Technology Plan - Florence Township School District 2011-2014

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Florence Township School District serves the communities of Florence and Roebling along the Delaware River in Western Burlington County, New Jersey. Approximately 158 teachers educate 1,693 students in graders pre-K through twelve. There is one elementary school building; one intermediate building and one state of the art high school that opened in September 2006. The Technology and Steering Committee was first established in 1995. Since its inception the committee has consisted of representatives from administration, faculty, student, body, school board, parents and community members. A subcommittee of teachers, administrators and technology experts were given the responsibility for upgrading the previous plan to provide the district with direction for technology objectives and purchases. Using the mission statement and vision statements as a guide, the subcommittee revised and upgraded our original action plans which outlined our objectives, responsible staff, time lines and costs. Proper implementation and funding of the new action plans will satisfy all state and national technology goals. The members of the committee will closely monitor implementation of the action plans providing advice on the most effect way to accomplish each goal. Funding for these initiatives will occur through regular departmental and district budgets which are regulated by budget caps and by the desire to keep educational costs as close to level as possible. Alternative funding sources will continue to be sought (i.e. grants, foundations and/ or business/industry partnerships).

MISSION STATEMENT
The Florence Township Board of Education believes that all students should be afforded the opportunity to utilize technology for the purpose of encouraging and enhancing academic achievement. In support of this belief, the Board recognizes the enormous potential that a superior infrastructure will give the teachers and students of the district. Commitment to to the acquisition of technology, high quality training, and support programs to maximize the effective use of technology resources must be ongoing. The overarching goal is to produce individuals who will be able to use all types and forms of technology to solve problems, create reports and presentations, and to gather knowledge both individually and collaboratively about the world in which they live.

VISION STATEMENTS
The Technology Committee of the Florence Township School District sets forth the following beliefs: 1. The Florence Township School District must create a technology rich environment in all school and curricular programs. 2. Technology should be integrated throughout the curriculum to enhance the learning process. 3. Technology provides access to broader world communities and interaction. 4. Technology places users in an information rich environment which challenges them to be intellectually and ethically discriminating. 5. Successful utilization of technology requires users to commit themselves to a process of lifelong learning. 6. Successful integration of technology use can only occur with the support of ongoing, high quality training. 7. Technology will provide students the opportunity to analyze and collaborate on real world problems.

TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW
A. TECHNOLOGY
1. The Florence Township School District has a WAN that is connected to Internet via DS3 10mb circuit with Comcast. Riverfront and Roebling Schools are connected to the High School via fiber 100mb line. All IDFs are connected via fiber optics to MDF in Riverfront School and the High School. In the High School and Riverfront School there are dedicated servers for the school web site, printing, filtering and a backup system. There is an off-site backup system for the High School at Riverfront School and there is off-site backup system for the Riverfront School at the High School. There are network policies in place on every computer for students, teachers, and administrators established for security and privacy by the Technology Coordinator. The school district recently updated its Telecommunications System. The School Districts Telecommunications system include XTS digital telephone system with battery backup telephones, paging system interface, automated attendant/voicemail, call accounting system and school specific software for emergency notification and absentee reporting. The digital telephone system also includes Centrex system hardware. There is a state of the art security system with 24 hour surveillance cameras in all of the schools of the district. The High School security system includes 2 Bosch DVR (Digital Video Recording) devices using DIVAR Control Center software with 9 outside cameras

and 19 inside cameras. The system includes a backup battery and the ability to burn individual pictures as well as video to DVD. Four of the entrance doors to the high school have WINPAK Entry System with keyless access cards. The Riverfront School security system includes 2 Panasonic DVR devices using DIVAR Control Center software with 7 outside cameras and 12 inside cameras. The system includes a backup battery and the ability to burn individual pictures as well as video to DVD. Three of the entrance doors to the school have WINPAK Entry System with keyless access cards. The Roebling security system includes 1 Bosch DVR device using DVR Control Center software with 5 outside cameras. The system includes a backup battery and the ability to burn individual pictures as well as video to DVD. Three of the entrance doors to the elementary school have HID Entry System with keyless access cards. 2. Technology in each school: High School: In the High School, in each classroom there are 10 CAT5 drops with four student workstations and 1 teacher workstation with access via the network to the Internet and workgroup printers. Every classroom has a local cable TV channel access and 27 inch TVs with DVD and VCR that are connected to the teacher desktops for the presentations. Technology has been infused into other areas of the high school as well as those areas include: the Media Center - 10 computer workstations and 5 Kindles; in the Career Counseling Center - 6 computer workstations and 2 computer labs each have 25 computer workstations. The High School has 14 SMART Boards connected to lap tops and projector units in the classrooms. A TV and Film Lab is in the High School. The equipment included 3 cameras and 5 computer video editing stations using Adobe Premier Video Production Suite 8. The students are able to film student productions and then edit the production to be used on Channel 19 for community viewing. The A+ Certification program and Cisco Lab was implemented in the High School this year. The Cisco Lab includes 16 desktops with 6 switches and 3 routers. At the culmination of these classes the students will have the ability to take the A++ and Cisco certification exams. Riverfront School: The renovations from December 2003 bond referendum are complete at Riverfront School and the school re-opened in September 2007. All the classrooms have four CAT5 drops, a teacher computer workstation and 3 student workstations that have

access to the Internet and workgroup printers via the network. A 27 inch TV with a DVD and VCR with cable access is available in most of the classrooms. The Riverfront School has 39 SMART Boards connected to laptops and projectors in the classrooms, 5 SMART Response Systems, 6 scanners and 4 document cameras. It has 3 computer labs equipped with 28-30 computers in each lab. There is a state of the art Information Technology Lab in Riverfront School in which the students use Problem Based Learning along with Internet research on 9 computer workstations that include Weather Monitoring with a roof mounted monitoring station, Construction Technology, digital photography using a Sony digital camera, graphics & animation using Flash MX, materials processes using a Thermoject molder, basic electricity using a Basic Electricity Trainer, computer applications and robotics & automation using a RoboTek II robot. Roebling Elementary School: The Roebling Elementary School has dedicated servers for printing, filtering and a backup system. There are student computer workstations in many classrooms. The school has 7 SMART Boards connected to the laptops and projectors in the classrooms. The Roebling School has one computer lab with 25 computer workstations.

Florence Township School District

Current Network Inventory
School Florence High School Riverfront Middle School Servers 7 6 Desktops 275 210 Laptops 20 35

Roebling Elementary

55

Current Telecommunications Equipment

School Florence High School Riverfront School Roebling Elementary Board Office Telephones 81 88 48 7 System Paging Yes Yes Yes Yes Voicemail Yes Yes Yes Yes Absentee Reporting Yes Yes Yes Yes Emergency Notification Yes Yes Yes Yes

3. All teachers use www.oncoursesystems.com for online lesson plans: the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards are available to teachers to include in their plans as well as a homework notification calendar for students. The teacher-made web pages include information about the course content, homework for the week, upcoming projects and valuable links for the students to facilitate learning in the subject area. Parents are able to be more involved in their childrens education in Fourth through Eighth grades in Riverfront School and in grades nine through twelve in the High School. Genesis Parent Access https://parents.genesisedu.com/florence/ enables the parents the ability to view their childs picture, grades, attendance, home assignment s and discipline reports on the Genesis Parent Access web page anytime that they have web access. At its inception, the district website provided basic information in 2000 and included the High School, Riverfront, and Roebling schools. The web pages provided information about staff and student activities. The district website has grown exponentially over the

last decade. The website now includes additional pages for the Board of Education, Child Study Team, Extended Day Program, High School Counseling, High School Sports and the WeTip Program. The website has become informative and has become an essential tool for parents, students and the community. Some other pages the website includes are the district monthly calendar, the district yearly calendar, the monthly lunch menus and a school closing page. There is a Community Information page that provides the Florence Township Community information about upcoming events in the school district and links to Channel 19. The community has access to cable Channel 19. It provides the Florence Township area with information of upcoming school events and web links to Channel 19 are included on the Florence Township Municipal Website www.florence-nj.com and the Florence Township School District www.florence.k12.nj.us . 4. The district integrates assisstive technology devices into the network to accommodate student needs using following software: Inspiration, Kidspiration, Write:Outloud, Co:Writer, Draft:Builder, Dragon Naturally Speaking, Earobics, LindaMood: Lips, JAWS, Please Read 2000 and Kurzweil 3000. The students also have access to the following hardware devices: alpha and qwerty adaptable keyboards, AlphaSmart laptops, wireless laptops and SMART Boards to accommodate their assisstive technology needs. The technology needs for a severely visually impaired student at Riverfront School are being met with a specific Braille-marked keyboard as well as specialized software programs geared toward this students needs. 5. All teachers in Florence Township have access to an array of Educational Technology in their classrooms. All teachers have a desktop computer in their classroom, and have access to a network printer. Most teachers have a laptop, projection unit and a SMART Board in their classroom. Some teachers have scanners in their classrooms. Students also have weekly computer class where they are trained in the Microsoft Office Suite. 6. Administrators in Florence Township have access to an array of Educational Technology in their offices. Specifically, all administrators have access to a desktop, laptop, printer and a PDA. 7. The school district website is accessible to all stakeholders in the community including staff members, students, parents and community members. It provides information to all groups in Florence Township and is up to date. Font Page 2003 Web Page Accessibility Program was run. The summary results of published pages found a Priority 1 on Teach Resources.htm. That checkpoint was satisfied so that all groups will be able to access the information on that document. The design of the website is

understandable and navigable. Both images and text are available. The colors on the website are contrasting colors and easy to read. 8. As technology rapidly changes it is important to make new acquisitions and to replace aging and obsolete technology. Computers that approach the age of five years are evaluated to determine if they meet the needs for which they are used. The District has been able to use older computers for basic word processing but these same computers could not be used for advanced computer applications or administrative uses. Each individual technology resource will be evaluated on a case by case basis in order to determine its obsolescence. The criteria used to define obsolescence will be age, functionality, intended use, whether or not the equipment can be upgraded and available replacement funds.

B. CYBER SAFETY
1. The School District uses WebSense filtering software to filter and block the unnecessary websites; every desktop is configured to access the Internet via WebSense. All of our schools in-district are connected via 100MB lines to the High School and the High School has a dedicated server running the filtering software. A router is configured to send all incoming and outgoing web requests via WebSense filtering software. We receive a daily report identifying the sites that were visited via Florence employees and students. The district has Watchguard Firebox monitoring the traffic and blocking the unnecessary websites. 2. Beginning in the Roebling School and continuing through the upper grades, student instruction pertaining to the Internet relates at an age appropriate level to topics related to Internet safety. Instruction begins with AUP (Acceptable Use Policy) and appropriate use of school computers but also broadens to cover potential dangers related to the Internet- virus, malware and sharing personal information. 3. The school district has provided workshops and will continue to provide workshops for parents regarding online safety as well as providing a Parent Resources Webpage on the school district website. Information regarding online safety is available at http://www.florence.k12.nj.us/boe/parent_resources.htm . In addition, as part of the Technology Curriculum and Standards, the classroom and computer teachers emphasize Internet Safety which includes but not limited to Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. Students are shown privacy settings and strongly advised to keep all information online private.

In addition to the parent resources web page, the Florence Township School District includes information on cable channel 19 for Internet safety tips for parents and the community. 4. The school district has provided the community a hearing to address any proposed Internet Safety policies adopted by the school district.

C. NEEDS ASSESSMENT
1. Determine current status a) Provide a summary of educators proficiency in the use of technology within the district. With the restructuring of Riverfront School as a fourth through eighth building, emphasis was placed on technology with the purchase of laptops, video projection units, and SMART Boards to enhance the delivery of instruction. About 60% of the teachers in the District now have a comfort level in the use of the laptops and video projection units. 40% percent of the teachers and library media personnel are comfortable in the use of a SMART Board in connection with the previously mentioned equipment. Along with video streaming in the classroom we are introducing Educare, an online classroom for credit completion and Home Instruction.

b) Determine the current educational environment and barriers by describing how: i) Educators are assured access to technology to facilitate technology integration across the curriculum. All educators in the district have access to advanced technologies. All three locations have been rewired to provide a seamless WAN for email and file sharing. The telephone systems at each location have also been upgraded to allow teachers to access parents via telephone from their classrooms. Each teacher in the district has a computer workstation at their desk that gives them access to district email, the Internet, and Microsoft Office 2003 or Microsoft Office 2007. From their classroom workstation, each teacher has access to a high speed networked color printer. Each wing in the High School was equipped with a planning center which included network connections, computer workstation and printer. This encourages staff across content specific to collaborate as they develop unit plans. ii) Often students have access to technology to support the use of 21st century skills in their learning environment. At the High School, each

classroom has been outfitted with four student workstations equipped with Internet access and Microsoft Office 2003. The library has ten student workstations that also have the EBSCO and Grolier online databases, and five Kindles available for student use. Riverfront School totally rewired for video and data, each classroom is equipped with three student computer workstations along with the same video setup that is working well at the High School. There are three computer labs equipped with cutting edge computer workstations in each of the buildings. These labs are used for the teaching of word processing, spreadsheet design, Acces databases, webpage design, PowerPoint presentations, digital photography, Internet safety, online research and keyboarding. Roebling Elementary has very few computers for student use in the classrooms. Our student population is entering the 21st century with 25% of our students having access to Smartphone technology, which includes the ability to have access to Internet that includes the ability to use social networking, email and online calendars. Book clubs with Wikis have become part of our current practice. Students are encouraged in high school classes to contribute to poetry feeds and the library Wiki. iii) The needs of educators are evaluated. One of the ways the District evaluates the needs of district educators is using the needs assessment of the districts professional development committee concurrent with the yearly professional development plan. The technology committee is planning to develop a Technology survey specific to determine the needs of the educators. Also, surveys are done during the budget creating cycle allowing administration to earmark limited hardware and software monies to areas identified by staff. iv) The needs of students are evaluated. A survey was sent to teachers to assess what equipment was needed for student achievement in Math using Technology. The BOE finance committee is open to discussion on student technology needs. Teacher feedback at faculty meetings and budget creation discussion show there is no formal method of assessing what the students need in the area of technology. v) Past professional development addressed the educators and students needs for technology integration. The main focus of the training effort was to help all teachers become comfortable with Microsoft Office Suite with the use of laptops and video projection. The seventh and eighth grade teams were trained during team planning time in Microsoft Office Suite to assist with Eighth Grade Proficiency Technology Standards. Training was provided at faculty meetings to help Roebling teachers become familiar with the online

Genesis Gradebook that Roebling teachers will be required to use effective September 2011. vi) Past professional development for all administrators was provided to further the effective use of technology in the classroom or library media center. Training for the District administrators has been limited. The District leader in searching out emerging technologies has been Dr. Talarico. He spends significant time in our administrative meetings keeping the group apprised about technology efforts.

vii) Ongoing, sustained professional development was provided in 20092011 for all educators to further the effective use of technology in the classroom or library media center. A number of free, hands-on after school professional development sessions were available to all district staff from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. The presenters for the majority of these workshops were professionals from SMART Board Technologies. These included, but were not limited to: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. SMART Board Technology SMART Board Technology Genesis Training Part 1 Genesis Training Part 1 Media Center Online Databases SMART Board Technology SMART Board Technology Map Computer Training SMART Board Technology Educare Online Credit Completion Genesis Training Map Computer Training for Special Education August 6, 2009 August 7, 2009 September 1, 2009 September 2, 2009 October 9, 2009 November 9, 2009 November 16, 2009 December 1-3, 2009 January 28, 2010 March 8, 2010 September 7, 2010 January 31, 2011

viii) Ongoing, sustained professional development was provided the past two school years for administrators to further the effective use of technology in the classroom or library media center. District administrators were invited to the staff development sessions listed above. ix) Supports were provided for educators other than professional development. The completed renovations of Roebling Elementary and the Riverfront School along with the professional development sessions listed above were the major district focus during the 2009-2010 school year. Other

areas involving individual staff members included CISCO and A+ Certification Training done by Mr. DeFaetano. Multiple hours of training were done by Mr. Gupta to keep the networks running efficiently and virus and spam free. Mr. Falcone continues to do a significant amount of support and training on the Genesis Administrative software in order to able to turnkey all the new and exciting features to administrators and educators. x) Professional development needs and barriers related to using educational technology as part of the instruction have been identified. The standard yearly complaint/concern is the lack of money is not nearly enough. In the past three years we have had an influx of new technology; we will not have enough money to effectively train people in its use. We are doing the best that we can by asking staff to come on their own after school without compensation. We are gratified by the number of teachers taking advantage of these opportunities. But, in order to make significant, widespread improvement, more money is needed for training in the summer. More frequent and more useful workshops need to be offered during the year. 2. Identify current needs a) The answers given above indicate that there is a need in the District to improve academic achievement for all students through the integration of technology across the curriculum areas. SMART Board Responders and lessons designed for their use could be across all curriculum areas. This would involve Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) to develop lessons using SMART Technology coded to the responders we have in house or the commitment to the budget for additional sets. b) Identified needs of district (prioritized) 1. Better technology for grades K through 8 including SMART Boards, Response Systems, Document Cameras and replacement of teacher laptops that are older than five years. 2. Significant training for all staff on using technology that focuses on collaboration, problem solving and Microsoft Office literacy. 3. Teacher and student training on cyber safety and cyberbullying. 4. Cable boxes installed in all classrooms district-wide. 5. Create and train staff and students to use a district-wide network for saving. 6. Use the video lab at the High School to create a morning news show that is broadcast to all homerooms in the High School.

THREE YEAR GOALS AND OBJECTIVES (2011-2014)

Goal 1 Enhance student achievement utilizing technology to support the integration of math, reading, writing, science, or social studies and other curriculum goals using progressive teaching strategies with technology. 1.1 Students in kindergarten through eighth grade will use technology to make graphic organizers to develop topics for pre-writing and compose their ideas enabling the student to have a better understanding of the writing process. 1.2 Students in fourth through eighth grade will use technology to research, organize, and present ideas in specific content areas such as science and social studies. 1.3 Students in grades sixth through eighth grade will use technology to develop Excel projects aligned with the district curriculum and the Core Curriculum Content Standards in for Math and other subject areas. 1.4 Students in third through eighth grade will use technology to develop Publisher projects to integrate language arts, science, and social studies. 1.5 Students in ninth through 12th grade will have the equipment and infrastructure necessary to provide homebound instruction and credit completion via online classes. 1.6 Students in ninth through 12th grade will use PowerPoint to enhance presentations across the curriculum. Goal 2 Improve administrator and teacher knowledge in the use of technology through on-going professional training with Burlington County ETTC, school district in-services, and peer to peer mentors throughout the school year. 2.1 Provide educators with systemic approach for infusing technology into the classroom as well as integrating technology across curricular areas kindergarten through grade 12 through the support NJ Statewide Systemic Model for Continuous Professional Learning and Growth through district in-services. 2.2 Provide ongoing interactive professional development through peer to peer coaching using SMART Board technologies to train educators to integrate technology in their classrooms on a daily basis to increase student participation in the classroom using technology.

Goal 3 All schools will be able to provide administrators, teachers, and students with access to computers with Internet and interactive technology to such a degree that information can be used to enhance research and learning in a safe and respectful environment. 3.1 Administrators, staff, and students in the High School will have access to in-house broadcasting from the TV service which will provide the community with student video productions through the integration of curriculum. 3.2 Administrators, staff, and students will have access to SMART Board technology to enhance the integration of technology in all curriculum areas. 3.3 Administrators, staff, and students will have access to computers with the Internet and software to infuse technology in the curriculum at all grade levels. 3.4 Administrators, staff, and students will participate in cyber safety and cyberbullying training. Goal 4 All schools will include a backbone distribution system, communications outlets in each room, and wiring in each school, thus establishing an infrastructure for a technology-rich environment. 4.1 The School District will be able to hire additional technical staff to meet the needs of the growing infrastructure of each of the school buildings. 4.2 The School District will maintain computer equipment within budget parameters and purchase some new computer equipment hardware and software to replace existing equipment. The district will place additional computer equipment in classrooms for integration of technology with the curriculum. 4.3 The School District will create a district-wide network for saving student work and collaboration among students and staff. 4.4 The High School will use its video lab to film and produce morning announcements to be streamed into homerooms at the high school. 4.5 The School District will install cable boxes in each classroom district-wide.

Florence Township School District July 2011- June 2014 Three-Year Technology Implementation Activity Table
District Goal and Objective
1.4 1.6

Strategy/Activity

Timeline

Person Responsible
All Faculty

Documentation

Students will learn to use the Internet to research information for projects and develop Power Presentations. Provide at least 3 computer workstations per classroom for student use in Riverfront School. Install a cable box in each classroom. Provide Educare High School courses for Homebound Instruction. Provide Educare High School courses for credit completion. Students will learn to use the Internet to research information for projects and develop Excel graphs and charts. Hire a part-time computer/network technician for increase technical support Provide at least 3 computer workstation per classroom for student use in Roebling School. Create a district-wide network for saving. Hire a full-time computer/network technician for increase technical support Use High School video lab to film and produce daily morning announcements.

2011-2012

Student Presentations

3.3

2011-2012

Technology Coordinator

Sign-off on delivery and installation

4.5 1.5

2011-2012 2011-2012

Technology Coordinator Principal, Guidance Department Principal, Guidance Department All Faculty

Sign-off on delivery and installation Monitor student progress in the program Monitor student progress in the program Student Presentations

1.5

2011-2012

1.3

2012-2013

4.1 4.3 3.3

2012-2013

Superintendent, Technology Coordinator Technology Coordinator

Contract

2012-2013

Sign-off on delivery and installation

4.3 4.1 4.3 4.4

2012-2013 2013-2014

Technology Coordinator Superintendent, Technology Coordinator Technology Coordinator

Sign-off on delivery and installation Contract

2013-2014

Sign-off on delivery and installation

2.1 2.2 3.4 2.2

Provide ETTC training for the purpose of staff development in the use of technology Provide Peer to Peer coaching in SMART technology (SMART Boards and SMART Responders) Purchase computer laptop, projection unit and SMART Boards for classroom use in Roebling and the High School Provide SMART Board training for staff Purchase replacement laptops for Riverfront teachers. Install and mount projection units and SMART Boards Provide cyber safety and cyberbullying training for all staff and students.

On-going

Superintendent, Curriculum Supervisor Curriculum Supervisor

Survey faculty for training accomplishments and needs Faculty Feedback

On-going

3.2 3.3

On-going

Technology Coordinator

Audio-visual request and sign out forms Faculty Feedback Sign-off on delivery and installation Sign-off on installation Faculty feedback

2.4 3.3 3.2 3.3 3.4

On-going On-going On-going On-going

Curriculum Supervisor Technology Coordinator Technology Coordinator Superintendent, Guidance Department, Principals

BUDGET
Florence Township Three-Year Technology Plan Inventory Table Area of Need
Describe for 2011-12 Pending Reinstatement Technology Budget

Describe for 20122013

Describe for 20132014

Technology Equipment

275 computers in HS

75 computers in Roebling and add 5 SMART Boards Office 2010 in Roebling

175 computers in Riverfront Office 2010 in RIverfront Finish up-grading software and applications Upgrade to Voice over IP between Buildings

Software used for curricular support and filtering Technology maintenance policy and plans Telecommunications Services

Office 2010 in HS Update WebSense Filtering Keep up-to-date with current software and application Upgrade to Voice over IP between Buildings Upgrade classroom cable boxes in all schools Add part-time support technician New Fiber Backbone for Roebling

Up-grade applications and software Upgrade to Voice over IP between Buildings

Technical Support Facilities - infrastructure including central telephone & security systems TV Channel 19 Video Conferencing Servers

Add part-time support technician

Add full-time support technician

Integrating Video Server for live video Testing and Booking Upgrade Servers in HS

Testing Video Server Websites Booked Upgrade Servers in Riverfront District-wide Network for saving

Implementation of Video Server Websites Booked Upgrade servers in Roebling

Florence Township Advertised Appropriations

2010-2011 Expenditures $473,803 2011-2012 Rev. Appropriations $464,093 2012-13 Appropriations $518,106

Annual Budget The budget will help with the continuation and expansion of technology throughout the school system. The operating budget includes funding for items such as technology

maintenance and upgrades, printing supplies, Internet access, telecommunication circuits, computers, software and staff development. E-Rate Discounts The district plans to continue the utilization of E-rate funding as an effective means of reducing the cost for services eligible for the program such as Internet and telecommunication services. E-rate discounts for the district will greatly lessen the financial burden on the local community. Grants This updated plan does not include any funds that the district will receive in the future. If such funding becomes available, the plan may be accelerated or revised to include the implementation of additional resources. The district will continue to seek financial opportunities through the grant process.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
1. Administrators are trained in on-going professional development for technology and will continue be to trained in order to effectively use technology in monitoring staff members use of online lesson plans and Genesis Grade Book. In addition, administrators have on-going training to share district events with the community using cable access for Channel 19. 2. The staff will continue on-going professional development for technology in order to achieve effective integration of technology into classroom instruction. Professional Development will be differentiated; novice staff will be trained on Oncourse Lesson Plans, Genesis Grade Book, and Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) upon hire although tradition learning structures certainly play a role in the learning life of teacher. We need to update the approach of Web 2.0 technologies, which can help our schools create structures for sustained complex and meaningful professional learning. Workshops on the use of SMART Boards, Video Streaming, E-folios and other topics will be offered on the basis of needs assessments distributed in September of each academic year. 3. The professional development opportunities and resources that exist for technical staff in Florence Township School District ready access to key personnel at Tel- Vue for Channel 19, Genesis for Grade Book and OnCourse for online lesson plans and teacher web pages in addition to attending sessions at the Burlington County Users Group as well as other goal specific training.

4. The ETTC of Burlington County provide assistive technologies workshops that staff members attend to dependent on their student population per academic year. The staff members are provided with specific instruction on using assistive technology to meet the needs the students in their classrooms. 5. Professional Development will be provided by the Florence Township School District to teachers on Cyber Safety during inservice days. The district will also provide informative sessions with students about Internet Safety. ETTC will provide on-going workshops to assist teachers in ways to integrate technology into the curriculum using the NJ Core Content Curriculum Standards. The District Professional Development Committee workshops will be provided in-house on Genesis Online Grading, OnCourse Lesson Plans, teacher web pages, SMART Boards, e-folios and other topics as needed to the teachers. The District Professional Development Committee as well as the school-based Professional Development Committees will work in unison to help create structures for sustained complex and meaningful professional learning. They will continue to research new and innovative uses of technology as well as creative funding for staff. In addition, the district will continue to survey the staff and students annually using web-based surveys to provide them with up-to-date technological training.

Three-Year Technology Plan Evaluation Narrative

1. The District is effective in integrating technology into curricula and instruction as evidenced by observation of classroom instruction, monitoring of teacher lesson plans and administrative/teacher collaboration on Professional Improvement Plans. Instead of relying solely on the expertise of others, teachers using Web 2.0 tools can synthesize what they have learned and distribute this expertise across the organization. For example, the district is looking into the construction of a Moodle for teachers to share their conference notes and ideas from Professional Learning opportunities with the entire learning organization. 2. The District enables the students to meet challenging state academic standards by updating the technology curriculum by researching and implementing innovative new technologies. most of our eighth grade students have achieved technology proficiency as evidenced by our students networked e-folios and by the Eighth Grade Literacy Standards implemented by the State.

3. The District will help the student develop life long learning skills in technology through the practical application in the classroom, quality lesson plans and adopting exemplary curricula standards in the district. 4. The District will continue to use surveys to monitor teacher and student achievement in technology and areas that need future professional development through the use of surveys.