Charter school K-12, Kayla Monschke

Discussion Topics 4:

1.       Recognize the related legislatures and regulations to support the needs from your institution.
I wasn't sure at first if charter schools are required to use the STaR chart, but found out that they are.
"Along with the general requirements and components of the technology plans, Texas districts and charter schools are required to submit the Campus STaR Chart prior to submission of the technology plan in the Texas e-Plan System." (TPESC, n.d.)
Based on the current resources, my charter school is "Early Tech". From the surveys, I believe that some of the teachers are more advanced than that, but they do not have adequate resources to let them use their technology skills and know how in the classroom.
To advance beyond "Early Tech," the district will need to provide the physical resources necessary (digital projectors, more computers, presentation software, etc.) At the moment, the teachers on my campus would not benefit from technology training because they would be waiting on equipment to use what they have learned. Once the district is able to buy more technology resources for the classrooms, or have a computer lab with more than 8 computers, teachers would benefit from technology training. Teachers will need to be trained on incorporating technology into the classroom in a beneficial way.
With the current resources, teachers are not able to meet the following ISTE NETS for Teachers indicators: Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity, Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments, Model Digital-Age Work and Learning, Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility.

2.       Develop the objectives for the school technology plan based on the needs from your institution.
--The administration needs bring in qualified personnel to get computers running at their optimal potential. We have about 16 computers, but they consistently have issues that teachers and students are not able to fix. The state of the technology at this school does not begin to compare to the technology that these students will be expected to know when they apply to college or begin a job. The students could be exposed to so many more learning opportunities through working technology than is currently available to them.  "Although we have adopted technology in many aspects of education today, a comprehensive infrastructure for learning is necessary to move us beyond the traditional model of educators and students in classrooms to a learning model that brings together teaching teams and students in classrooms, labs, libraries, museums, workplaces, and homes—anywhere in the world where people have access devices and an adequate Internet connection. An infrastructure for learning is necessary to support a learning society in which learning is lifelong and lifewide." (U.S. Department of Education, 2010). The target audience is both students and teachers. Teachers are not able to work efficiently without access to working computers and printers. Students are not learning as much as they could be if they had adequate access to functioning computers and printers. This objective will be accomplished when all current computers have been evaluated and fixed by a professional and when teachers have access to a functioning printer.  
--The administration needs to provide each teacher with a computer with Microsoft Powerpoint, as well as a digital projector. The target audience for this objective is both teachers and students. Teachers are able to teach more effectively with the proper equipment, and students are able to learn more. This objective will be accomplished when every classroom has its own digital projector. 
--Once these technologies are in place, the administration needs to set a standard of how and how often students should be using technology in the classroom. A committee will need to be formed to provide guidelines and best practices to teachers. The target audience is, again, both teachers and students. Teachers need to know what is expected of them by the administration. Students learn better when technology is effectively used in the classroom. This objective will be accomplished when a committee has written guidelines for teachers' technology use in the classroom. 

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.
All items should occur before next school year.

Technology
--Computers need to be assessed by a professional and fixed as needed. This objective will be met when computers are fixed and functioning.
--Computers with Powerpoint and video projectors are provided to all classrooms. This objective will be met when all classrooms have computers, video projectors, and appropriate software.
--A not-so-immediate goal is to provide devices to students and educators for round-th-clock-usage, as recommended by the U.S. Department of Education (2010). "Because an infrastructure for learning should support learning in and out of the classroom, students and educators need Internet access devices for around-the-clock use from any location." While this goal is a long-term one, there are many technology issues to be remedied before this one can even be thought about.

Funding
--A line item in the budget needs to be created for technology, to maintain and buy new. This will be accomplished when the budget reflects a technology line item.
--Grants will be researched and applied for. This will be accomplished when teachers and administrators research and apply for grants.
--Arrange funding for a full-time IT professional to be shared among 4 charter schools. This will be accomplished when there is a professional IT person available at least part time to each school.

Management
--Given the disconnect between what management thinks is available in each classroom, and what is actually available in each classroom, management needs to conduct a walk-through with checklist of what technology is available (and functioning) in each classroom. The checklist should include: computers with Internet access, Powerpoint software, video projectors, and any other technology items that are available in individual classrooms (such as TVs and DVD players). This objective will be accomplished when a checklist has been completed for each classroom.

U.S. Department of Education (2010). Transforming American Education: Learning  Powered by Technology. National Education Technology Plan 2010. Retrieved from: http://www.ed.gov/sites/default/files/netp2010.pdf

TPESC (n.d.) Texas e-Plan. Retrieved from: http://tpesc.esc12.net/eplan/default.html