Joy Schwartz - Beaumont ISD - Technology Plan Objectives - Week 6, Step 4

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

 My school is a public school in the state of Texas therefore it falls under all regulations and legislations set forth by the Texas State Board of Education and Texas Education Agency, as well as No Child Left Behind federal regulations.  Within TEA there are guidelines for the use of technology in education.  These can be found in the Long-Range Plan for Technology 2006-2020.

All learners:

• have access to relevant technologies, tools, resources and services for

individualized instruction 24/7.

• use information and communication technologies to collaborate, construct

knowledge and provide solutions to real-world problems.

• use research based strategies in all subject areas to improve academic

achievement.

• communicate effectively in a variety of formats for diverse audiences.

All educators:

• graduate from an educator preparation program that models current

technology in instructional and administrative practices PreK-12.

• exit educator preparation programs knowing how to use technology

effectively in the teaching and learning process.

• develop new learning environments that utilize technology as a flexible tool

where learning is collaborative, interactive and customized.

• ensure integration of appropriate technology throughout all of curriculum

and instruction.

All leaders:

• develop, implement, budget for and monitor a dynamic technology plan to

meet the needs of a changing workforce and economy.

• create innovative, flexible and responsive environments to maximize

teaching and learning and community involvement.

• Offer expanded curricular and instructional opportunities to students via

online, digital technology, and a variety of distance learning technologies

• provide opportunities for sustained, relevant and timely staff development in

a variety of formats.

• expect and plan appropriate technology use throughout the teaching and

learning process as well as throughout administration.

• Use data effectively and appropriately in decision making.

An infrastructure system provides:

• access to all e-learning technologies through ubiquitous broadband

resources available 24/7 for all users.

• just-in-time technical assistance to support teaching and learning.

• measures to ensure all data is secure and accurate.

• data standards to support interoperability and accessibility for all users.

I((Long-range Technology Plan, 2012)

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The parts of the plan that I see my own school and district falling short in are:  1) All educators develop new learning environments that utilize technology as a flexible tool where learning is collaborative, interactive and customized; 2) all leaders develop, implement, budget for and monitor a dynamic technology plan to meet the needs of a changing workforce and economy; and 3) all leaders expect and plan appropriate technology use throughout the teaching and learning process as well as throughout administration.

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

Our new Technology Plan provides recommendations to the district in four key areas in alignment with the state Long-Range Plan for Technology, 1996 - 2013. These are:

· Teaching and Learning
· Staff Development
· Administration and Support Services
· Infrastructure for Technology

The recommendations made in this plan will prepare students and educators for the world of learning and work in the 21st century. The Beaumont Independent School District is committed to providing our graduates with necessary skills, values, and knowledge to compete successfully as productive citizens in an information-driven global society.

To meet this expectation, the district must equip its classrooms with appropriate technology and ensure universal accessibility to that technology. The district must also provide staff development to ensure highly skilled teachers who can integrate technology into the curriculum to increase student learning. New technologies are needed to raise the levels of instruction, learning and school management required to meet our state and national education goals in alignment with No Child Left Behind, as well as the Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology. The Beaumont Independent School District must create innovative uses for the wide area network as well as the District Intranet and Internet.

Successful technology implementation is dependent on effecting a behavioral change on the part of teachers, staff and administrators. This change takes a great deal of time, support, training and enthusiasm from all participants. These changes must be locked in place with long term planning, consistent focus on implementation and administrative and community support. Each phase of implementation must be monitored for effectiveness and the plan altered when the need arises. 

Critical factors for achieving NCLB, E-Rate, and Long-Range Plan for Technology requirements remain to be:

*Time to accommodate technology-related professional development
Due to increased demands on the time of all personnel, the scheduling of staff development opportunities continues to be a challenge. Various methods of training have been incorporated into staff development, however reaching all necessary staff with effective training is not always accomplished. The district has begun to evaluate on-line, on-demand, and real-time video-based training on a small scale to see if technology can assist with effectively reaching all users. The initial response has been very positive. Utilizing this technology is proving to be a great success since ALL users can be reached with the necessary information at a time when the individual is available to participate. This new type of professional development delivery will greatly reduce the amount of necessary trainers while effectively conveying topic specific staff development to ALL users. This new solution however, brings about new challenges. Not only will the district have to invest in hardware and software to deliver the content but will also be required to have necessary technical personnel to ensure that the infrastructure is available at all times.

*Need for technical personnel to support all existing and new technologies
Technology continues to change on a daily basis and the demands for utilizing new technologies in the classroom are sky rocketing. Many technologies which have traditionally been maintained by other departments are now being incorporated into the IT world. These technologies include security systems, voice communications, video, and building controls just to name a few. These new technologies can greatly enhance learning, provide for safer schools, and reduce overall costs but not without an impact on IT environments. The necessary skilled personnel will have to be put in place to support the new demands in all areas of computing

*Increased need for instructional technology personnel in the classrooms
Teachers are focused on delivering the best possible lessons in classrooms and have been well-trained in traditional teaching methods. In today’s technology world, teachers must be able to embrace and incorporate new teaching methods into their curriculum utilizing these innovative technologies. By implementing new positions in instructional technology, classroom teachers could begin to observe and develop new lessons geared towards technology-minded students.

*Demands for technology funding
Funding continues to be a challenge for all school systems and with current economic trends there is no change on the horizon. Districts must try to find creative solutions for funding projects while at the same time working smarter to reduce costs in all areas. The district will continue to focus on funding sources such as grants and E-Rate while at the same time evaluating technologies which can potentially save dollars through reduced energy consumption and consolidation of services. (BISD Technology Plan, 2012)

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.

These goals, objectives and strategies are a part of our Beaumont Independent School District Technology Plan.  However, I personally feel that though they are in print they are not being met.  Therefore I still classify the specifics of each one as a “need”.

GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND STRATEGIES

Goal 1: Incorporate technology as an integral part of education.

Objective 1.1: In 3 years student graduating from BISD will demonstrate knowledge needed to direct their continued pursuit of knowledge in digital world of information.
Budget for this objective: $503,214.00
LRPT Category: Teaching and Learning
E-Rate Correlates:
NCLB Correlates: 01 02 03 04a 07 

Strategy 1.1.2: Students will use technology in inquiry standards-based lessons that require collaboration and higher-level thinking skills.
State: Original
Status: In Progress
Timeline: Ongoing
Person(s) Responsible: Curriculum Supervisors Principals Technology Lead Teachers All Classroom Teachers
Evidence: Collaborative student technology projects, teacher lesson plans, walk-though observations 85% of teachers will include at least one higher-level thinking technology activity bi-monthly
Comments:
LRPT Correlates: EP04, EP05, TL04, TL06, TL07, TL08

Goal 2: Provide staff development for all in the use of appropriate emerging technologies and their integration as a natural part of education.

Objective 2.1: Plan staff development activities to meet expectations for technology proficiencies for educators.
Budget for this objective: $532,106.00
LRPT Category: Educator Preparation and Development
E-Rate Correlates: ER02
NCLB Correlates: 01 02 03 04a 04b

Strategy 2.1.5: Provide ongoing sustained professional development for teachers, principals, administrators, and school library media personnel to further the effective use of technology in the classroom or library media center.
State: Original
Status: In Progress
Timeline: Immediate and ongoing
Person(s) Responsible: Director of Information Services Director of Performance Management/Instructional Technology Director of Staff Development Designated administrators
Evidence: Staff development evaluation and number of attendees
Comments:
LRPT Correlates: EP05, EP09, TL07 

Goal 4: The district will establish the human and technical infrastructure to encourage communication and to improve access to data and educational resources.

Objective 4.1: The district will secure adequate funding for maintaining state-of-the-art technology resources for all BISD facilities.
Budget for this objective: $2,672,381.00
LRPT Category: Infrastructure for Technology
E-Rate Correlates: ER01
NCLB Correlates: 05 06 08 12 

Strategy 4.1.4: The district will have each campus allocate a percent of their local budget to technology needs, including professional development.
State: Original
Status: Completed
Timeline: Ongoing
Person(s) Responsible: Superintendent Board of Trustees Director of Information Services Director of Performance Management/Instructional Technology Principals
Evidence: Campus plans Campus budgets 10% of campus budget committed to technology
Comments:
LRPT Correlates: EP01, I01, I04, I06, I07

(BISD Technology Plan, 2012)

(E-rate, 2012)

References:

BEAUMONT ISD Technology Plan for E-Rate Year 13. (2010-2013).  Beaumont Independent School District, Beaumont, Texas.

E-rate. (2012).  E-rate Information.  Retrieved on February 27, 2012 from http://www.mecnet.net/erate.cfm.

Long-Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020 http://www.tea.state.tx.us/WorkArea/linkit.aspx?LinkIdentifier=id&ItemID=2147494561&libID=2147494558.

No Child Left Behind policy. (2012).  Retrieved on February 27, 2012 from http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/states/index.html.