Executive Summary Located in the North Georgia community, there sits a quaint elementary school.

This school contains about 476 students Kindergarten-5th grade, as of the 2009-2010 report card found on the Georgia Department of Education website. This school, Apple Elementary (pseudonym to maintain privacy), is the home to one instructional technology specialist who wears many hats. Within this elementary school is highly qualified staffs that strive to accomplish the school and district mission and vision. The roles of the IT specialist are diverse and numerous; however, she has the support of excellent staff, administration, and district employees. Some of her roles include the following: technology specialist, safety team, classroom teacher, and intervention specialist (leads interventions and collects data). The technology within this school is abundant and emerging in its level of productivity with technology. This school has vast amounts of Apple products for students and teachers. In addition, the school contains the technology to produce a morning show that is aired daily to other students. The school also contains printers, tablet devices, and cameras for classroom integration and progress. (Appendix E) After speaking with the technology specialist and through interviews, it seems that overall goals for the school are know throughout the building. In addition to the state and district goals, there are several other hopes and goals for technology and the technology center at Apple Elementary. While the school is currently focusing on math as a major area of improvement for their students, they use technology to engage and teach math concepts to students. Apple Elementary strives to prepare students to be well equipped and competitive academically and cognitively, when graduating and embarking on a life-long career of learning. Another goal for this school includes Bring Your Own Technology so students and teachers could effectively incorporate technology within their daily learning. In addition, most agree that the technology needs to be updated to better accommodate faster, newer programs and operating systems. These goals and hopes all are in effort to make Apple Elementary proficient in technology and best benefit the students. (Appendix A) (Appendix B) Through interviews, observations, and virtual surveys, data was collected that provided a clear understanding of the centers activities. This school incorporates

technology daily. Evidence proves that teachers do a sensational job using the SMART Board and using engaging websites to promote and facilitate active learning to meet various learners needs. Within the technology center, one can find a SMART Board and desktop computers for student use as well. The technology center has numerous computers, two printers, and, of course, the SMART Board. This center can be used for typing instruction, teacher guided lessons (by the homeroom teacher and/or technology specialist), extension/remediation, interventions, trainings, and more! In addition to this area, the school has a separate room for the daily broadcasting show. This room contains the equipment to produce the daily show lead by 5th graders. As one can see, technology is available in many forms at this elementary school. (Appendix A) (Appendix B) (Appendix C) (Appendix D) (Appendix E) After days of research and virtual surveys, one can see the areas of success and the areas of improvement at Apple Elementary. This school strives to incorporate technology daily by using the SMART Board, either by using online games, SMART Board Notebooks, or attending the technology center for another engaging lesson using technology. The technology available at this school is rich. Based on observation and interviews, it is evident that this school is certainly emerging in its use of technology to prepare learners now and for the future. (Appendix A) (Appendix B) (Appendix C) From the research, the areas of improvement include updating technology, troubleshooting classes/materials, and restructuring computer and computer lab organization/access. After observation and discussion, it seems as if the technology needs to be updated to better-run newer operating systems and programs. Also based on observation and interviews, troubleshooting classes and or materials would be helpful for both the technology specialist and classroom teachers. These materials and/or trainings would benefit all teachers and hopefully foster more self-confidence when incorporating technology within the classroom. In addition to modern technology and troubleshooting lessons, the current computers are limited in the ways they can be used because of a stringent filtering system on the Internet within the school. Even typical educational Web 2.0 tools are blocked with this filtering system. This often discourages teachers from investigating and incorporating unique forms of technology integration.

With improvement in these areas and unceasing integration of technology, Apple Elementary will continue to develop young minds for the competitive world that includes ever-changing technology. With the every changing technology and advancement, it remains hopeful that the technology goals will be reached at Apple Elementary.

Organizational Chart https://bubbl.us/?h=cc5c6/329c0a/839KrixDa4DDM

Center Context and Goals

Apple Elementary has been in the North Georgia area since 2002. This district now has three elementary schools. The staff and community pride itself in providing high quality instruction to meet student needs academically, emotionally, physically, and behaviorally. In addition, Apple Elementary is developing and revising its school improvement plan. Teachers and administration are working together to make the plan effective, efficient, and positive to continue to meet all student needs. The schools current area of need is in mathematics, according to state testing. Therefore, for the 20132014 school year, this has become a top priority. Faculty continues to use technology to engage and teach students math standards to become more successful learners. Two years ago they updated their technology to include SMART Boards in each classroom. In addition to SMART Boards each classroom has Apple Computers. Teachers have their personal MacBooks. There are also MacBook laptop carts, Ipads, and Ipod Touchs to be borrowed for student use. As one may be able to see, the push for technology is evident in the school. The mission and vision of the school and district is effective and concise. The vision is: to be an exemplary school district, with outstanding staff, that prepares students to compete globally. Simply stated, this vision is preparing students for the future. The future includes technology. The mission of the school and district is: to provide quality instruction that results in achievement for all. The technology specialist and the technology center have a few goals and needs. The technology specialist and other faculty would like to see updated technology because, due to some of the Apple updates, some of the current computers cannot accommodate for the newer software. The technology specialist would also like to see technology being implemented in the classroom more so than it already is. She would also like to see a technology contract to be developed for each students as well as a future implementation of Bring Your Own Technology. Although she states that BYOT may be a goal accomplished in the very distant future. The district has stated that new computers should be coming, and teachers are looking forward to this update. The school, technology center, and district seem to be well on their way in demonstrating exemplary use of technology. The faculty and stakeholders at Apple Elementary are distinguished and knowledgeable of technology. The stakeholders of this elementary school include the

following: students, faculty, administration, and parents. The roles of each stakeholder are important and needed to make Apple Elementary successful and competitive. The technology specialist has many roles at Apple Elementary. She is a technology center teacher, math teacher to 5th graders, part of the safety team, intervention teacher, technology troubleshooter, morning show supervisor, and assistant in creating the school improvement plan. The administration also plays a big part in the technology implementation at the school. They too develop the school improvement plan, oversee the use of technology, assist and collaborate in locating technology, drive professional development seminars, approve the use of various forms of technology, and supervise the positive use of technology. Not only to they do an excellent job of ensuring the importance and use of technology at Apple Elementary, they also must maintain the traditional roles of administration. Outside of Apple Elementary there are a few other key roles that impact the technology. The district also has one employee who oversees the use of technology within all schools in the district, and she also researches and purchases technology. She is furthermore known as the go-to for technology concerns. There is also another district employee whose home office is in a local middle school. She is known as the district IT and helps faculty when there are major hardware/troubleshooting concerns that cannot be resolved from within. All of the roles combined are helping to make this district competitive in a technology driven society. According to the school technology specialist and observations, Apple Elementarys technology center is emerging. If the technology specialist compared this school to others in the district, she feels as if their school is proficient in the use of technology. Teachers successfully integrate technology across the curriculum and it is used proactively daily. Based on outside observation, this technology center is emerging. While this technology center shows very positive traits, there is always room for improvement just as in all things in life. Technology is always changing; therefore, technology centers also have to be constantly changing as well. (Appendix A) (Appendix B) (Appendix C) (Appendix D) Methods

For this evaluation, I utilized several methods of evaluation. I sent a survey to faculty members, interviewed the technology specialist, observed, and investigated the school and districts websites. Through the use of the Google survey, I was able to virtually interview several faculty members to get an understanding of their perspective of the technology center including an understanding of how they use technology in their classrooms (Appendix A). The interview with the technology specialist provided me with the opportunity to ask her questions required for the assignments for the practicum experience as well to grasp a full understanding of her role, the technology center, and her feelings of the technology center (Appendix B). My observational notes gave me insight into how technology was implemented within the school (Appendix C). In addition, the district and county websites show the countys mission statement and ways the integrate technology into the school (Appendix D).

Center Activities The technology center at Apple Elementary is busy throughout the day with various teachers entering and teaching, students being progress monitored, students practicing typing, students learning via technology integration, and more. The technology center targets students K-5 and provides lessons meeting technology and academic based standards. The students utilize some research-based programs for progress monitoring as well as programs for additional practice (i.e. typing programs, IXL, Mind Mapping software, etc.). The purpose of the facility is to foster instructional learning by integrating technology through the use of Mac Desktops, online websites (Web 2.0 Tools), printers, software, and the SMART Board. In addition, to this technology center, the school has a small recording studio as well. This area is within the media center and contains recording equipment (video cameras, production equipment, news broadcasting backgrounds, and microphones). In this area, the students (5th graders) write, broadcast, and produce the daily morning show to the school. (Appendix E)

Evaluation Apple Elementary was a welcoming school that provided me with the wonderful opportunity to observe, inquire, and present. The small town feel of this school is

evident and the examples of growing technologies are many. Students, teachers, and administration seem to enjoy technology and integrate it well into the curriculum. Technology roles weigh heavily on all faculty members; however, the technology specialist wears numerous hats in her job. Comparing and contrasting this districts use of a technology specialist and that of the surrounding countys is interesting. Within this school, the technology specialist is a general education teacher, computer lab teacher, new technology researcher, troubleshooter, monitor of technological materials, assessment monitor, intervention teacher, and a member of the safety team. Within a neighboring county, the instructional technology specialist does not serve as a general education teacher for any subjects nor does he/she typically assess students for other teachers on a daily/weekly basis. The difference in the same role is interesting. Either way, all the teachers in this role do a fantastic job meeting the needs of the school and their students. As one reflects over the organization chart (see above), one can see that the responsibilities of the technology specialist is abundant; however, the technology center at Apple Elementary contains vast amounts of expensive technology to use, research to conduct, and equipment to maintain. The chart is evidence of the current technologies the students are operating on a daily/weekly basis. The students have access to the multipurpose technology lab (with Mac Desktops, printers, and a SMART Board), SMART Board each classroom, Mac Desktops in each classroom, Ipads, cameras, etc. In addition, they have access to wonderful academically based programs both online and offline in order to integrate technology into the curriculum and help students improve academic skills to meet standards. The students are very fortunate to have access to all the materials identified in the organizational chart and the leadership of those identified in the chart. The leadership and technologies provided to the students of Apple Elementary enable them to begin meeting the mission and vision for the school and district. The vision of the district is to be an exemplary school district, with outstanding staff, that prepares students to compete globally. The mission of the school and district is: to provide quality instruction that results in achievement for all. After spending time observing and researching the school, it is evident that students are progressing toward the district and schools mission and vision. The use of technology is preparing students

to compete globally and providing them with quality instruction. Currently a major goal for the school is regarding math improvement. As observations occurred, it was obvious that this continues to be a goal and the integration of technology with this content area was suburb. Based on interviews and observations (Appendix A), this school is emerging regarding technology; however, similar to all things, there is room for improvement. After reviewing the organizational chart and instructional technology specialist interviews, it seems that more training could be provided to teachers regarding technologies and troubleshooting techniques. Through observation, interviews, and participation (Appendix A), the desktops need to be replaced with more current technology so newer programs and software could be accessed within the technology center. For example, the technology specialist is researching new typing programs to purchase; however, she has to be careful to select a program that can run within their older operating systems. In addition, the secure filtering system should be reanalyzed to better meet the needs of teachers and students. Unfortunately many wonderful academically based websites are blocked due to this filtering system. Overall, trainings need to be provided to the instructional technology specialist and staff, technology needs to be updated, and the filtering system needs to be readdressed. That being said, this technology center and the technology usage is admirable. These students are well on their way to be competitive members of society and use technology to grow and learn. This environment was a privilege to evaluate and could be used as an excellent example to other schools and districts.

Appendix A

Appendix B Interview Interviewee: Courtney S Interviewer: Andrea Shelnutt Date: 9/9/13 Procedure/Location: This interview was conducted in a quiet classroom in a one on one setting. This interview was fairly informal and adhered to the information applicable to the school and to the assignment. It was conducted in a traditional, face-to-face format.

Questions: Q1. Please describe your position. A1: Courtney S discussed her many hats as a technology specialist at Apple Elementary. She revealed that she has many responsibilities at this school such as: 5th grade math teacher, response to intervention teacher, testing administrator, safety monitor, computer lab facilitator and teacher, technology trainer, inventory maintainer, website keeper/updater, computer lab scheduler. morning show supervisor., and the assistant creator of school improvement plan. Q2: Whom do you answer to regarding technology and teaching? A2: Courtney S said that she answers to her administrators, principal and assistant principal. She also answers to the county lead IT specialist. This teachers home office is at a local middle school. If Courtney cannot fix some of the troubleshooting issues (such as failures with the hardware of the computer), she contacts this IT specialist, Karen W. Karen W ultimately answers to the IT specialist and director at the county office, Carol H. Carol is also in charge of purchasing as well. Q3: What type of training do they provide prior to the beginning of the school year? A3: Courtney S said that they do not provide training regarding troubleshooting techniques. She learned through experience and the teacher before her left binders and documents of information, passwords, and strategies. If there are issues that cannot be fixed by her, she will contact the board of education to address the hardware issues that she cannot resolve. Q4: What type of software/programs does your school utilize?

A4: Some of the programs that the students use include the following: RAZ kids, Read Naturally, IXL, Flowcabulary, XtraMath, I Keep Bookmarks, Mastery Connect, Power School, and SpongeBob typing. Q5: What is the history and mission of Apple Elementarys technology center? A5: Within the past two years, there has been a significant push for the development of technology at Apple Elementary. Due to finances, the schools within the district have not developed to the extent of surrounding communities. According to Courtney, Apple Elementarys technology center is proficient; however, the district is still emerging technologically. At Apple Elementary teachers integrate technology across the curriculum. The school is still developing a school improvement plan. The administration and others, including Courtney, are developing their plan. Currently, math improvement is a priority for Apple Elementary more so than technology. The plan to improve math scores does incorporate technology to reinforce learning. The mission of the district and school states: Pursuing Excellence for All. One of the commitments stated in the mission and vision is: Integrating current and emerging technologies to compete in the 21st century. Q6: What types of activities occur in the technology center? A6: Teachers sign up for the technology center so their students can utilize the equipment. Courtney maintains the schedule and helps develop lesson plans for teachers when their students are using the center. In addition, the technology center is used for response to intervention time in the morning for students to participate in the Read Naturally program. Throughout the day, teachers will come into the technology room and use the Mac Desktops, printers, and SmartBoard to teach standards-based lessons. In addition, trainings will sometimes occur in the technology center as well. Q7: How do teachers integrate technology into the classroom? A7: Teachers use their SMART Boards on a daily basis as well as have access to Ipads, MacBooks, and Ipod Touches. The teachers plan lessons using the SMART Board engages students using interactive games, Notebooks (flipcharts), and videos. Technology is used more so in the 3-5 environment. Q8: How could the technology center improve? A8: According to Courtney, troubleshooting trainings would be helpful. The goal is to one-day get to a level of comfort with technology so that they can implement Bring Your Own Technology. However, Courtney does not believe this will be something that is implemented for a few years.

Appendix C Students use technology for a morning show. Technology used as an intervention. Is technology used within the subject areas? Yes. Encourages student engagement. Yes. Online and software programs are used as intervention strategies. Yes. The SmartBoard and desktop computers were used to teach students about the distributive, associative, and commutative properties. Yes. Students participate in IXL that target grade level math standards. Yes. Students used a typing program to practice typing fluency. Yes. Teachers are always using the SmartBoard, student computers, laptops, etc. Yes. Teachers sign up to reserve the technology specialist teach the class or for the homeroom teacher to use with her students independently. Yes. Yes. She trouble shoots, maintains technology center reservation form, maintains inventory of computers/technology, teaches technology classes, teaches an intervention class, teaches a 5th grade math class, assesses students, investigates new technology, and helps develop the school improvement plan. Yes.

Is technology used within the technology center in a way that meets state standards? Is technology used within the technology center in a way that helps students develop technological skills used in daily living? Upon observation, do most teachers use technology within their classrooms? Is there an organizational system for the technology center?

Does the technology specialist troubleshoot technology issues? Does the technology specialist maintain numerous roles?

Are students excited about using technology? Are students knowledgeable of Yes. technology? Are teachers knowledgeable of technology? Yes.

Appendix D District Website Evaluation No. Yes. No. No. No. No. No.

Is the technology policy listed/developed? Is the mission statement listed? Is a school/district improvement plan stated? Are goals listed? Is technology mentioned in depth? Does the school/district implement Bring Your Own Technology? Is there evidence of technology being used in the classroom?

Is the technology policy listed/developed? Is the mission statement listed? Is a school/district improvement plan stated? Are goals listed? Is technology mentioned in depth? Does the school/district implement Bring Your Own Technology? Is there evidence of technology being used in the classroom?

School Website Evaluation No. Yes. Yes. Improvement plan includes math, social, and emotional plan. Yes, within the improvement plan. No. No. No.

Appendix E

Technology Center

Morning Broadcasting Technology and Equipment

SMART Board Integration within the Classroom

Monthly Report The monthly report, including pictures and student examples, may be found on the following website as well. https://voicethread.com/share/5106794/ On a regular basis, the technology teacher has a sign up sheet for her computer center. The teachers are encouraged to sign up a week (if the teacher plans to teach independently) or two weeks in advance (if the teacher would like the technology specialist to plan and teach the lesson). They use IXL, SpongeBob Typing, Read Naturally, and various other computer games throughout the day. September: Trainings have been provided on USATest Prep and Mastery Connect. Trainings have also been provided on ways to integrate technology into the curriculum. Students have also participated in a Civil War reenactment where video cameras and digital tools were utilized to document the activities. Daily the Apple Elementary news is produced, directed, and presented by fifth grade students. In PE, they did an endurance test. The kids would step/leap on different pads. The pads monitor their time, endurance, etc. The data goes to a spreadsheet. There was a school wide Sport Jam. At 10 AM, the whole school participated in an activity to beat a world record of the most students jamming at the same time across the nation. This was broadcasted over the entire school. October: Throughout the month of October, the school was busy with SST meetings and conferences; however, the school did have trainings on new computers. In addition, the daily news continued each day. After training on USATest Prep and Mastery Connect, these programs began to be used more frequently. The technology specialist and another teacher are going to a USATest Prep training. In October, there were half-day professional developments. Each grade level discussed how to incorporate technology into the curriculum. The fifth grade team will be doing a World War II reenactment. The students will be videoing it. The students will be able to access it via the server. A portion of it will be played on daily news show.

November: The school continues to utilize technology in the classroom by using SMART Board technology, USATest Prep technology, and incorporating technology and other programs within the curriculum/classroom.