Carol Taylor - Fairfield ISD - Week 6 Step 4

TARGET POPULATION:  Currently, FISD employs 292 staff members; 141 are certified teachers. There are approximately 1800 students in the Fairfield Independent School District.  The student population is approximately 1% Am. Indian, 1% Asian, 20% Black, 17% Hispanic, 62% White and 48% are economically disadvantaged (Fairfield ISD Fact Sheet, 2011). 

1.       Recognize the related legislatures and regulations to support the needs from your institution.

“The National Education Technology Plan, Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology, calls for applying the advanced technologies used in our daily personal and professional lives to our entire education system to improve student learning, accelerate and scale up the adoption of effective practices, and use data and information for continuous improvement” (TEA, 2006).

NEEDS ASSESSED REPORT 1

The Technology Profile Surveys reflect the need for more computers. (Taylor.C., 2012)

            Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity (ISTE, 2011).

            Develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress (ISTE, 2011).

The High School, Intermediate, and Elementary need more technology facilities. (Taylor.C., 2012)

            “Technology gives learners direct access to learning and to the building blocks of their knowledge—organized, indexed, and available 24/7. This empowers learners to take control of and personalize their learning. Technology also can serve as a bridge across formal (in school) and informal (outside school) learning settings (Barron 2006), creating  new opportunities to leverage informal learning by integrating it purposefully into the            fabric of formal learning” (TEA, 2006).

            1.3 States, districts, and others should develop and implement learning resources that exploit the flexibility and power of technology to reach all learners anytime and      anywhere (TEA, 2006).

            “The always-on nature of the Internet and mobile access devices provides our education   system with the opportunity to create learning experiences that are available anytime and anywhere” (TEA, 2006).

The district presently has no special labs designed specifically for the needs of diverse learners. (Taylor.C., 2012)

            Customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning  styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources (ISTE, 2011).

            “English language learnersEnglish is the predominant language of instruction in most U.S. classrooms and in the vast majority of Web resources. The challenges of learning the content and skills necessary to function as a 21st-century citizen are heightened if   English is not a person's first language. Recent advances in language translation    technology provide powerful tools for reducing language barriers. With proper design, technology can easily represent information so that there are multiple alternatives for       English, multiple options for unfamiliar vocabulary or syntax, and even alternatives to language itself (use of image, video, and audio)” (TEA, 2006).

            “Learners with disabilities. In public schools, many learners are identified as having special needs. These students need accommodations to have the opportunity to achieve at the same levels as their peers. In addition to UDL for learners with significant physical and sensory disabilities, powerful new assistive technologies are increasingly becoming available to improve access to learning opportunities” (TEA, 2006).

The technology needs of diverse learners must be met by their teachers (Taylor.C.,2012)

            “The field of affective neuroscience has drawn attention to the critical importance of  motivation in how the brain learns. We learn and remember what attracts our interest and  attention, and what attracts interest and attention can vary by learner. Therefore, the most effective learning experiences are not only individualized in terms of pacing and differentiated to fit the learning needs of particular learners, but also personalized in the sense that they are flexible in content or theme to fit the interests of particular learners”  (TEA, 2006).

            Address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources (ISTE, 2011)

The Technology Profile Surveys show a weakness in that some staff members have little or no interest in technology training or integration (Taylor.C., 2012)

            “We must bring 21st-century technology into learning in meaningful ways to engage, motivate, and inspire learners of all ages to achieve “(TEA, 2006)

            Participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning

             Exhibit leadership by demonstrating a vision of technology infusion, participating in shared decision making and community building, and developing the leadership and technology skills of others (ISTE, 2011)

            Standard I. All teachers use technology-related terms, concepts, data input strategies, and            ethical practices to make informed decisions about current technologies and their applications (SBEC, 2000).

            Standard II. All teachers identify task requirements, apply search strategies, and use         current technology to efficiently acquire, analyze, and evaluate a variety of electronic   information (SBEC, 2000).

            Standard V. All teachers know how to plan, organize, deliver, and evaluate instruction      for all students that incorporates the effective use of current technology for teaching and   integrating the Technology Applications Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)          into the curriculum (SBEC, 2000).

 Teachers lack time to plan, create, and integrate technology (Taylor.C.,2012)

            Technology is a powerful enabler of learning, but educators still must teach. They must support their students' engagement with technology resources for learning, highlighting the important subject matter content, pressing students for explanations and higher-order thinking, tracking their students' progress, and encouraging their students to take more responsibility for learning (TEA, 2006)

            Research shows that U.S. teachers have less time in their workweek for professional earning than their counterparts in countries where students have the best performance on International examinations (Darling-Hammond 2010). Increasing the time for our educators to engage in professional learning will require processes that cross time and space boundaries (TEA, 2006).

            Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative      professional in a global and digital society (ISTE, 2011).

The district needs an Instructional Technology to assist in technology training and technology integration in the classroom (Taylor.C.,2012)

            “Many educators do not have the information, the time, or the incentives to continuously improve their professional practice from year to year. Our education system holds  educators responsible for student achievement but does support them with the latest    technology the way professionals in other fields are supported. Although some pre- service programs are using technology in innovative ways (Gomez et al. 2008), widespread agreement exists that teachers by and large are not well prepared to use t echnology in their practice (Kay 2006). As a result, the technology of everyday life has moved well beyond what educators are taught to and regularly use to support student learning” (TEA, 2006).

            The best way to prepare teachers for connected teaching is to have them experience it. All             institutions involved in preparing educators should provide technology-supported l earning experiences that promote and enable the use of technology to improve learning, assessment, and instructional practices (TEA, 2006). TEA recommends,

              3.1 Expand opportunities for educators to have access to technology-based content, resources, and tools where and when they need them.

            3.3 Use technology to provide all learners with online access to effective teaching and better learning opportunities and options in places where they are not otherwise available and in blended (online and offline) learning environments.

            3.4 Provide preservice and in-service educators with professional learning   experiences   powered by technology to increase their digital literacy and enable         them to create compelling assignments for students that improve learning,      assessment, and instructional practices.  (TEA, 2011)

The district needs outside sponsors to assist in technology funding because of budget cuts in 2011(Taylor.C., 2012)

            “The United States spends an average of about $10,000 per student per year on K–12       education. But for too many education leaders and decision-makers, visibility into the             costs of specific services our education system delivers to students is nonexistent. This is      because education accounting and reporting typically are done across large programs and       broad categories, such as instruction or instructional support. These accounting practices          are insufficient for tracking, benchmarking, and analyzing the costs of various services             individually or compared with one another—all of which are essential to making    decisions tthat lead to better outcomes and productivity” (TEA, 2006).

            “In March 2010, the FCC released the National Broadband Plan to provide a blueprint for            connecting all Americans to broadband capability.  The National Broadband Plan         recognizes the crucial task of improving high-speed Internet access for learners in schools      and homes and calls for a number of changes to the E-Rate that would dramatically     improve learners' access to broadband-enabled learning experiences”(TEA, 2006)

            “Schools also can solve the equity issue—concern that affluent students will have devices             and others will not—by purchasing devices just for the students who need such financial  support. This is more cost-effective than purchasing devices for every student. Districts  can think about providing an access device and Internet access at home for those students who need them in the same way they provide a free or reduced-price hot lunch for    students who could not otherwise afford one. E-Rate provisions and CIPA requirements should be clarified, and schools and districts should explore the ways that student-            owned devices can aid in learning” (TEA, 2006).

            “Districts also can consider moving to cloud computing, which involves shifting from the             procurement and maintenance of servers in local datacenters to purchasing software as a   service (SaaS) and Web applications from datacenters running in the cloud” (TEA, 2006).

            To meet this goal, TEA recommends,

             “All students and educators will have access to a     comprehensive infrastructure for        learning when and where they need it” (TEA, 2006).

            Continuing to provide competitive grants for scaling up innovative and evidence-based  practices through the Department of Education's Investing in Innovation Fund (i3) (TEA,     2006).

            Transferring existing and emerging technology innovations from such sectors as consumer, business, and entertainment into education (TEA, 2006)

            The Higher Education Opportunity Act (P.L. 110-315), passed in August 2008, authorizes establishment of the National Center for Research in Advanced Information and Digital Technologies (also called the Digital Promise). The center is authorized as a 501(c)3 that would be able to accept contributions from the public and private sectors to support the R&D needed to transform learning in America (TEA, 2006).

            In 2011, NSF Task Force on Cyberlearning  established a new multidisciplinary research   program to fully capture the transformative potential of advanced learning technologies       across the education system (TEA, 2006).

            TEA Recommendations

            4.5 Develop and use interoperability standards for content and student-learning data to enable collecting and sharing resources and collecting, sharing, and analyzing data to improve decision making at all levels of our education system ” (TEA, 2006).

            4.6 Develop and use interoperability standards for financial data to enable data-driven decision making, productivity advances, and continuous improvement at all levels of  our education system” (TEA, 2006). 

 2.       Develop the objectives for the school technology plan based on the needs from your institution.

TEACHING AND LEARNING  

Goal 1:  Train teachers in emerging 21^st century technology to enhance Curriculum and increase educator preparation and development to enable them to integrate successful technology applications.

            Objective 1.1 Provide adequate technology training for teachers to implement in daily  instruction of curriculum

            Evidence: A professional incentive will be available for teachers to receive one comp day for attending after school technology.  Teachers must sign in and attend three 2 hour sessions.

            Cost:  6 hour comp day/12 hours for trainer

            Objective 1.2 Train teachers to use communication and teamwork tools

            Evidence:    Provide training in Edmodo, Micorsoft OneNote, and Blogs

            Cost:  6 hours professional development for trainer

            Objective 1.2 Provide teachers training in digital and graphic applications.

            Evidence:  Teachers will in implement multimedia such as United Streaming,  Educational YouTube and other graphics into their daily lessons and employ this training into student activities.

            Cost:  None – Volunteer Trainer for 30 minutes of after school training

            Objective 1.3  Provide online technology training.

            Evidence:  Infosource Learning and Region 12

            Cost:  Membership Fees

AMINISTRATION AND SUPPORT -  

 Goal 2:  Fairfield ISD will provide sufficient budget to acquire and support all elements of the technology program.

            Objective 2.1:  Hire a district-wide technology facilitator/technician to create and implement a comprehensive, district staff development plan and assist and train  teaches to integrate technology into the districts.

            Evidence:  Full time instructional technologists to report to Technology Coordinator to assist in training.

            Cost:  Teacher Salary+

            Objective 2.2:  Provide opportunities and support for teachers to develop and model practices using technology

            Evidence:  Professional Development hours traded for comp days

            Cost:  None – Schedule comp days in school year calendar

            Objective 2.3:  Create a team of employees to be trained in research and grant writing to seek outside support for technology funding.

            Evidence:  Written Grants

            Cost:  None

 Objective 2.4:  Continue to apply for ERATE

            Evidence:  Discount

            Cost: None

INFRASTRUCTURE -

 Goal 3:  Fairfield ISD will expand and improve existing technology hardware and infrastructure.

            Objective 3.1 Fairfield ISD will improve the ratio of students to computers to 1:1

            Evidence:  Purchase of computers

            Cost:  Cost of computer/laptop

            Objective 3.2 Rotation of student and teacher computers every three years in alternating years.

            Evidence:  No computer odder than Win XP

            Cost:   Cost of Computer/Laptop

            Object 3.3  Purchase of other hardware as needed

            Evidence:  Update computers, printers, and related hardware working 100% efficiency

            Cost: Cost of hardware

           

3.       Identify the objective for each area of Technology, Funding, and Management. Provide the needed elements for each objective to make sure that it’s measurable.

Technology:

The district will continue to the most current technology applications and hardware with available resources.  Computers will be rotated and new hardware added.  The school will provide teacher training for the enhancement of instruction to improve student progress after school, during the summer and online.  The district will provide access to electronic classrooms, labs, libraries and student enhancement software applications after hours.  

Funding: 

The school will continue to apply for ERate and will incorporate a grant writing committee to seek additional funding for technology.  The Technology Coordinator will continue to research other sources funding, as well.  The Finance Director and Technology Coordinator will continue to evaluate the technological needs of the district and create a budget to utilize available funds in the most beneficial manner.

Management: 

By the beginning of the 2012 school, a campus Instructional Technologist will be hired to assist in the training of teachers and the integration of technology into classroom instruction.  The district Technology Coordinator will oversee the integration and training of technology.  Campus Administrators will monitor lesson plans and classroom instruction for the integration of technology.  

References:

 Fairfield Independent School District Fact Sheet. (2011). Retrieved January 25, 2012, from           Fairfield Independent School District: http://www.fairfield.k12.tx.us/Fact%20and%20Accountability/FISD%20Fact%20Sheet.p        df

 ISTE. (2011). The National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-T). Retrieved February 26, 2012, from: http://www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs/NETS-T_Standards.sflb.ashx

Texas Education Agency, (2006). Long-Range Plan for Technology 2006-2020: A Report to the 80th Legislature from the Texas Education Agency. Retrieved February 26, 2012, from: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=5082&menu_id=2147483665

Texas Education Agency, (2010). 2010 Progress Report on the Long Range Plan for Technology 2006-2020. Retrieved February 26, 2012 from: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/WorkArea/linkit.aspx?LinkIdentifier=id&ItemID=2147494561&libID=2147494558

Texas Education Agency, (2010). 2010 National Education Technology Plan. Retrieved February 26, 2012 from: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/WorkArea/linkit.aspx?LinkIdentifier=id&ItemID=2147494561&libID=2147494558

Texas State Board for Educator Certification, (2000). Technology Application Standards. Retrieved February 26, 2012, from: http://www.sbec.state.tx.us/sbeconline/standtest/standards/techapp.pdf 

Taylor, C. (February, 20, 2012). CSTE 5338 Development of Technology Infrastructure Report 1.  Unpublished Report Data