Needs Assessment and a Brainstorming/ Planning Tool - Assignment Example

 __________ TECHNOLOGY PLAN: Needs Assessment In order to ensure that all students have the skills and capacity to solve the complex problems facing society today and in the future, your strategic long-range technology plan should make a series of recommendations that guide efforts to enhance student learning through technology, prepare educational professionals and provide continued development throughout their careers, develop leaders with the skills and philosophy to support an educational process facilitated by technology, and provide the framework that supports a technology-enable learning process. Adapted from: Long Range Strategic Goals Transforming Education: Enabling Learning for All Arizona Students The Arizona Long-Range Strategic Educational Technology Plan, 2009 For your FINAL assignment, your will complete the following strategic recommendations for the inter-related components: 1) Student Learning 2) Leadership 3) Preparation and Development of Educators 4) Infrastructure. This assignment is a combination of a Needs Assessment and a Brainstorming/ Planning Tool for you to evaluate your current realities in regard to these four components, as well as determining a list of the necessary needs your LEA has which will assist you with aligning your educational technology goals, strategies, and action steps with your school improvement plan. A summary of your recommendations and goals for each of the four components will be developed within this tool. LEA Introduction: Briefly introduce and describe your school district or charter school. The named School District is located to the north of the Mexican border in the Southern Arizona It serves 264 square miles encompasses other several small communities. The school currently has a number of schools serving approximately over 3,500 students with three sites, they are: Peña Blanca Elementary (Pre-K through 5th) Mountain View Elementary (K through 5th) Technology Integration: Using the matrix below, self-assess the current reality of technology integration for your LEA. Please use the scoring rubric included in the matrix, and the final calculation and status of implementation at the end of the matrix. Components Developing (1 point) Approaching (2 points) Fully Integrated (3 points) LEA Self-Assessment Score Staff Technology Proficiency No instrument(s) are available or utilized for assessing the level of technology proficiency of staff members. One or more instruments are made available for staff to assess their level of technology proficiency. An LEA utilizes a specific instrument(s) to assess the level of technology proficiency for staff. An LEA has identified expectations/standards for the level of technology proficiency of staff and provided professional development for staff members to meet the expected level of proficiency. 2 Educational Technology Standards No specific curriculum resources with educational technology standard performance objectives are available and/or no alignment with educational technology standard performance objectives has occurred for any grade levels. Some curriculum resources with identified educational technology standard performance objectives are provided for one or more content areas and/or grade levels. Some alignment of Educational Technology Standard performance objectives with other core content areas may be evident across one or more grade levels. Educational Technology Standard performance objectives have been aligned with other core content areas across all grade levels. Curriculum resources are available to assist teachers with implementing instructional activities that have educational technology standard performance objectives embedded. 2 Classroom Integration of Technology No instrument(s) are made available for assessing how effective a teacher is integrating technology in his or her classroom. Technology in the classroom is almost exclusively used by the teacher. One or more instruments are made available for teachers to self-assess how effectively technology is being integrated in their classroom. Teachers use a variety of technologies to enhance instruction. Student use of technology occurs occasionally and is generally for research, presenting information, and creating some text and multimedia products. An LEA utilizes a specific instrument(s) to regularly assess how effectively a teacher integrates technology into their classroom. Teachers and students utilize technology daily to explore content, communicate and collaborate on real-world problems, provide real-time data of student progress and to assist teachers and students in individualizing a student’s learning experiences. 1 Professional Development/ Instructional Support No professional development or instructional support on the use of technology is offered. Professional Development on the use of technology in the classroom is offered. Instructional support for the effective use of technology is available for some teachers through instructional coaches or curriculum resources. Professional Development is offered based on needs identified from Staff Technology Proficiency and Classroom Integration of Technology Assessments. Professional Development is provided for content areas/grade levels on effective technology integration strategies and the use of curriculum resources available for educator’s specific grade level and/or content area. A coaching model is available at each school site to assist teachers with implementing strategies for effectively integrating technology in the classroom. 2 Availability of Technology Classrooms have 1-2 computers. Additional computers may be available in computer labs. Classrooms include some additional instructional technology hardware (projector, interactive whiteboard, electronic response systems, document cameras, etc.) to assist with instruction. Classrooms have at least 1-2 computers and may have access to additional computers through computer labs and/or mobile carts. Wireless access to the Internet is available in some schools. Classrooms include a wide variety of instructional technology hardware (projector, interactive whiteboard, electronic response systems, document cameras, digital cameras, and digital camcorders) to assist with instruction. Students have access to individual computing devices that can access the Internet. Wireless access to the internet is available campus-wide across all schools. 2 Technology Funding/ Technology Support LEA maintains a technology support staff to computer ratio of 1 person per 750 computers or greater. Technology funding provides for a computer replacement cycle of 6 years or longer. LEA maintains a technology support staff to computer ratio of 1 person to between 400-750 computers. Technology funding provides for a computer replacement cycle between 4 and 6 years. LEA maintains a technology support staff to computer ratio of 1 person to 400 computers or less. Technology funding provides for a computer replacement cycle of 4 years or less. 2 Comprehensive LEA Technology Integration Status Developing - total 6–9 points Approaching - total 10–15 points Fully Integrated - total 16–18 points 11 Student LEarning: The challenge for our education system is to leverage the learning sciences and modern technology to create engaging, relevant, and personalized learning experiences for all learners that mirror students’ daily lives and the reality of their futures. In contrast to traditional classroom instruction, this requires that we put students at the center and empower them to take control of their own learning by providing flexibility on several dimensions. A core set of standards-based concepts and competencies should form the basis of what all students should learn, but beyond that students and educators should have options for engaging in learning: large groups, small groups, and work tailored to individual goals, needs, interests, and prior experience of each learner. By supporting student learning in areas that are of real concern or particular interest to them, personalized learning adds to its relevance, inspiring higher levels of motivation and achievement. Adapted from: Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology National Educational Technology Plan (Draft), 2010 Develop your Long-Range Strategic Goals for Student Learning: All learners will: • learn according to their specific interests and everyone’s needs will be attended to individually. • Work collaboratively in a well-organized and well-controlled system of teaching that is designed by experts to provide systematic instructions. • learn more different approaches of planning and decision making both theoretically and practically with the aim of generating considerable interest in LEA. Current Reality: Select your implementation level for each recommendation in the columns provided. Summary of Recommendations for the Local Education Agencies: Already Implemented Currently Implementing Planning for Implementation Not Implementing Provide district policies, curriculum, and resources to ensure that every student has the tools for an individualized, collaborative, and authentic learning experience. X Select and deploy a variety of technology-based tools to provide differentiated instruction for every child by monitoring student assessment and suggesting developmentally appropriate content. X Embed Technology Standards within the curriculum at each grade level. X Select and utilize local, commercial, and open source digital content, aligned to state standards, to provide online access to specialized, rigorous, dual enrollment, credit recovery, and remedial courses. X Provide curriculum and resources that ensure personal safety for students in a digital world and policies that specify expectations of appropriate behavior and rules for students, parents, staff, and teachers. X X Describe the current level of technology integration into curriculum areas and the method of technology integration. In school, students are alleged to attend to career exploration classes that would help in processing the career readiness curriculum. The other core classes that students have access to the computer labs is in the school library. As the learners manage to join high school, their ECAP is shifted as the counselors renew their ECAP using the new program. The renewed ECAP is used throughout the four years. Technology has also helped in their grading especially in the CTE courses in the institutions that offer to the standards that are required, for instance at the sophomore level one should have an introduction to a business course that is computer based. This would help learners taking a CTE course to have a required assessment which is computer based. This would enable them to measure their skills and attainment. There are other courses that are available and use the library or the career center for projects that are based on curriculum and standards. What is the current level of technology literacy and how do you measure student technology literacy? The students’ technology literacy level in the past few years was measured by giving a pretest or a posttest to the students. All the students who enrolled in the CTE classes at the high school level were allowed to utilize the online assessment of student technology using the Student technology literacy tool. How are you developing and using innovative strategies for delivering curriculum through the use of technology (consider items such as distance learning technologies, online learning, and other e-learning systems)? In the last year and even this current year, the implementation o for long distance learning has taken place. Through this program, there is use of a polycom where the learners work with instructors so that they can meet the requirements of this course. Students can only access online learning through modules in order to meet the requirements for graduating. How are you using technology to promote increased parental involvement and student engagement? By means of the parental portal, is the synergy Student information System. Parents can only access the students’ grade attendance and other school information. They can also access online digital backpack where the teachers and students can share and store their documents as they can also communicate though the email in a safe environment. How are you using technology to increase authentic learning, increased collaboration and communication skills, and problem solving by students? Students are able to access the email and store their files using the world by Me as well as communicate with their teachers and other learners. The CTE course could give the instructions on email protocol and responsibilities of the internet usage and engines. Additional student learning current realities-- Student Learning Needs: After reflecting on your current realities and your current Technology Plan, please include a bulleted list for any student learning items or issues that are needed. There is need for a wireless capacity at the School and the Elementary is overwhelmed by the number of students devices that we wish to connect. The upgrade to the wireless network, by putting an individual wireless contact point in every classroom would improve the issue. Through distance learning Through increasing internet bandwidth By increasing the number of student computing devices Adding the online courses offered By an increase in wired network connections in the classrooms By adding the videoconferencing devices for too long access. Leadership: Develop your Long-Range Strategic Goals for Leadership: All leaders will: implement a model that would assess an appropriate technology used at teaching and learning processes. be able to provide the best opportunities to sustain the relevant, timely, and effective profession in development. Access the most appropriate resources that guide instructional practices. Current Reality: Select your implementation level for each recommendation in the columns provided. Summary of Recommendations for the Local Education Agencies: Already Implemented Currently Implementing Planning for Implementation Not Implementing Develop and implement a comprehensive Strategic Technology Plan, tied to the district’s strategic plan and school improvement plans that ensures the instructional and administrative use of technology at the classroom, library, campus, and district level. X Develop incentives for new and veteran educators to become technologically literate. X Include community input into the planning and support for the integration of technology into teaching and learning. X Coordinate the use of electronic data in district planning to support research-based decision-making focused on student success. X Participate in collaboration with representatives from PreK-12, Higher Education, parents, businesses, and community to share planning resources and services. X Support and encourage leaders to attend and present at local/state/national educational technology conferences. X List and describe the current uses of technology to support your administrators and their responsibilities (district, school-based, student achievement, and teacher effectiveness) in the chart below. (add additional rows as needed) Technology Resource Activity Synergy Continuous extensions of the database of a period of two years help the principals in managing the current student data. ALEAT All the administrative Retreat time that is devoted to creating and reviewing the action plans. The Taylor Management Visions Provide training and assistance with budget planning and managing. Pearson Providing on-site training to the administration and all the teachers who would implement the technological resources that are provided to all the classes with the currently adopted curriculum. Describe how administrators promote and evaluate the effective use of technology by teachers. The administrators participate very actively in regular classroom walk-through to every school. THE observations that are noted about the teachers use of the available technology demonstrate the active engagement of teachers in the classroom in various ways. The principal use dialogue to engage their administrative team and even apply for grants to support the acquisition of technology. Describe the roles site-based LEA administrators play in the types and quantity of technology that are available to their staff and students. There is no capital dollars that could be used in structuring the administrative constant search for ways to buy technology. For this reason, most principals had committed nearly all of their local grant funds in purchasing technology as well as its maintenance. Currently, every classroom should have technology equipment such as a laptop, a projector, and a document camera. Additional leadership current realities-- Due to lack of the capital dollars, there is halt of any form of strategic approach to technology expansion. With this, we cannot see how a 21st, century classroom looks like and even more lacking any other substantial plan of getting there. The wide range of individual knowledge as the administrators could not use technology. Leadership Needs: After reflecting on your current realities and your current Technology Plan, please include a bulleted list for any leadership items or issues that are needed. To understand deeper about what technology integration entails. Create more strategic plans on how to bring the level of integration to the classrooms. Sustaining the financial planning on how to find the financial resources to make this plans take place Preparation and Development Of Educators: Just as leveraging technology can help us improve learning and assessment, the model of 21st century learning calls for using technology to help build the capacity of educators by enabling a shift to a model of connected teaching. In such a teaching model, teams of connected educators replace solo practitioners and classrooms are fully connected to provide educators with 24/7 access to data and analytic tools as well as to resources that help them act on the insights the data provide. Adapted from: Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology National Educational Technology Plan (Draft), 2010 Develop your Long-Range Strategic Goals for Preparation and Development of Educators: All educators will: • Access the development opportunities involving the research based professional developments that is needed. • have the practical skills and knowledge of using technology and be able to complete their initial preparations. That would enhance every students learning process Current Reality: Select your implementation level for each recommendation in the columns provided. Summary of Recommendations for the Local Education Agencies: Already Implemented Currently Implementing Planning for Implementation Not Implementing Prepare administrators and district professional development personnel to conduct consistent observations of classroom use of technology using a technology integration observation form to determine levels of technology integration and effective use of technology that incorporates this observation into all formal professional evaluation. X Develop and maintain funding models and budgets that support participation in statewide, technology professional development opportunities for all teachers and administrators. X Develop and maintain professional learning communities that use appropriate technology to support learning and reflection by instructional personnel. X Develop and maintain partnerships with Higher Education to pilot new instructional strategies for integrating technology. X Summary of Recommendations for the Local Education Agencies: Already Implemented Currently Implementing Planning for Implementation Not Implementing Utilize innovative strategies for anytime/anywhere delivery of ongoing professional development, including online and other distance learning models and digital content delivery services to meet the diverse and personal learning needs of all educators. X Provide instructional coaches and mentors to support technology integration efforts to improve learning in core curriculum areas. X Provide professional development on the impact of non-compliance with district policies regarding the use of technology and include compliance with these policies as a component of teacher evaluation and observation instruments. X Use grants and, where possible, district funds to host and cosponsor regional and statewide technology symposia and training that promote the sharing of instructional strategies and techniques. X Work with parents and higher education to develop opportunities for parents to learn how technology can enhance their child’s learning. X What are the methods used for identifying technology professional development needs for teachers, staff, and administrators? Maintenance of a tight range of the existing technology by the site and teachers will help in establishing the baseline of a better professional development of the teacher staff and administrators. Identifying the opportunities for experienced teachers to the new technological models and practice with the staff develops the professional development for the coming days. List and describe the technology professional development opportunities that are available to teachers and staff on the effective integration of technology into the curriculum in the chart below. (add additional rows as needed) PD Activity Facilitator or Provider of PD Frequency of PD Offered To familiarize with the digital content and others technological features. The new digital companies and textbooks publishing companies. Offered three sessions within the first year after adoption. Utilization of the interactive whiteboards and pads. The main source of communications- is distributor mimio products. First and second orientation sessions initially. Utilization of interactive whiteboards and pads Most trained teachers who have product experience. During the ER staff development days that occurs regularly throughout the year. The utilization of the classroom responses. Most of the trained teacher with the product experience. When needed throughout the year and during the ER staff development days. List and describe the technology professional development opportunities that are available to administrators on the effective use and evaluation of technology in the chart below. (add additional rows as needed) PD Activity Facilitator or Provider of PD Frequency of PD Offered The proper use of teachers compass Use of Pearson. During the initial orientation. What incentives are available to LEA teachers, staff, and administrators for participating in technology staff development? Most of the teachers who are willing to actively participate in the technology staff development are given the opportunity to take piloting in the technology sector and their products in the classroom. How do you measure the effectiveness of the technology professional development offered Through online surveys and use of properly written surveys in the evaluation forms for effective utilization of technology in Professional Development. Preparation and Development of Educators Needs: After reflecting on your current realities and your Technology Plan, please include a bulleted list for any professional development that is needed under each category. Teachers and Staff To provide the opportunities that people should participate in and create awareness about the statewide technology PD. Supporting technology with more valuable integration, coaching, and mentoring. Providing professional development extensively and being concern about t the effective use of the existing technology within the district. Participation in technology PD involves the provision of incentives to the teachers in different multiple formats that would meet the diverse needs of all the learners. Leadership and Administration Involve the training of the administrators and how to evaluate the most effective use technology in the classrooms. Developing the technology that integrate observation and formal teacher’s evaluation that should be well used. Creating awareness and providing the opportunities in regular participation in the statewide technology PD. Infrastructure: An essential component of the 21st century learning model is a comprehensive infrastructure for learning that provides every student, educator, and level of our education system with the resources they need when and where they are needed. The underlying principle is that infrastructure includes people, processes, learning resources, policies, and sustainable models for continuous improvement in addition to broadband connectivity, servers, software, management systems, and administration tools. Building this infrastructure is a far-reaching project that will demand concerted and coordinated effort. Adapted from: Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology National Educational Technology Plan (Draft), 2010 Develop your Long-Range Strategic Goals for Infrastructure: The goals for learners, leaders, and educators will be achieved through an infrastructure that provides: • At anytime, there should be access to a secure and reliable variety of the most recent and emerging technology. • Providing proper policies and procedures that would ensure that is equal access to all the users. • The proper support and use of technology in the administration and teaching learning processes should provide more assistance. Current Reality: Select your implementation level for each recommendation in the columns provided. Summary of Recommendations for the Local Education Agencies: Already Implemented Currently Implementing Planning for Implementation Not Implementing Develop and implement new strategies and practices for the funding, purchase and support of technology infrastructure and services. X Provide a 1:1 learning environment for 6th-12th grade students and at least a 3:1 ratio for students below 6th grade. X Provide and maintain an infrastructure for communications with parents and community members, including year-round anytime/anywhere access to school news, educational resources, and data. X Utilize technologies that are environmentally safe and can be used to ensure the safety of students (i.e. surveillance and emergency warning systems). X Provide and maintain an infrastructure for online grading and assessment systems that are standards based and allow access to student performance data to students, parents, and appropriate district personnel. X Develop strategies, resources, and best practices that facilitate anytime/anywhere access to digital learning resources and activities by all students within the district. This includes secure access to network resources and ensuring that critical technology applications and data can be recovered in a timely manner. X Provide funding and release time for support staff from districts of common size, interests, and technologies to meet and share best practices in infrastructure support. X Describe the current level of access to technology resources (computers, cell/smartphones, interactive whiteboards, student responders, digital cameras, and other technology): Students have access Several classrooms with smart boards in every site. Computers and laptops in labs in every site. The student response system in most of the classrooms in every site. Each teacher in the district has Digital projectors Laptops Printers. Administrators have Laptops Smart phones Tablets Desktops If applicable to you, list and describe the technology infrastructure for department procedures in the chart below. (business needs, HR, district communication, transportation, state reporting requirements, etc.) (add additional rows as needed) Department/Service Technology Infrastructure/System Used Business/Inventory/Purchasing/HR/Depts The Taylor management Vision Budget Program. District Communication The Android –Based Smartphone Funded by the E-rate. Student Information System (Required for state reporting) Edupoint Synergy Student Information System. Transportation . Food Services The SODEXO automated Food Service System Special Education e-IEPPro Web Special Education Management System List and describe staffing levels versus devices/infrastructure needing support in the chart below. (add additional rows as needed) Device/Infrastructure Component Number of Devices Number of Support Positions Networking 300 2 Servers/Systems (Email, SIS, Finance, etc.) 49 1 Workstations/Software 1440 2 Other Devices (printers, projectors, document cameras, interactive white boards, etc.) Projectors 150 interactive white boards 35 printers 145 document cameras 100 Infrastructure Needs: After reflecting on your current realities and your current Technology Plan, please include a bulleted list for any infrastructure that is needed under each category (Hardware, Software, and Staffing). Hardware Addition of staff support. Addition of the CISCO –based WAP controllers Increasing the internet Bandwidth Software Migration from the locally hosted learning products to the cloud-based solution. Modular internet –based course software to suite the instructors who should create and share custom curriculum that is aligned to their state standards. The student cloud based desktop would be used in accessing the learning resources in the district. Staffing Adding the needed staff for instructors training and support. Adding the needed technical support. Read More