Technology Action Plan

Week 4 Assignment: Technology Action Plan

Part 1 Organizational structure

Our district’s focus on integrating technology has resulted in the creation of a district-wide Technology Planning Committee consisting of the Superintendent, Director of Curriculum, Director of Technology, Coordinator of Professional Development, Coordinator of Instructional Technology, PEIMS Coordinator, Network Support Specialist, and Service and Support Specialist. The committee’s role has been to create the District Technology Plan, 2010-2013. The committee will now need to monitor and evaluate the progress toward the goals listed in the plan.

The district’s technology support to campuses is divided among five groups, directly supervised by the Director of Technology. The Network Support is responsible for maintaining the infrastructure for all campuses, and includes a Network Engineer, Communications Engineer, and Network Technician. The Service and Support section maintains campus computers and related technology for 32 campuses. This section includes six Field Service Technicians, two Help Desk Technicians, and a supervisor. The Business Support Services consists of eight personnel who are responsible for PEIMS, internal information systems, and other database reporting systems. The Coordinator for Instructional Technology is the support person for integration of technology into the classrooms. The Coordinator for Instructional Technology works with the Coordinator of Professional Development to plan, implement, and evaluate professional development in the area of technology integration for teachers, administrators, and paraprofessionals.

On a campus level, the administrator is responsible for ensuring teachers have the necessary equipment and resources available to adequately integrate technology into the classroom environment. The administrator is also responsible for using technology on a daily basis to serve as a role model to staff and students. Finally, the administrator must ensure appropriate professional development is offered to staff that is specific to the technology needs of their campus.

Teachers are responsible for integrating technology into the curriculum for the benefit of all of his/her students. They must also be willing to continue to learn how to use technology as it continually changes to best prepare students for the world they will be entering following their school career.



Part 2 Professional Development Plan

Educator Preparation was shown to be the weakest area in our STaR Chart data. Another area of weakness for our campus discussed in my technology report was integration of technology into the classrooms. Specifically, addressing the TA TEKS was noted as an area of focus for additional professional development. When asked how focus on these needs in a professional development session, my administrator stated she would like our students to become users of Gaggle.net so that they may learn technology related objectives while better communicating with teachers, other students, and parents. Teachers have not previously been trained on using this with students, so a plan was created to introduce this website to them. This session will be hands on using computers and begin with an introduction of the website. Teacher accounts will have been previously created so they are ready to use the website as the presenter leads them through creating student accounts, managing preferences, and other website features. Following introduction of Gaggle.net, teachers will be lead through information resources such as Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia.com, and other online research information websites that students can access when doing research projects. The ultimate goal would be for students to conduct research projects that include collaborating with other students via Gaggle.net, and then post them online using the blog feature of this website. This would address weaknesses noted in our campus AEIS data for 4th and 7th grade writing. A follow-up session will be planned to provide professional development on the use of recently purchased Flip cameras. They are currently being used by new staff to video lessons given by other teachers on campus. The new staff then meet monthly to discuss the teaching techniques observed. We are planning to use these cameras with students to address TA TEKS, along with improving science scores for 5th and 8th grade students due to weaknesses in these areas in AEIS data. The first project planned will be for students to film science safety lessons and again post them in blog form on Gaggle.net.



Part 3 Evaluation Plan

Evaluation of these sessions will be through several sources on the campus level. Annual review of AEIS data will determine progress in noted areas such as writing and science. Review of STaR Chart data teacher progress in learning new technology and integrating that technology into the curriculum. STaR Chart data will also show progress toward students achieving the TA TEKS. Annual review of the Campus Improvement Plan will provide information on progress toward objectives regarding writing, science, and integrating technology in the classroom. Additionally, teachers will be asked to reflect on these sessions regarding new lessons learned and how to implement them in the classroom. Teachers will be asked to incorporate technology based activities which will be described in their lesson plans. Lesson plans will be reviewed weekly by grade level chairs and administration. Information regarding the use of technology will also be collected through data walks and shared with staff on a monthly basis.

On a district level, periodic review of the Technology Plan will show progress in infrastructure, professional development in the area of technology, and advancements in integrating technology throughout the curriculum.