E-Rate and Technology Plan Overview

RRISD Technology: Where Are We Headed?

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National Educational Technology Plan review

The National Educational Technology Plan (http://www.ed.gov/technology/netp-2010 ) calls for revolutionary change to our education system. Specifically, the plan calls for all students to have personalized, engaging learning experiences using technology tools. Additionally, teachers are to be connected, collaborating online rather than isolated in one classroom. The plan also addresses assessments, and discusses the need to use available data to monitor strengths and weaknesses. A reliable infrastructure is necessary to enable learning experiences to occur around the clock, not just during the traditional school day. Another goal set out in the plan is to transform administrative processes to take full advantage of the available technologies. To begin working towards these goals quickly, the Department of Education can turn to the corporate world and research agencies and use some of their findings and strategies in the education sector.

One of the main concerns noted in the plan is planned budget cuts. It takes money to change the face of education, and as districts are being forced to cut back, an already daunting task seems nearly unfeasible. Another concern is the need to change the practice of creating equal-sized classes that last for an entire school year with all students learning the same material at the same place. The daunting goal here is that students would direct their own learning at their own pace, with the teacher facilitating. I fully agree with the ideas set forth, but am still cautiously curious to see how quickly we are able to implement the needed changes.

District Technology Plan

Round Rock Independent School District (RRISD) would like to create learning environments and access to technology that will enable students to gain the skills and knowledge they need to be leaders in today's global economy. RRISD would also like to improve administratively by using technology to increase efficiencies and improve safety and communication. To achieve this, RRISD has developed a long range technology plan.

One main goal of the plan is to improve student achievement by providing students opportunities to work collaboratively with technology tools. The plan also aims to provide students with more computer access by giving more laptops and desktop computers to the schools, including enough computers for each teacher to have their own. To keep technology up to date, the hope is to refresh the technology every five years, utilizing a bar code system. A major component of the plan is providing professional development for staff, mainly by developing online trainings. Lastly, the district's plan emphasizes maintaining the strong infrastructure in place.

Major emphasis is being placed on adequate professional development. In fact, one of the goals is to allocate at least 30% of the technology budget to ongoing professional development. The curriculum specialists and technology integration specialists are the main leaders of professional development, and five additional staff members were added to help with the demands placed on these individuals. Just in time professional development is the main type of training offered, where teachers can log on to a web portal and take classes or trainings based on individual needs. Teachers are also being encouraged to take part in statewide technology trainings and the Master Technology Teacher program. A tool has also been developed for sharing ideas and accessing databases online.

A district advisory committe was created to ensure are all infrastructure components are up to date and serving their intended function. Additionally, the district is working with outside entities to provide up to date infrastructure tools.

RRISD has allotted $2,479,000.00 over the years 2008-2010 to achieve their technology goals. Some of the funds are NCLB and E-Rate, but other funds are from technology allotment funds and local funds and even bonds. The source for $246,000 budgeted in 2010 for new equipment is unknown at this time. Unfortunately, the district has also learned they will be losing even more funding than they had originally thought, so it is possible the budget may have to be cut if the projected funds are not available.

A formal review will be conducted semi-annually and a report will be given to the school board once per year. Additionally, information will be gathered from STAR chart results, integration technology specialists, and information service department employees. Various reports will also be produced from the professional development tracking system, the budget reporting system, and the work order system. All of this information will be used to monitor progress and make changes as needed to ensure the district meets their technology goals.

Technology Assessments

Any good teacher knows assessments are powerful tools. To get where you are going, you have to know where you are and where you are headed. Assessments can and should be given to measure progress and identify areas of weakness. I think assessments given to assess teachers' technology knowledge and skills are necessary to ensure proper resources are devoted to meeting the goals of the technology plan. As an educator in Texas, I identify areas of weakness in my students as we prepare to take the TAKS test so that I can focus in on these areas and help all of my students be successful in demonstrating that they can meet the state standards. In the same way,using the results of technology assessments would be helpful to schools who are striving to meet the state mandated technology standards because it would allow them to focus their efforts on high-need areas.

Assessments to measure student technology skills and needs are also extremely important. How can you justify spending substantial amounts of money on teacher training and technology equipment, unless you are able to prove that it is enabling you to move towards achieving your goal? Student skills assessments prove (or disprove) that teachers are able to use the knowledge and equipment they have to assist students in meeting state technology standards.

Unfortunately, although potentially extremely helpful, assessments have weaknesses as well. Many assessments do not take progress into account, taking on a pass or fail mentality. Schools that have showed tremendous improvement but still do not reach the standard should be focused on since they have shown the potential and drive to accomplish the goal. Schools that have substantial financial resources may have been meeting the standards for years but have shown little effort to exceed the standard – remaining stagnant rather than innovating. Additionally, assessments are often subjective and the people taking the survey may not know the answer or they may give an answer that they think they should give rather than what is actually true. Because of these and other weaknesses, assessment results should be used with caution.

week 2 web conference

This web conference made me excited about the program, though also a little bit nervous. I was glad to hear some more details about the internship and how everything will work, but I still feel very unsure about exactly what types of activities and projects I will need to complete for this internship. Certainly this program appears to be more rigorous than I originally thought when I enrolled, but I believe that is a good thing. I think the internship activities will be a great learning experience and a wonderful way to contribute at my campus. I plan to ask my principal to be my site mentor and I know he will have some great projects he will want me to work on. It will be a lot of extra work, but meaningful. I was very excited to learn that I will have the opportunity to get my principal certification through this program as well, a definite added bonus.

week 1 web conference

Last night I logged on to the web conference. I didn't really think that I gained much insight from the discussion, but I think it was good to log on and see how everything works. My web cam was not working through the software, though it was broadcasting on my computer. I did enjoy seeing the faces of a few of my classmates, and listening to the professor talk made the class seem more personal.