School Technology Plan

School Technology Plan

School Technology Plan By: Kelly Rainwater ITEC 7410Fall 2013

Objective: Discuss the technology vision will drive the focus of technology use at Daniell Middle School Explain why this is the best direction for the school in the future Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats Describe the current reality of technology at our school Explain why the proposed plan and how it will be effective

Why is this the best direction for our school? Daniell Middle School strives to prepare students to be successful in high school and higher educationTechnology is the way for students to be successful in the 21st century work placeStudents will achieve higher order thinking skills and become more invested in their own learning Daniell Middle will create a shared vision for technologyThrough professional development, students will gain the skills and confidence to use technology regularly in the classroomTechnology use to create real-world situation through real-world applicationCreates an instructional environment that promotes engaged learning

Best direction cont. Creating a shared vision that focuses on the school, teachers and studentsUse procession development to practice using the technology in classroom to encourage successful usage (Potter and Rockinson-Szapkiw, 2012, p.23). Encourage collaboration between teachers to develop lesson plans that support the standards and digital age learningStudents will become more invested in their learning by being able to analyze and evaluate their work (Hopson and Snezek, 2001, p. 117) By creating a shared vision that focuses on supporting teachers and students, Daniell will achieve their focus of preparing students for high school success

Current Reality Data was gathered about the current reality at Daniell Middle School through a technology survey completed by the staffFocused on:General technology use Specific technology use Opinions and attitudes toward technology Areas of improvement and technical needs

StrengthsDaniell Middle School aligns with the Cobb County Technology Plan in order to be competitive with the other schools in the district Teachers are provided with many technology tools and feel comfortable using the basic technologies on a daily basisWord processor, projection screens, and internet search enginesThere is a shared agreement that technology is a growing trend that is here to stayDaniell has many computer labs that available and portable laptop cartsTeachers agree that technology is an important aspect to teach content standards

Weaknesses Technology at the school is often unavailable or the technology is not working properly Technology is not viewed as essential due to the fact that there is inconsistence with the amount of technology available for students outside of school There is not enough time to practice the new technology skills in order to successfully implemented into the classroomLack of support in the building to fix technology problems when they arise Students do not know how to use basic computer software programs

OpportunitiesIncorporate technology into the current Schools Strategic PlanIncorporate the increase in differentiation and flexible grouping through technology to support current goalsUse grants and Title II funds to help develop the skills to support the staff in learning the necessary skills and improve CRCT scores

Threats Teachers lack the skills necessary to use technology in a higher capacity Due to a lack of technology goals in the Schools Strategic Plan, there is not a set plan on how technology use can growA lack of unusable technology will frustrate teachers and make them not want to incorporate technology in the futureFamilies may not have access to technology in the home which causes teachers not to use it as much because everything must be completed at school Teachers are often unengaged during profession learning Many teachers do not know that technology standards exist

Why the proposed action will be successful Teachers will develop the skills necessary to use available technology effectively in the classroom and create a technology rich learning environmentThrough professional development that focus on implementing a technology rich learning environment A technology support system with mentor teachers Teachers use web based programs to promote the development of higher order thinking skills and problem solving abilities in connection with the Common Core/ GPS Professional development classes to support a more advance use of technology rather than drill and kill Teachers will collaborate to support implementation of web based programs

Cont. The school technology leaders and administration will create a technology committee to help create a shared vision for technology that support the schools strategic plan and enhance students learningConduct meetings once a month Develop a technology support systemObserve teacher implementing technology integrated strategies that support the schools strategic plan

I hope you found this presentation helpful and useful. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns regarding this technology plan.

Thank You!

Kelly Rainwater

References Hopson, M., Simms, R. and Knezek, G. (2002). Using a technology-enriched environment to improve higher-order thinking skills. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 34 (2), pp. 109--120.Potter, S. and Rockinson-Szapkiw, A. (2012). Technology integration for instructional improvement: The impact of professional development. Performance Improvement, 51 (2), pp. 22--27.School Technology Survey Daniell Middle School Strategic Plan