Elementary-Angela Ortiz- Wk 10 step 7

1.      How do your proposed strategies (Week 8 Step 6) meet the required standards as your Week 6 Step 4 stated?

After evaluating the school needs in technology, funding and management, reviewing the StaR chart, and the current standards, I proposed different technology, funding and management strategies for each goal based on the existing long-range technology plan for the district, reviewing district budget, and district and state standards: e-rate funding, Texas LRPT (2006-2020), NCLB Act of 2001, Technology Application Standards (TEA, 2000) for teachers and the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for Technology Applications Skills (TEA, 2011) for students. These strategies ensure that Link elementary reaches a higher level in technology, meets current standards and considers implementing new standards (NETS for teachers and students).

Strategies

Goal 1: Link elementary will train 100% of campus staff to expand technology focus in the classrooms during the school year.

Funding: SISD continue providing the funding for staff development in all subject areas including technology. The district will be providing in-services and online learning programs for staff at no cost.

Management: Teacher attendance to workshops and in-services is monitored through Avatar Learning Platform which is the professional development management system used in SISD.

Standards: NCLB correlates 04b, 8, 9, 11; ER 01, 02, 04, 05; LRPT- EP 01-09; LAS 03,06,10,12.

Goal 2: Link elementary teachers will use 90% of new technology effectively to improve teaching and learning during the school year.

Funding: Funding to accomplish this goal is closely related with the budget needed to hire a technology instructional specialist and the purchase of new technology equipment mentioned in goals 3 and 4.

Management: The technology specialist will be in charge of supporting teachers implementing technology in their classrooms. He will report directly to the Campus principal. Administrators will review lesson plans with technology included and teacher digital portfolio created in Word press.com.

Standards: NCLB correlates 01, 02, 03, 04a, 07, 08, 10, 11, 12; ER 01, 03, 04, 05; LRPT- EP 05, 09; I 01,03, 09; LAS 01,02,07,10; TL 01,03,04,05,06,07,08,12,13, 14, 15, 16.

Goal 3: Link elementary school will provide 100% of new hardware to support students and staff in the teaching and learning process within a year.

Funding: SISD receives e-Rate discounts, state and federal grants. All requests for technology funding must be tied to the school or district technology plan. At school level, we need to evaluate the budget currently allowed to be used for technology and obtain additional budget to get new equipment. We need to maximize funding from traditional sources including the state, federal and local budget, as well as identify alternative revenue streams. Some alternative Grant options available are in the U.S. Department of education (2010), the Educational Technology grants (n.d.), TEA grants (2010), Grants for probeware (2012), among others.

Management: The technology liaison teacher will be in charge of creating inventory list and a budget for resources needed. The technology committee will be in charge of writing grants and distributing the budget to get new resources. Computer systems will be installed in classrooms and other equipment will be accessible to teachers after filling-out a request form. This equipment should be returned to technology liaison teacher.

Standards: NCLB correlates 05, 06, 07, 12; ER 03, 04; LRPT- I 01,02,03,05,07,08,09; LAS 03, TL 03, 04, 08.

Goal 4: SISD will provide the budget to have the personnel needed to implement a technology program at Link elementary before 2012-2013 school year starts.

Funding: Link elementary should request a technology instructional specialist for our campus to the school district. SISD will make a decision to hire an technology instructional specialist based on available budget to pay the salary and benefits according to the position.

Management: The district and campus principal will manage the hiring process for the new technology specialist.

Standards: NCLB correlates 06; ER 04, 05; LRPT- EP 09; LAS 10

Goal 5: Link elementary school will provide the opportunities to seek grants and meet 100% of the technology needs during the 2012-2013 school year.

Funding: The school grant committee will research and apply for technology grants throughout the year. This committee will need to be train in how to write grants and will require school budget for this purpose. These grants can be found in the U.S. Department of education (2010), the Educational Technology grants (n.d.), TEA grants (2010), Grants for probeware (2012), among others.

Management: The school grant committee will be in charge of writing grants. Principal and administrators will approve the proposals previously. Monthly meetings will be required to follow-up the grant process.

Standards: NCLB correlates 06; ER 04, 05; LRPT- LAS 02,04,15

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Standards

Correlate ID NCLB Correlate Statement 1 Strategies for improving academic achievement and teacher effectiveness To improve: • the academic achievement, including technology literacy, of all students. • the capacity of all teachers to integrate technology effectively into curriculum and instruction 2 Goals for using advanced technology • aligned with challenging State academic content and student academic achievement standards • to improve student academic achievement 3 Steps to increase accessibility To ensure that: • all students and teachers have increased access to technology • Students in high-poverty and high-needs schools, or schools identified for improvement or corrective action, have access to technology • teachers are prepared to integrate technology effectively into curricula and instruction 4a Promotion of curricula and teaching strategies that integrate technology • Will identify and promote curricula and teaching strategies that integrate technology effectively into curricula and instruction, based on a review of relevant research and leading to improvements in student academic achievement 4b Professional development Provide ongoing, sustained, high quality professional development for: • teachers, principals, administrators, and school library media personnel to further the effective use of technology in the classroom or library media center • including, if applicable, a list of the entities that will be partners with the district involved in providing the ongoing, sustained professional development 5 Technology type and costs • Description of type and costs of technology to be acquired with Ed Tech funds, including provisions for interoperability of components of such technologies 6 Coordination with other resources • District's plan for coordinating activities funded through the Ed Tech program with technology-related activities supported with funds from other Federal, State, and local sources 7 Integration of technology with curricula and instruction How the applicant will: • integrate technology (including software and electronically delivered learning materials) into curricula and instruction, and • utilize a timeline for this integration 8 Innovative delivery strategies Will encourage: • the development and use of innovative strategies for the delivery of specialized or rigorous courses and curricula through the use of technology, including distance learning technologies, particularly in areas that would not otherwise have access to such courses or curricula due to geographical distances or insufficient resources 9 Parental involvement Will use technology effectively to: • promote parental involvement • increase communication with parents, including a description of how parents will be informed of the technology being applied in the child's education 10 Collaboration with adult literacy service providers • Description of how the program will be developed, where applicable, in collaboration with adult literacy service providers 11 Accountability measures Process and accountability measures that evaluate the extent to which activities are effective in: • integrating technology into curricula and instruction • increasing the ability of teachers to teach • enabling students to reach challenging State academic content and student academic achievement standards 12 Supporting resources • Supporting resources (such as services, software, other electronically delivered learning materials, and print resources) that will be acquired to ensure successful and effective uses of technology

 

E-Rate

Correlate ID E-Rate Correlate Statement ER01 The plan must establish clear goals and a realistic strategy for using telecommunications and information technology to improve education or library services. ER02 The plan must have a professional development strategy to ensure that staff know how to use these new technologies to improve education or library services. ER03 The plan must include an assessment of the telecommunication services, hardware, software, and other services that will be needed to improve education or library services. ER04 The plan must provide for a sufficient budget to acquire and support the non-discounted elements of the plan: the hardware, software, professional development, and other services that will be needed to implement the strategy. ER05 The plan must include an evaluation process that enables the school or library to monitor progress toward the specified goals and make mid-course corrections in response to new developments and opportunities as they arise.

Texas Long Range Plan for Technology

Educator Preparation and Development
	EP01	Provide professional development for teaching and integrating Technology Applications into the foundation and enrichment TEKS through multiple delivery methods.
	EP02	Provide professional development for Technology Applications courses as identified in Technology Applications Educator Standards VI - XI.
	EP03	Provide training on the use of electronic tools and information to support sound, data-driven decision-making.
	EP04	Develop strategies for all educators, including campus administrators and librarians, to master the Technology Applications Educator Standards I - V as access to technology and professional development becomes available.
	EP05	Document progress of teachers towards mastery of Technology Applications Educator Standards I - V using the Texas STaR Chart.
	EP06	Encourage participation in statewide, technology professional development opportunities.
	EP07	Encourage educator participation in the Master Technology Teacher program.
	EP08	Utilize innovative strategies for the 24/7 delivery of ongoing professional development through the use of technology, including online and other distance learning and digital content services to meet the diverse and persona learning needs of all educators.
	EP09	Provide instructional coaches and mentors to support classroom efforts in using technology to improve learning in core curriculum areas.
Infrastructure for Technology
	I01	Design, install and maintain a technology and telecommunications infrastructure for communications and services that ensures equitable access.
	I02	Develop innovative funding and collaboration strategies with both public and private sectors to ensure all students have equitable and anytime, anywhere access to broadband communications.
	I03	Build community support for anytime, anywhere Internet access through collaborative planning, education, public information and other means.
	I04	Strive to achieve and maintain a personal computing device ratio of 1:1 for both students and professional educators.
	I05	Provide on-demand access to appropriately configured technology for all students and staff, including those with disabilities, in libraries, school offices, and other work areas.
	I06	Strive to participate in the high-speed, high-capacity statewide telecommunications network.
	I07	Maintain an obsolescence policy to ensure maximum efficiency and use of technology and infrastructure by all students and staff.
	I08	Provide and maintain an infrastructure for communications with parents and community members, including year-round access to school news, educational resources, data and personnel.
	I09	Provide access to digital instructional tools that meet interoperability and data accessibility standards for instruction.
Leadership, Administration and Support
	LAS01	Incorporate ongoing technology planning in classroom, library, campus, and district improvement plans.
	LAS02	Promote a comprehensive planning process to ensure technology plans include clear goals, realistic strategies, and critical components such as compliance with state and federal regulations, needs assessment, budget and evaluation. Identify budget and secure funding to support technology identified in classroom, library, campus, and district planning efforts.
	LAS03	Include professional development on the integration of technology in all classroom, library, campus, and district improvement plans and measure their effectiveness using the Texas STaR Chart.
	LAS04	Ensure a viable technology plan is written and approved prior to applying for the federal E-Rate discount program.
	LAS05	Utilize the district technology plan to ensure technology resources promote student achievement in accordance with No Child Left Behind.
	LAS06	Allocate at least 30 percent of technology allotment budget for professional development.
	LAS07	Include community input into the planning and support for the integration of technology into teaching and learning.
	LAS08	Coordinate the use of electronic data in district planning to support research-based decision-making focused on student success.
	LAS09	Initiate and implement policies to expand parental and community access to school facilities, library resources, and non-secured data through technology.
	LAS10	Provide instructional assistance for the effective integration of technology into teaching and learning in all school and district operations.
	LAS11	Provide parents secure electronic access to student information.
	LAS12	Incorporate mastery of SBEC Technology Applications Educator Standards into local educator appraisal systems.
	LAS13	Participate in collaboration with representatives from PreK-12, higher education, parents, businesses and community to share resources and services.
	LAS14	Create business continuity plans that ensure critical technology applications can be recovered in a timely manner including electronic student records, instructional materials, financial and personnel records, and communication systems such as email and web pages.
	LAS15	Budget for, offer, and support expanded curricular and instructional opportunities to students via online and other distance learning.
Teaching and Learning
	TL01	Integrate the Technology Applications TEKS within the foundation curriculum at each grade level and provide specialized courses in Technology Applications.
	TL02	Offer and provide the Technology Applications high school courses to meet the curriculum and graduation requirements specified in 19 TAC Chapter 74.
	TL03	Use the Technology Applications adopted instructional materials at all grade levels.
	TL04	Use digital diagnostic tools for formative evaluation to monitor progress toward the mastery of instructional objectives.
	TL05	Implement research-based strategies to improve the academic achievement, including technology literacy, of all students.
	TL06	Develop strategies to monitor and document progress of integration of technology into curricula and instruction and to monitor and report student mastery of the Technology Applications TEKS to TEA.
	TL07	Integrate student performance data from district/state assessment instruments with electronic curriculum resources to inform and differentiate instruction for every child.
	TL08	Support the use of emerging technologies aligned with state standards for developing greater levels of collaboration, inquiry, analysis, creativity and content production.
	TL09	Ensure anytime/anywhere access to technology-based learning for all students by providing appropriate devices, services, and support.
	TL10	Ensure that school libraries have the latest technology and online resources for student research and curriculum integration.
	TL11	Support school library programs and use library standards to ensure that school libraries assist classroom teachers in teaching students, information literacy and Technology Applications knowledge and skills.
	TL12	Support the use of technology to promote student-centered learning across geographic and cultural boundaries that includes business and industry.
	TL13	Utilize innovative strategies for the 24/7 delivery of specialized or rigorous courses and expanded curricular and instructional offerings through the use of technology, including online and other distance learning and digital content services to meet the diverse and personal learning needs of all students.
	TL14	Provide curriculum to ensure personal safety for students in a digital world and Acceptable Use Policies that specify expectations and rules for students, parents, and teachers.
	TL15	Implement innovative programs that promote parental involvement, increased communication with parents and community members, and community access to educational resources.
	TL16	Support teachers in developing classroom websites and online resources to share lessons, monitor student progress, and establish regular communications with parents and students.

2.      Review the reading materials in Technology domain to propose using other standards which are not adopted by your studied school. Explain why those new standards should be considered for your studied school. 

The ISTE technology facilitation standards for students and teachers are not adopted by my school. These standards should be considered because these guidelines can support teachers to evaluate the skills and knowledge they need in order to teach, work and learn in a connected global and digital society. Teachers must possess the skills and behaviors of digital age professionals (ISTE, 2011). On the other hand, teachers should know how to help students to meet technology standards. The NETS for students help them to use technology to analyze, learn, and explore. “Digital age skills are vital for preparing students to work, live, and contribute to the social and civic fabric of their communities” (ISTE, 2011).

“The NETS set a standard of excellence and best practices in learning, teaching, and leading with technology in education. The benefits of using the NETS include:

•Improving higher-order thinking skills, such as problem solving, critical thinking, and creativity

•Preparing students for their future in a competitive global job market

•Designing student-centered, project-based, and online learning environments

•Guiding systemic change in our schools to create digital places of learning

•Inspiring digital age professional models for working, collaborating, and decision making” (ISTE, 2011)

References

ISTE (2011) ISTE NETS. Retrieved March 30, 2012 from http://www.iste.org/standards.aspx

TEA (2000) Approved educator standards. Technology Application Standards. Retrieved March 30, 2012 from http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=5938&menu_id=2147483671&menu_id2=794

TEA (2010). TEA Grant process. Retrieved March 15, 2012 from http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index4.aspx?id=8304&menu_id=951

TEA (2011) Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Technology Applications. Retrieved April 01, 2012 from http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter126/ch126a.html#126.7

Technology grant news (n.d.) Educational technology grants. Retrieved March 15, 2012 from http://technologygrantnews.com/grant-index-by-type/educational-technology-grants.html

TPESC (2006-2020) Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology. Retrieved March 30, 2012 from http://tpesc.esc12.net/eplan/lrpt.html

U.S. Department of education (2010).  Grant programs. Retrieved March 15, 2012 from http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/os/technology/edgrants.html

Vernier (2012) Grants for probeware. Retrieved March 15, 2012 from http://www.vernier.com/grants/