Carol Taylor- Fairfield ISD - Week 12 Step 9

1. How did the plan meet the existing needs in technology, funding, and management issues?

FUNDING:

The plan promotes funding by creating a budget and allocating funds into categories.  The budge will be funded primarily by local, state and federal funds.  Funds will also be provided by the discount allotment on telecommunications and networking equipment received from E-Rate (E-Rate Applications Surge in 2011," 2011, p. 6).  In addition the plan calls for the creation of a grant writing team to seek additional technology support from corporate and private donors.   One last effort to stretch funds will be to collaborate with local districts to trade professional development trainings to share the expense of professional development trainings. 

The budget is divided into the following categories and budget.  These categories reflect the considerations for every objective in the plan.  The three year budget allocates funds for each year and identifies the fund.  The funds are divided into the following categories. 

·                     Staff Development

·                     Telecommunications & Internet Access

·                     Materials & Supplies

·                     Equipment

·                     Maintenance

·                     Miscellaneous Expenses

The budget is then divided into the following groups:  Budgeted Item, Cost, and Funding Sources with amount per source.

MANAGEMENT:
The plan promotes technology by hiring a campus technology facilitator to assist the technology director to plan, schedule and perform professional development technology trainings for teachers and staff within the district. Another task management will to brainstorm incentives for the staff and teachers for professional development and promote trainings.  In addition, the technology facilitator and technology coordinator will be responsible of keeping records of professional development trainings attendance and trainings offered each semester.  The campus technology facilitator will assist teachers to integrate technology into existing and future classroom instruction.  The ratio and rotation of computers will fall under the responsible of technology management.

TECHNOLOGY:

Teachers will be trained in emerging 21^st century technology to enhance curriculum and increase educator preparation and development to enable them to integrate successful technology applications.  The goal of the plan is to stay abreast of rising technological innovations to ensure the district is current in technology.  “A district technology plan should focus on integrating technology into the teaching and learning process to transform the way teachers teach and students learn” (Frazier & Bailey, 2004, p. 6). 

 
2. How did the goals provide the measurable outcomes for future improvement?

 In content terms, technology planning and policies should address three major areas: “vision, access, and integration.  In terms of process, policies represent relative end states that begin with the adoption of a technology plan. This in turn involves a series of steps, ranging from the determination of needs, the involvement of stakeholders, and the ratification of a document, to the implementation, evaluation, and revision of the plan” (Schmitt, 2002).  Goals give a basis of what should be analyzed and validated.  The technology coordinator should assist in developing and administering surveys, defining learning outcomes, and implementing evaluation rubrics throughout the school or district. The information gathered from these assessments should be compiled and shared with stakeholders for further analysis and use in future planning” (Frazier & Bailey, 2004, p. 129).  The continual evaluation is essential when planning a new technology plan.  “A comprehensive needs assessment utilizing teacher/student surveys, interviews, focus group sessions, inventories, and the Texas Campus STaR Chart was conducted to analyze the current status of technology in the district and determine future needs. Items analyzed included: infrastructure, hardware, software, programs, courses, student achievement, technology resources, staff development, and technical support” (Fairfield ISD Technology Plan, 2010).

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3. How did the strategies defined to meet the proposed objectives?

The strategies are broken down to reflect the focus on funding and management in regards to achieving the objectives.  Appropriate learning opportunities will be established through the allocation of funds and the implementation of trainings by management.  Furthermore, by establishing the means to provide for a budget, a facilitator can promote the development and implementation of a sound technology infrastructure and utilized technology systems in a computer lab, classroom cluster, and other instructional arrangements. Also, by having faculty members training to research and write competitive grants, our district can meet TEA’s requirement of providing competitive grants.   In addition, the continuation of applying for the E-Rate discount will also provide supplemental funds to the technology budget.  The following standards are met through the strategies listed for expanding and improving existing hardware.  The Technology Department handles the inventory of computers, hardware, and software programs.  Lists are compiled and evaluated to determine the need of new technology.  Computers receive scheduled maintenance and troubleshooting of computers and software systems are handled immediately by the Technology department.  Older computers that are still function are recycled throughout the district to use in other areas.  The Technology Coordinator oversees a grant writing team who is responsible for researching and writing grants to assist in technology funding (Taylor, C.,2012). 

   

References

Fairfield ISD Technology Plan. (2010, August 27). Retrieved January 20, 2012, from Fairfield Independent School District: http://www.fairfield.k12.tx.us/dl/Tech%20Plan.pdf

E-Rate Applications Surge in 2011. (2011). T H E Journal (Technological Horizons In Education), 38(6), 6. Retrieved February 6, 2012, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5049644130

Frazier, M., & Bailey, G. D. (2004). The Technology Coordinator's Handbook. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education. Retrieved April 9, 2012, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=113454356

Schmitt, C. (2002, November). NCES—Technology In Schools. Retrieved from National Center for Education Statistics: http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2003/2003313.pdf

Taylor, C. (February, 20, 2012). CSTE 5338 Development of Technology Infrastructure Report    1.  Unpublished Report Data