Professional Documents
Culture Documents
7 School Technology http://www.jefferson. This site has all the schools technology
Plans k12.ky.us/Department plans of an entire county in one document.
s/DigitalTechnology/ It is very useful because it is uniform and
School_Technology_ consistent.. Each school in the county has
Plans.pdf the following information: Current
Technology, Goals, Funding, Budget,
Monitoring and Evaluation.
8 Planning for 21st http://www.thethinkin A 21st Century Tech Plan looks to bring
Century gstick.com/files/plann people and resources together. A system
Technologies in ing-for-21st-century- that allows all school stakeholders to log
Schools technologies.pdf on through a single system and access the
information they need when they need it. It
should allow stakeholders to communicate
more efficiently. By creating a network of
users, you allow them to connect to each
other, forming relationships that are natural
to students today.
9 http://www.nais.org/ This remarkable set of characteristics
Transforming Magazines- explains why computers, the Internet, and
Schools with Newsletters/ISMagazi the World Wide Web became pervasive so
ne/Pages/Transformin quickly and digital technology will
Technology
g-Schools-with- become even more remarkable as prices
Technology.aspx continue to drop, new capabilities become
feasible, and various media converge. The
proliferation of jargon (Internet II, HDTV,
Web 2.0, even Web 3.0) is confusing. What
is important is how digital tools actually
help schools meet key education goals. We
don't have to be out front on the cutting
or bleeding edge of technology. We
don't have to invent new learning skills for
the 21st century. We just need to keep
focused on our mission in education and be
aware of the many ways digital technology
can help us transform our schools into the
schools we say we want.
13 Using Systems Levin, B. L. (2013). This is a journal article that summarizes the
Thinking to Using Systems technology planning efforts of eight
Leverage Thinking to Leverage different school systems in America. It
Technology for Technology for includes results of focus groups, interviews
School School Improvement: with participants, observations and offers
Improvement: Lessons Learned helpful dos and donts based on lessons
Lessons Learned from Award-Winning learned. A literature review on
from Award- Secondary technology integration is also included in
Winning Schools/Districts. the article.
Secondary Journal Of Research
Schools/Districts. On Technology In
Education
(International Society
For Technology In
Education), 46(1), 29-
51
Pickens County Board of Education; Three Year Technology Plan; July 1, 2011 - June 30, 2015.
(2014, January 31). Retrieved February 15, 2015, from
http://www.pickens.k12.ga.us/PCTechnology Plan revised 1-31-14 sm.pdf
Goals:
Technology plan goals are measurable, but do not address all aspects of technology integration
systems including equipment and people. Although the Pickens County plan mentions various
technology resources that are available to teachers and students, the standard of allowing interactive
student involvement seems to be lacking. The goals stated on pages 11-14 of the PCSD plan mainly
address updates in classrooms, such as projectors and sound systems. The goals should have a more
in depth plan that utilizes online learning communities and interactive tools that allow students to be
engaged with technology, including technology based assessments that are routinely used throughout the
school year and not only for grade exit exams. (http://www.centerdigitaled.com/policy/National-Ed-
Tech-Goals-2015.html) .
Professional Development:
A general Professional development plan is outlined and includes technology resources to integrate
into curriculum. Pickens County has outlined that they will hold many collaborative learning
opportunities (meetings) for teachers and staff to share their strategies, results, observations, etc. related to
professional learning plan goals. In order for teachers to accomplish tasks and stay updated with the
constant evolution of technology, there must be concrete training in place on how to utilize technology
best for their classrooms. Too many times technology is thrown into a teachers classroom with the
expectation of her/him using it. However, they receive no training on the device.
Assessment plan for telecommunication service, hardware, or software needed is mentioned, but
lack the detail to build into an action plan. There should be a plan to implement the Childrens Internet
Protection Act (CIPA) in order to protect children from harmful and obscene images and potential online
predators. PCSD should have a plan in place that utilizes an acceptable internet filter such as those
described on the Georgia Department of Education website that enables a school to get an E-rate for
internet use for compliance with CIPA http://www.gadoe.org/Technology-
Services/Infrastructure/Pages/erate.aspx. CIPA is outlined on the Federal Communications Commissions
website: http://www.fcc.gov/guides/childrens-internet-protection-act.
ADA Accessibility:
There is no mention in the PCSD plan for providing access to students with disabilities. In order for
the PCSD plan to be current with Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), there should be a
detailed plan that provides for access and modification of educational curricula materials, including: large
print or braille, use of voice technology. For the purposes of a modern technology plan, an example could
be for PCSD to implement the Digital Accessible Information System (DAISY) that translates text to voice
for visually impaired students http://aem.cast.org/creating/daisy-and-nimas-in-html.html#.VN-GFObF-So.
Budget:
System has a small budget that is adequate for implementing technology and/or resources short
term, but has a weak plan of raising future funds. The current goals of the Pickens County Technology
plan are to place LCD projectors and 5 working computers in each classroom. The long-term financial
strategy clearly states where the funds for the projectors will come from, but fails to allocate any money
towards purchasing the 5 computers per classroom. Also, the funding is vague as to where it will come
from, stating that they will reach their goals with ESPLOST or other funds where applicable. A plan
needs to be in place for where these funds will come from as well as exactly how much is needed to
complete any set goals http://www.gadoe.org/Technology-Services/Infrastructure/Pages/default.aspx.
Ongoing Evaluation:
A comprehensive evaluation of technology use including infrastructure, staff use and student
satisfaction is planned on specific timeline. In order to evaluate the plan and have it remain fluid and
continuous, each school in the district has a technology committee, each school also has their own three-
year plan. All stakeholders, at the school level, have input of this school plan. One member from each
school committee serves on the district technology committee to develop extensive technology goals and
evaluations for these goals. From this venue is how the comprehensive district plan is developed. The
system plan is reviewed and revised yearly, by evaluating how technology is enhancing student learning as
well as improving student achievement. Major revisions to the district plan are then submitted to Georgia
DOE every three years.