· Goal: Provide school district staff with opportunities to learn how to appropriately integrate technology as a tool utilizing collaborative, interactive and customized learning environments in an effort to achieve the Target Tech level in the Texas STaR Chart.
Strategies for Funding:
- Reassign current Instructional Technology Specialists on staff to a single campus location. Also, reassign all Curriculum Technology Coaches to a single campus as well and convert their title to Instructional Technology Specialists in order to support the goal of allowing a campus based technology facilitator to be available for each campus. Since the district is very large additional campus technology specialists will need to be hired over the next two years until all campuses have one technology specialist on staff.
- Technology Training Specialist will recruit staff across the district to provide and receive professional development. This individual will also maintain and updated professional development catalog for all employees seeking technology training.
- Director of Technology Instruction will negotiated with district leaderships incentives opportunities for teachers to attend technology professional development such as “Early Release” Passes and Free lunch coupons.
- Create partnerships with neighboring school districts and universities in other to share professional development costs or to offer a professional development fair
Strategies for Management:
- Hire a technology facilitator for each campus to assist the Director of Instructional Technology
- Technology Training Specialist responsible for accountability of training
- Establish district level team to research and write grants in order to seek out additional funding for professional development.
Describe the Required Procedures for Proposed Strategies
· Review and seriously evaluate all campus budgets in order to find funding to provide a campus technology facilitator. Shuffle already existing employees into this position when possible.
- Director of Instructional Technology request the hiring of a campus Technology Facilitator to the Superintendent and School Board Members.
- Director of Instructional Technology will request the Superintendent and School Board the ability to create incentives for the staff.
- The district Technology Training Specialist and Director of Instructional Technology will recruit staff members to present technology trainings. Offering school board approved incentives for example “Early Release” Passes and Free lunch coupons.
- District Technology Training Specialist, Campus Technology Facilitator and Campus Administrators will document technology professional development and report it quarterly reports to the Director of Instructional Technology.
- The District Technology Coordinator and campus coordinator will establish a grant research and writing committee to assist in the funding of technology for the district. In addition, the Partners in Education office work with local businesses and donors for funding technology.
- The District Technology Training Specialist will continue to apply for E-Rate.
· Goal: Provide an infrastructure system that allows all users 24/7 access to all e-learning opportunities and provide technical assistance to support instructional and administrative needs to achieve the Advanced or Target Tech level in the Texas STaR Chart.
Strategies for Funding:
- Using survey data and STaR chart information Campus Administrators will differentiate the needs and wants of their staff.
- Recycle old hardware for money- since items like copper can be harvested from old machinery the money recaptured will be awarded toward the purchasing of newer hardware.
- Grant Committee will research and write grants
- Tap the resources available with the Partners in Education Office in order to seek support from local corporations and private donors
- Apply for E-Rate
Strategies for Management
- Using survey data and STaR chart information Campus Administrators will differentiate the needs of their staff and share findings at District Technology Meetings.
- Tech Department will continue to complete routine maintenance on computers to keep these functioning at optimal performance
- The need of new computers will be reviewed by the District Technology Committee and each need will be prioritized
- New Technology applications will be reviewed by the District Technology Training Specialist
- District level grant committee will apply for grants for various technology application, hardware, and trainings.
- Grant Committee will also provide campus level support in order to expand opportunities for teacher accessibility to grant funding.
- Partners in Education Office will inquire local corporations and private donors for technology support
- The Technology Training Specialist will apply for E-Rate assistance.
References:
Cypress-Fairbanks ISD Technology Plan. (2011, March 1). Retrieved February 25, 2012, from Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District: www.cfisd.net/dept2/technology/Technology%20Plan.pdf
E-rate. (2012). E-rate Information. Retrieved on February 29, 2012 from http://www.mecnet.net/erate.cfm.
ISTE. (2011). The National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-T). Retrieved March 5, 2012, from: http://www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs/NETS-T_Standards.sflb.ashx
TEA (2012). TEA grant opportunity calendar. Retrieved March 19, 2012, from http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index4.aspx?id=2147487920&menu_id=951
Kristina,
ReplyDeleteI also like the idea of hiring a technology specialist for each campus. During the course of this class I have realized how much there is to do and wonder how our one Technology Coordinator can handle it. Bottom line is, she can't. In the T H E Journal, Greg Limperis, a Technology Facilitator, had this to say about helping integrate technology. "I thought, there needs to be more supplying teachers with resources, such as showing them what Web 2.0 tools they can use. They're busy and they're looking for a single place where they can find everything they need. I realized that Ning is a great platform for that, so I started my own Ning network under the same name [tech-in-ed.ning.com] and it now has nearly 3,000 members. This has blossomed into a second job, but it's been a great experience to be able to make this kind of impact" (Limperis & Parthum, 2010). What other tools do you feel teachers would benefit from to help them integrate technology? Carol
References
Limperis, G., & Parthum, E. F. (2010). Profile: Greg Limperis, Technology Facilitator, Edward F. Parthum Middle School, Lawrence, MA. T H E Journal (Technological Horizons In Education), 37(9), 10. Retrieved March 21, 2012, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5046024862
Thanks Carol for your comment. In Cy-Fair ISD we had 12 Instructional Technology Specialists for the entire district now that number is down to 10! A typical classroom teacher could be drowning without ever knowing that these resources exist let alone how to tap into them. I truly believe that each campus needs one individual to help their teachers. Not just during August staff development but during the course of the year as well. It is a big budget step however, I believe that in the long run will make the district as a whole work more efficiently.
DeleteKristina,
ReplyDeleteI also believe that there should be an Instructional technology person just like language arts/math have one. If the school districts are pushing for the use of technology the teachers need to be trained, and know how to incorporate it into the lesson plans. This can be hard for teachers that have never had to incorporate technology in the classroom.
I complete agree with you. Within my district we have both instructional technology specialists but we also have content specific technology specialists (for example Math Curriculum Technology Coach is their title). But I have found that teachers do not who to turn to for assistance infusing technology in their lessons so many of them don't turn to anyone and continue as they have been teaching. I feel that this system not only confuses teachers but is highly inefficient management of important resources.
DeleteKristina,
ReplyDeleteWhat resources do you see to using to evaluate the needs for the teachers or are you primarily focusing on the infrastructure for the district to improve the technology that is available for all?
How do you see the technology training specialists determining the areas needed for the teachers?
I felt that surveys could be a good tool to judge the need of a campus as a whole. Plus, by incorporating technology goals into teachers PDAS forms for their end of year evaluations could also help generate reflection for the teachers. I would hope this would create an open dialogue between teachers and their campus administrators in working together to address technology needs.
DeleteKristina,
ReplyDeleteFYI - Targeting technology funders is only half the battle. Here are a few rules for targeting funders with technology requests:
1. Expand your searches to include "capacity building" as a search parameter when using foundation libraries and search engines. This term often indicates a willingness to invest in technology.
2. Many funders set aside a certain amount of funds for what are termed Technical Assistance Grants. Technical assistance grants are a great way to pay for technology training, technology planning, and even equipment.
3.The Foundation Center is one of the best sources of up-to-date information on grant makers in the U.S.
Grassano, B. (2004). Ten Tips for Funding Technology. Retrieved March 12, 2012, from, http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/funding/page4794.cfm
Donzella,
DeleteThank you for the tips. I will be sure to incorporate them for the future. I especially like the idea of using Technical Assistance Grants for both training or equipment!