Specialist Kerry Johnson, Network Coordinator Samantha Mimbs, Data Coordinator Hilary Mitchell, Instructional Technology Coach Cindy Seymour, Central Registrar Expand as necessary. (You don't have to write the actual instrument, but explain the specifics for how you would administer the needs assessment.) The Monroe County School System will provide each student with the opportunities to Learn, Grow, and Succeed to his/her fullest potential. The Monroe County School System will be recognized as a world class school system committed to excellence for all students. Goal 1: Learning Students will be provided with engaging learning experiences that will provide opportunities for them to achieve academic success, develop into responsible digital citizens, identify their interest and talents and explore their creativity and individuality. Goal 2: Teaching Monroe County Schools will build an environment of support for effective teaching that incorporates both individual and collaborative delivery models for instruction. Monroe County Schools will empower teachers with technology resources, infrastructure, and professional development

Needs Assessment:

Mission

Vision

Goals and Objectives

to foster innovation and inspire teacher effectiveness, and provide a foundation for data-driven instruction, learning, and assessment. Goal 3: Assessment Technology will be utilized to assist with the continuous assessment of student performance and to influence, promote and encourage academic improvement. Goal 4: Productivity Solutions will be identified and implemented that give the district leverage to invest in technology to create and sustain productivity and efficiency. Goal 5: Infrastructure Our system will utilize a multi-faceted connected infrastructure comprised of hardware, software, cloudbased resources, and digital content that will provide whenever/wherever access. Goal 6: Community Enhance the relationship between parents and the community and access to Monroe County School System information and resources. Goal 7: Professional Development Enhance pedagogical know how and increase all staff effectiveness and efficiency by providing professional learning specific to supporting technology integration and improved operations throughout the district.

Action Plan/Multi-year Planning

Ensure that an Action Plan exists for at least 3 years. If necessary, expand the plan to 3 years. This plan should integrate the other parts of the plan including staff development, curriculum integration, program integration, facilities, etc. Identify how the Technology Plan is associated with other curriculum or accountability documents. If you have no evidence of such a connection, identify which documents should be connected to the Technology Plan. All teachers have Apple MacBooks that have software for productivity including the Microsoft Office suite. All laptops have access to PowerSchool and internal webbased instructional programs. Throughout the schools, ActivBoards and ActiVote/ActivExpression devices are accessible. Document cameras, projectors, and digital

Program Integration

Curriculum Integration

cameras are located in every media center for checkout. High school and middle school CTAE programs meet the minimum state requirements for operations. Every teacher has a template assigned to him or her along with webspace provided to the teacher so that he or she can host a class website. Additionally, every teacher has an account for PD360 which is an online professional learning program that gives them 24/7 access to best practices and classroom examples and resources. Every school is equipped with at least one academic lab for student usage.

Evaluation

Survey of Stakeholders Observations Usage data District software inventory District media center usage reports Usage reports Staff and student surveys Instructional Technology Coach Training Logs Media Center checkout records PD360 usage logs School Leadership Observations Continuous Improvement Plans of Schools LDS data available through the LDS GADOE Application Successful testing administration and resulting data Eighth grade technology assessment results Statistical reports provided by various software Benchmark tests results Staff and student feedback Observation360 usage data and output reports Airwatch reports Staff feedback regarding macbooks and mobile devices Fewer errors for state reporting Staff feedback and successful use by employees EdLine reports of access Phone system bills and phone system reports Utilization of job securing portal Expansion and utilization of the document portal Internet traffic records Lightspeed storage reports Staff usage of wireless access Edline utilization reports

Parent feedback and survey results ConstantContact.com reports OneCallNow reports Utilization of job securing portal E-Link and data integrity checks in VersaTran and PowerSchool Professional Learning Surveys Professional Growth Plans Professional Learning Community Logs Online professional learning tool usage reports Teacher/Leadership feedback and survey results PD360 reports Ensuring instructional innovation focused on continuous improvement of digital age learning. Convening stakeholders to contribute to the ongoing development of technology infused strategic plans aligned to the system's shared vision. Modeling and rewarding the frequent, purposeful, and effective use of technology for learning. Providing for learner-centered environments that use technology to meet the individual, diverse needs of all learners. Ensuring effective practices in the infusion of technology. Promoting and participating in local, national, and global learning communities that stimulate innovation, creativity, and digital-age collaboration. Ensuring ongoing professional growth by allocating time, resources, and access to learning opportunities related to the effective use of technology for improved learning and teaching. Leading purposeful change in the learning environment that maximizes use of digital age tools to achieve learning goals. Promoting and modeling effective communication and collaboration among colleagues, staff, parents, students, and the larger community using digital tools. Establishing metrics, collecting and analyzing data, interpreting results, and communicating

Standards

findings to improve staff, teacher, and student performance. Recruiting highly competent personnel who demonstrate proficiency at implementing technology to advance academic and operational goals. Establishing and maintaining a robust infrastructure for technology. Leveraging strategic partnerships to support the educational enterprise. Providing equitable digital-age learning and working environments for all students, teachers, and staff. ERATE funds to support wireless fulfillment General Funds ELOST ERATE funds and local instructional funds General funds and ELOST funds for textbooks Federal Funds for Title I Schools Special Education Funds Title IIA GADOE Testing Funds ELOST for Hardware State professional learning funds

Funding Alternatives

School Pilot Projects/Educational Research

Suggest potential pilot projects or educational research that would support your program/curriculum integration or other technology applications. Justify your suggestions with appropriate citations and references to current professional literature. Identify which configurations would be useful to support the program/curriculum integration or other technology applications. Identify facility issues and how they affect/support the integration plans. First Layer Support Each person is encouraged to seek training and help to make themselves competent and capable in the everyday use and maintenance of any technology items they use in their program or classroom. Second Level Support Staff members are encouraged to solicit help from knowledgeable peers or school-level technology help

Model Classroom Configurations

Facilities Maintenance/Support

designees to solve the problem. Third Level Support The Technology Team has a processing for reporting technology requests so that they are aware of the problem and they will attempt to solve the issue as soon as priority and time permits. If the item needs major repair or replacement and is feasible, the staff will do this for you. If a warranty applies, they will assist in getting the warranty honored. If the item requires expert outside help, a recommendation will be made provided funds are available. If an item is not economically viable for repair, it will be discontinued whether plans for replacement are present or not. If technology is not functioning correctly, please report the problem through the Tech Tracker system. This database is used by the individual schools technology specialist who will provide assistance as promptly as possible. Once the school Technology Specialist receives a request for technology support, he or she will do the following: 1. Review requests daily. 2. Prioritize tasks based on urgency. (Immediate impact on instruction being the highest priority.) 3. Address problems based on prioritization. 4. Make contact with the staff member to confirm that the problem has been resolved. 5. Mark the request as completed in the Tech Tracker database. Using the Tech Tracker database allows the technology staff to monitor progress, track any common problems, and analyze trends in order to ensure compliance with the network.

Software Agreements

All software purchases, including internet purchases, must first be approved and installed by the Monroe County School System Technology Team to ensure compatibility and compliance with the network. The technology team reserves the right to remove equipment from the network which can not be properly identified as property of Monroe County School System. MONROE COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM INTERNET ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY:

Copyright/Acceptable Use Policy

https://eboard.eboardsolutions.com/ePolicy/policy.as px?PC=IFBG&Sch=4117&S=4117&RevNo =1.34&C=I&Z=P

Gifts and Disposal Staff Development

Identify a policy for gifts and disposal. Create if necessary. Ensure a staff development plan is in place to support the program/curriculum integration plan.