District Technology Training Plan

District Technology Training Plan Miami-Dade County Public Schools Mandy Baerman University of Maryland University College

District Technology Training Plan

Miami Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) is the fourth largest school district in the United States and is comprised of almost 400 schools. The district is located in Southern Florida and spans across 2,000 miles and includes 47.5 million square feet of facilities. The district has over 350,000 students from pre-K to adults. Of the student population, 67% is Hispanic, 23% is Black, 8% is White (Non-Hispanic), and 2% is American Indian and Asian. The primary first languages of students is Spanish, with Haitian Creole and Brazilian Portuguese as other prevalent first languages. M-DCPS is the second-largest minority-majority public school system in the country. Students in this district represent 160 countries and speak 56 different languages. Currently, 56% of Miami-Dade students speak Spanish at home. Problems Immediate concerns for the Miami Dade County Public School District include the need for district-wide network upgrading, bilingual teacher training, and technology tools training for district teachers. M-DCPSs network requires an overhaul, and wireless connectivity is needed throughout the districts 400 schools. In the past 5 years, the district has added 68 new schools, but IT personnel has remained the same, which means there is a lot more usage, and not as many specialists to help and train our teachers and students. Currently, bandwidth is 1 gigabit per second, but with the emergence of a new Florida law, 10 gigabits per second is the desired and necessary bandwidth. This increased bandwidth will allow for more technology to be utilized in the classroom by teachers and students. As explained by eduweek.orgs Denise Atkinson-Shorey,

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If the capacity for data transmission is too low at any step along the way, the connection speed suffers no matter how much a single user invests in making bandwidth available at the network gateway end (2012). With such a large school district, there are thousands of network users at any given time who may be doing research, downloading information or watching videos. More bandwidth allows for shorter download times and offers a greater ability to support multiple teachers and students to connect to online sessions. Technology isnt a given in the homes of Miami-Dade students. Statistics show that about 73% of Miami-Dade students are poor; qualifying for free or reduced lunches. A district survey revealed that only a quarter of all students possess a technology device that meets the conditions set forth by Miami Dade district technology specialist. Because of this, many of the students throughout the district arent familiar with tablets, laptops and other technology devices that may be available for use in the classrooms. Our teachers must have a mastery of the technology tools in order to better familiarize our students with them. Technology devices cannot enhance learning if they are not utilized correctly.

The influx of immigrants to the Miami area continues to increase each year. Data shows that one in every five Miami-Dade county students is foreign born. As school board member Carlos Curbelo reported, 1,000 new immigrant students enter the school district each month, adding 11,000 new students per year at a cost of $2,000 per student than those that already live in the county. Of that additional $2,000 per student, $1,500 is for English for Speakers of Other Languages courses (Miami Herald, 2011). Roughly 48% of teachers in the district are bilingual, and with these staggering increases in foreign language speaking students, even more are needed. Though the new immigrant students are in an English-speaking school, being

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assigned to a teacher who can communicate and teach them in both their native language and in English is necessary if they are to succeed. Many of the immigrant students in Floridas M-DCPS have immigrant parents that do not speak English fluently. In our state, its even more of a concern because so many immigrants (predominantly Haitian and Hispanic) come into the system already at a disadvantage, with no English learning taking place at home. Mary Avalos, of eduweek.org explains the concerns saying, Its sad because they dont know how the language develops. She continues with, Theyre known as generation 1.5, where they end up not being proficient in either language. Children whose parents dont know English and whose first language isnt English must switch back and forth between the two languages while at school and at home. Teachers may be the only English-speaking person that they are in contact with during the day.

Avalos emphasizes the struggles faced by those new to both the US and Miami-Dades school system saying, The faults of the national system are clear as 20 percent of people born out of the country drop out of high school, according to a 2007 report in the National Center for Education Statistics. To decrease those statistics, and to accommodate the ever increasing number of immigrants to Miami-Dade Countys Public School District, teachers should have access to language training, at the very least for the Spanish language, but preferably for Creole and Brazilian Portuguese as well. Needs The Districts Convergence Plan means that students will have access to devices and can utilize them both in and out of the classroom. Teachers will also have a device in every classroom. With this new technology available, they can create lessons and learning

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opportunities to enhance their students schooling experience. When speaking with teachers at several Miami-Dade schools, they expressed a need for additional technology training. It seems that presently, the focus and monies are dedicated to the actual devices, and not the training which should accompany the procurement of new devices. In addition, teachers are greatly in need of an instructional management system. This type of system would provide assessment tools, gradebooks, presentation capabilities and a data warehouse. The needs assessment also found that, while there is an inventory of instructional technology for teachers, it is inconsistent and guidelines do not exist for district or school-wide trainings for this technology. Teachers find it difficult to obtain these trainings. Many teachers also explained that they arent familiar with M-DCPSs newly acquired Apple devices. They expressed an interest in learning how to best incorporate those devices and applications into their lesson planning. Several emphasized that having all of this new technology doesnt matter if its not being utilized correctly, and pointed out departments within their schools which have stacks of new iPads which are sitting in a closet. Said first grade teacher Miss Sara Gibbler regarding the new iPads, Teachers arent comfortable using the devices because they havent had proper training on the applications and software. We just dont feel confident in our proficiency of the iPad. The needs assessment also found that English as a primary language teachers would like to have access to district-provided bilingual training opportunities. Because more than half of Miami-Dade districts students speak Spanish at home, the need for Spanish training among Miami-Dade educators is imperative. Teachers expressed an interest in having access to online language training programs, such as Rosetta Stone, to enable them to study and learn at their convenience.

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Needs Assessment Survey Details: Teachers participated from these district schools--Ruth K. Broad K-8 Center/Miami Beach Senior High School/Mater Beach Academy Charter Schools In order of importance the teachers expressed a need for: 1- Learning management system for teachers 2-Bilingual training for teachers 3-Bilingual training materials & software 4-Associated devices for bilingual training 5-access to instructor(s) for bilingual training troubles 6-Training associated with learning management system 7-Software & materials for learning management systems 8-Additional technology specialists for district 9-Workshops and trainings during in-service days 10-iPad assistive technology These needs above have been addressed within the DTTP and in the week-long district training workshop. Audience The audience includes all teachers within the Miami-Dade school district. The training targets both new and experienced teachers and can be used with core subjects, arts, physical education and special education classes. Teachers aides and classroom volunteers and PTA board members could also benefit from this workshop training. The technology that will be presented is not grade or age specific; it is beneficial to elementary, middle and high school teachers and will help streamline their lesson planning, grading and enhance their teaching and language skills. During the break-out sessions, subject-specific details will be addressed and teachers will be placed into groups based upon their school and grade.

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IPad and learning management systems arent age or grade specific and can be utilized while in the classroom as well as accessed outside of school from their own tablet or mobile devices. Having access at any time enables teachers to grade papers, post assignments and access projects from anywhere, at any time. This convenience will trim down the time a teacher typically spends on these activities. This will also streamline their lesson planning, project creation and presentations. Spanish-speakers and non-Spanish speakers will participate in fluency-appropriate courses and activities to strengthen their language knowledge. Rosetta Stone internet software allows for different levels of language fluency and can adjust its activities and quizzes based upon the learners proficiency. Purpose The purpose of this District Technology Training Plan is to provide the most current training and resources for the districts teachers. With this training, teachers can provide more opportunity and create more advantageous and individualized learning for their students. My DTTP consists of basic Spanish language training, subject-specific training for Spanish speaking teachers, iPad training and Haiku Learning Management system training. Haiku Learning is a cloud-based learning management system which allows teachers to organize their saved content, create classroom pages, consolidate student assignments and annotate and grade homework. It also offers WikiProjects for students and enables the teacher to map all of the classroom assignments and activities to common core standards. It is available through an iPad application and can be accessed through mobile devices as well.

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The workshop schedule will include these courses: Apple TV and iPad Lessons in the Classroom-Focusing on utilizing both technologies together to enhance learning iPad Interactive Writing, eBooks and Video Creation-instruction on apps and software to create interactive books, writing tools, journals and presentation videos IPad As Assistive Technology-Presentation of apps which can be used by students who require assistive technology. Haiku Learning Management System- Instruction on classroom management system Haiku Learning: iPad and Mobile Management-Utilizing this system with mobile and tablet devices Haiku Content and Creation Sharing-Focuses on Haikus trademarked LMI and Embed the Web capabilities How To Organize Your Learning Management Classroom-Best practices, setup and creation of classroom management system Basic Spanish For Non-Spanish Speakers-Courtesy of district Spanish language teachers and Rosetta Stone software How-To Guide for English Language Learners in Elementary & Secondary Schools-Details transition from foreign language to English and discusses transitional assistance Subject-Specific Strategies for Developing Vocabulary-Strategies to help English Learners develop vocabulary.

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Technical Assistance Instruction-Assistance with iPad instruction and Haiku Learning Management System

Common Grammatical Mistakes that Spanish Speakers Make in EnglishAssistance with problems and mistakes that English learning students may encounter

What Does the English Language Learner Look Like? Details and information on incoming English Learner students and how to assist them

Utilizing Language Apps on the iPad-How-to with several language related iPad apps

The workshop includes several sessions which focus on designing and creating each teachers individual classroom Haiku. The content creation session focuses on Haikus trademarked LMI and Embed the Web features. Other sessions teach us about taking advantage of the features offered with Haiku and allow teachers the chance to learn how to use them. A basic Spanish language training course will be offered to all non-Spanish speaking teachers. Teachers are broken into groups based upon fluency levels and are taught accordingly. For teachers who are already fluent, there are subject-specific lesson planning courses to attend. Courses will be taught by district Spanish language teachers. The online language program, Rosetta Stone will also be utilized, so that teachers are able to continue their Spanish language training long after they attend the workshop. The workshop will teach them how to utilize the teacher-based version and engage in activities related to the program and its iPad and mobile device app.

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Many online materials and videos will be utilized, but cannot be embedded in this paper copy of my DTTP. Rosetta Stone offers a virtual language lab webinar which explains the Rosetta Stone for Educators software which will be utilized. To view, click: Rosetta Stone Webinar Haiku Learnings website offers a get started video which explains their Learning Management System. It can be accessed at: Haiku Learning Intro Video The iPad offers so many assistive technology applications, that many of the previously relied upon devices are no longer necessary. To view iPads assistive technology, click on this link: iPad AT. Table 1. Workshop Details-DTTP
Day 1-Monday Day 2-Tuesday Day 3- Wednesday Day 4-Thursday Day 5-Friday

Basic Spanish for NonBasic Spanish for Non- Basic Spanish for Non-Spanish Basic Spanish for NonSpanish 8:30-10:00 Spanish Speakers/Break Speakers/Subject content Spanish Speakers/Break into speakers/Native and Basic Spanish Cont'd into Fluency Groups ideas for Spanish Speakers Groups Based on Fluency Non-Native Speaker Groups 10:00-10:30 Break Break Break Break Break Common Grammatical Mistakes That Native Spanish Speakers make in English Lunch

Apple TV & iPad in the 10:30-12:00 Classroom/Advanced iPad Learning

Haiku Learning Management System Haiku Learning: iPad & mobile management

How-To Guide for English Language Learners in Elementary & Secondary

Subject-specific Spanish lesson planning

12:00-1:00

Lunch

Lunch

Lunch Subject-Specific Strategies for Developing Vocabulary for English Language Learners

Lunch

iPad Interactive Writing, 1:00-2:30 eBooks and Video Creation

Haiku Content Creation & Sharing

Rosetta Stone Intro

What does the English language learner look like? Utilizing Language Apps on the iPad

Technical Assistance 2:30-4:00iPad as Assistive Technology How to Organize Your Haiku LM Classes Instruction/Bilingual Teachers Workshop

Rosetta Stone Intro Cont'd

4:00-4:30

Technical Questions Break Out Training Sessions by subject/Daily Workshop Review

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Field Test A mini-version of the workshop will be presented to a small sampling of district teachers. They will participate in each of the workshop courses and activities. At the end of each course, while the information is fresh in their minds, we will submit a questionnaire to collect their thoughts, comments and concerns. The test run course will allow us to work all of the bugs out of the program and to make changes based upon the sample size courses feedback and ideas. Putting the paper ideas into a real-life course will also help us focus on missed details, forgotten tools and handouts and to learn the setup and necessary items required for the course. Revisions The feedback from the sample sized workshop dry run will be crucial in my course revisions. Based upon their likes, dislikes and concerns, I will be able to tailor the course to meet their needs. It is imperative to get as much feedback as possible and to make sure each of their voices are heard. Sometimes a disinterested third party notices details and problems that the planners fail to see. Asking for not only their feedback, but their suggestions for improvement will allow me to make changes that will benefit the districts technology training workshop. Evaluations Surveys will be collected at the course end to gather data and feedback about each session. The comments and concerns will be reviewed and will aid in revisions that I will make in future technology training workshops. Each attendee will also complete an end of course quiz, to gauge their understanding of the materials and their grasp on the new technology. This will help me to determine which training sessions were helpful and which werent necessary.

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I will also enlist a fellow District Technology specialist from another school district to act as a mole for my workshop. She will attend each class and note the positives and negatives and will provide feedback at the course end. She can blend in and listen to teacher discussions that may not be shared in an end of course survey. Her professional point of view and suggestions will also aid in compiling my course after action report and in revisions I will make to future courses. Ensuring that each session of the workshop is videotaped for review is another way that I can evaluate the performance of the workshop instructors and to gain feedback and details on the overall value of the workshop training sessions. Summative Evaluation Introducing the iPad for the classroom, the learning management system and Spanish language training through Rosetta Stone will enhance the technology skills of our teachers, and enable them to better understand their students needs. The implementation of these technology tools are necessary to stay current with todays technology. Language training is imperative within this district, where immigrants are arriving at steady pace and becoming students in our district. This training will enable us to prepare our students for the ever changing technology that they will encounter in their future careers. Introducing these necessary technology tools and evaluating the value of the workshops that are provided will allow us to improve the courses and workshops and tailor them to the needs of the teachers within the Miami-Dade County Public School District.

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Budget At $40.00 per hour, the instruction alone will cost $1600.00. That includes the technical questions breakout sessions at the end of each day. The Haiku Learning management system offers a free single teacher activation which covers up to 75 students. Additional resources can be accessed at a cost of $30.00 per month. Their district pricing is $4-5 per student per year. Rosetta Stone for Faculty pricing includes unlimited use, and allows the district to own the materials. With educational discounts, the cost for 200 units is $11, 300. The apps and associated materials are included in that cost as well. The workshop will take place at a district school, so there would be no additional venue cost. A reasonable stipend will be paid to each teacher for their participation. The speakers and instructors are district teachers and instructors, so no additional costs will be incurred for presenters. Follow-Up Although the DTTP training workshop will only be offered once a year, we will also offer online resources to stay current with any updates that the iPad, Haiku Learning Management System or Rosetta Stone might have. Each semester, we will also provide links to follow-up training videos related to the workshop content. Each schools technology specialist will also be tasked with offering continuing education associated with the new technology integration instruction. I would like to visit schools within the district and attend in-service teacher trainings to be present if there are additional questions or troubleshooting necessary post-workshop.

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Meeting quarterly with fellow District Technology Specialists could also prove to be helpful in providing a sounding board for new technology implementation tools. We could discuss individual training ideas and talk through problems and concerns with the new software and devices.

District Technology Training Plan

References Haiku Learning. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.haikulearning.com/features/standards-based-learning-management-system Miami Dade County Public Schools Wiki (2013). Student enrollment. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miami-Dade_County_Public_Schools Miami Dade County Public Schools website retrieved from http://www.dadeschools.net/ Miami Dade County Public Schools. (2012). District Plan. Retrieved from http://its.dadeschools.net/pdf/Appendices%20IT%20Strategic%20Plan.pdf Smiley, D. (2013). High Immigration Costing Miami-Dade Schools $22 Million More Per Year. Miami Herald. Retrieved from http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/03/09/3276809_report-immigration-costs-miami.html Editorial Projects in Education (2013). Bandwidth demands rise as schools move to common core. http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2012/10/17/01bandwidth.h06.html Rubi, D. (2012). News reporting and the internet. Bilingual programs fill language gaps in Miami schools. Retrieved from http://students.com.miami.edu/netreporting/?page_id=1289

Rosetta Stone. (2013). Supporting professional development through language learning. Retrieved from http://www.rosettastone.com/k12/professionaldevelopment