Licking Heights Local Schools /
Here I examine the Technology Plan created by the Licking Heights Local School District for school years 2009/2010, 2010/2011, and 2011/2012. /
Brian Wetzel /
9/25/2011 /
Boise State University
EDTECH 554: Managing Technology in Schools
Elisabeth Silver
Table of Contents
District Vision Statements…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..3
Technology Proficiency by Grade Level……………………………………………………………………………………………….4
Classroom Management Strategies…………………………………………………………………………………………………….5
Inventory System………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..6
Assistive Technologies………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..7
Replacement Cycle……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..8
Technology Proficiencies and Literacy Skills………………………………………………………………………………………..9
Impact on Teaching and Learning……………………………………………………………………………………………………..10
Time Frame of Implementation…………………………………………………………………………………………………………11
Equity for All Students……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….12
Tools to Lower the Achievement Gap………………………………………………………………………………………………..13
Recommendations for Improvement…………………………………………………………………………………………………14
Page 1What is your district's vision or mission statement? Five years from now, would a visitor coming to your school see technology supporting learning and teaching? Would there be an improvement from today?
The Mission of the Licking Heights Local Schools Technology Department is: “The Licking Heights School District believes all children can learn and that systemic improvements in ourmanagement and instructional efforts must include technology to enhance the learning experience of each child. The district will display a common understanding of the changing nature of emerging technologies and work to provide all students and adults the tools required for learning in the 21st century and beyond.” As a teacher at Licking Heights I have seen a variety of technology improvements in my building and heard of several more in other buildings. Over the last few years, one of the most obvious improvements is the incorporations of SMART interactive whiteboards in several classrooms throughout the district. These tools are being utilized each day by teachers who range in skill level from novice to advanced. In five years, these teachers will still be utilizing SMART Boards in their classrooms. Teachers will also continue to utilize automated response collectors, computer- and web-based programs, and a variety of other technological tools to promote learning to our growing student body.
While many teachers utilize technology in fabulous ways, Licking Heights is not without need of improvements. Many of the computers that we use are 5-7 years old, which is very old in terms of speed and reliability. There is very little space for computer labs and due to the tremendous growth of our student body, we can only have room for 1-3 computer labs per building. This is very restraining on the teachers that want to utilize these labs for classroom projects. There is also a need for faster networking capabilities across the district.
Has the district established levels of proficiency in technology by grade levels? If so, are these proficiencies woven into the academic curriculum? Are they taught in separate stand-alone technology lessons/classes?
Our technology plan has specific sections dedicated to current and planned technology proficiency in various subjects. There is a section devoted to English/Language Arts, Fine Arts, Foreign Language, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and general Technology. Our technology department (or planning team) assessed each subject and assigned them a label based on the Apple Classroom of Tomorrow (ACOT) scale, which ranges from 1.0 to 5.0. The lowest score, 1.0, is identified as an entry level where teachers and students in that subject are only learning the basics of the new technology. The highest score, 5.0, is labeled as invention level, where teachers and students are discovering new uses for the technology. Each section contains a table where grade bands (example 5-7) were given a certain designation that represents their current level of proficiency and another designation for expected growth. It is important to note that this technology plan has been in effect for the past three school years without revision. Our department is currently in the process of re-evaluating this plan and assigning new designations (both current and projected) for each subject and grade band throughout the district. While each subject was assessed on technology proficiency, there was a section on how students were being taught technology itself. Licking Heights offers several technology classes that students may take in order to learn about specific technological concepts, like career technology, library media, keyboarding, video production, and web-authoring, among other courses. It was interesting to me that grade bands Pre-K, 1-2, and 3-5 were not assigned an ACOT rating for technology in terms of current level of proficiency nor projected level.
What are some of the classroom management strategies that work with the amount of technology actually available in the classrooms?
At the time this plan was written, Licking Heights had a 1:4 computer-to-student ratio with a goal of reducing that to a 1:3 ratio at the end of the plan. In my building, few classrooms have more than just a teacher computer in the classroom. Student usage of this computer varies from teacher to teacher. In classrooms where there are computers available for student use, it was reported that management strategies vary according the intended use and applicable project. Students are commonly permitted to be on the computers as individuals, pairs, or small groups depending on the assignment. Teachers also reported the classroom computers were only permitted for academic reasons. Additionally, there are two computer labs with approximately 25 computers each in my building. One lab is strictly for our technology-based courses where students once again will work individually, in pairs, or in small groups to complete projects. The other lab must be signed out by the teacher who intends to utilize it in advance. Management strategies vary according to teacher, but are generally the same as the strategies that are mentioned above.
Parents are required to sign an Acceptable Use Policy for students permitting the use of the Internet on school computers. Students are assigned a username and password in order to access the computer and any networking capabilities. This enables the district to track student behaviors when using school computers.
Does the district have an inventory system or does one need to be developed to track the type and age of hardware?
While not outlined in the technology plan that is on file, I understand there is an inventory of educational technology in our district. Upon receipt after purchase, new technology is labeled indicating ownership by Licking Heights Local Schools. Many higher end technologies also have a bar code sticker affixed to them. I assume that our technology department can access more information about these products via a quick scan of this bar code.
Are assistive technologies available to students with special needs as well as to other students, such as English language learners, who might benefit from the use of those devices and software?
There are several assistive technologies that are employed by our district. Each special education teacher is equipped with a couple of student computers and a SMART Board for their classroom. Many students require or benefit from the use of an Alpha Smart word processing units for portable use in various classrooms. At least one other student benefits from hearing aids that she wears that are wirelessly connected to a microphone that may be worn by a teacher or another student. On the district technology plan, these types of technology were labeled as a “pervasive” part of each building, indicating its commitment to this part of the technology infrastructure at Licking Heights. It also says that Licking Heights is open to piloting emerging assistive technologies whenever feasible.The following table was created to give an indication of how often these technologies are used.
What replacement cycle has been built into the plan? Will adequate funding be set aside for replacements?
In the technology plan, Licking Heights budgeted approximately three hundred thousand (300,000) dollars each year for technology related purposes. This includes networking/telecommunication services, hardware, software, staffing costs, and professional development. In order to reduce costs, the district has partnered with various companies in order to take advantage of trade-in programs. This allows the district to recycle old technology for lower costs towards toward new technology. The district aims to employ a three to five year cyclic replacement plan for their technologies. While the district will constantly look for funding sources outside of the federal and state funds, it also encourages teachers and administrators to apply for grants and project funding for their classes. The following table outlined the budget for the next three school years.
How does the tech plan address technology proficiencies and information literacy skills?
According the technology plan, Licking Heights planned to “provide the opportunity for engaging and effective use of technology tools needed for learning”. They also intend for students and staff to develop an understanding of technology and its characteristics. The plan also states that “They [Students] will become engaged in literacy strategies, use of technology tools and resources, and application of information/management skills”. This plan also marked the beginning of a middle school pre-engineering and digital media class in order to build interest in these topics at an earlier age. This tech plan also stated the need to for an alignment of the Ohio Technology Content Standards and their curriculum. There was also a stated need for meaningful professional development for teachers in order to not only build confidence in using technology, but also give time to link technology to the school curriculum.
How will the school district know whether implementation of this plan has made a positive impact on teaching and learning?
Licking Heights intends to look at the different grade bands to see the different types of technology that are being used and their effectiveness in the classroom. The plan says the following will be assessed:
- In grade 1, they intend to see technology used to support an integrated primary school program.
- In grades 2-5, they intend to see new technology supporting the curriculum, a move toward technology used to expand student portfolios, and bring authentic experiences into the classroom.
- In grades 6-12, they intend to see students using technology to develop multimedia projects and conduct research.
The expectation will also be “to improve student achievement as students become more responsible for their learning and as they become more engaged and motivated using technology.
Does the plan address a time frame by which the district proposes to implement the various components of the plan?
There is very little in mentioned about time frames for implementations. This technology plan was written to be in effect for three school years: 2009/2010, 2010/2011, and 2011/2012. The goals for this plan all intend to be achieved by the end of 2011/2012 school year. One thing that is planned to be completed prior to this time is the incorporation of Ohio’s Technology Standards an official part of the district’s curriculum. The following table shows a time frame for the completion of this task. Three subjects have already completed this implementation while the remaining subjects intend to have this integration completed by the end of school year 2009/2010.
Do you think this plan has addressed issues such as equity for all students? Please explain your thinking.
This plan makes very little mention of equity for all students. The only mention of equity is in the mission statement where it is mentioned in two places. In the opening sentence, it states “The Licking Heights Local School District believes that all students can learn…include technology to enhance the learning experience for each child.” It also states “…work to provide all students and adults the tools required for learning in the 21st century and beyond”.
I feel this is a good mission statement for the district and its intentions are genuine. However, I feel there should be more mentioned in terms of providing access to technology for the students and parents that do have that access at home.
Does this plan provide tools to help lower the achievement gap? Please explain your thinking.
Specific tools for lowering the achievement gap are not mentioned. There is one mention of the use of tools for assistive and adaptive learning. Licking Heights also makes clear its intention to pilot and evaluate emerging technologies. Additionally, there are also several mentions of the use of professional development for staff members seeking to better themselves in this aspect. While their intentions are clear, it would be much better if there were specific tools mentioned to help with the lower the achievement gap among our very diverse population.
If you could recommend some improvements to your district's technology team regarding this plan, what would they be and why?
I would like to see a lot more specifics about the goals and intentions of this plan. Throughout the plan they make mentions of how the district would like to improve the use of technology but there is no real timeframe for these improvements other than the expiration date of the technology plan, which is the current school year (2011/2012). It makes several mentions of piloting emerging technologies, but no mention of any that might be currently under consideration. This also goes for professional development; while there are many mentions of it, there are no specific mentions of the type of learning that needs to occur among our staff members.
I would also like to see an improvement of how the district implements its plan. The plan says they intend to replace computers and necessary hardware every three to five years. However, I have been using the same computer for the past six years. While this is not extremely outside the time frame, this is an extremely long time in terms of the advancements in computer technology.
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