Technology Action Plan

Nixon-Smiley High School Technology Action Plan

Vision
Our school strives to provide a quality education so that every student will be equipped for life-long learning, responsible citizenship, and productive employment in a rapidly changing and diverse society. We realize that technology integration can be a powerful tool for teaching, learning, and educating our students for the 21st century and beyond. We believe all students will be motivated to learn through the addition of technology to all content areas.

Goal
Our goal is to prepare the students of Nixon-Smiley High School to meet the challenges of their future by implementing a curriculum that integrates the use of technology as a teaching and learning tool into all academic subject areas.

To attain this goal, every student will:
· Become familiar with a variety of technology devices and applications.
· Use technology devices that will maximize instructional time.
· Conduct research, gather data, and share findings using technology tools.
· Create multi-media projects based on TEKS objectives.
· Use technology to remediate, enrich, and individualize student instruction.

To attain this goal, every teacher will:
· Engage in on-going technology professional development sessions.
· Incorporate technology into planning and instruction.
· Model the appropriate use of technology.
· Ensure that students understand and comply with technology etiquette and
follow appropriate cyber ethics.· Showcase student technology projects throughout the school
and district.

Needs Assessment

The District Technology Committee has identified the needs of the district and needs on individual campuses by disaggregating data on provided by the Texas STaR Chart surveys. According to the STaR Chart, there is a need for on-going, relevant professional development and training in the area of technology integration. To more accurately pinpoint the needs of individual teachers, the district is developing a Teacher Self-Assessment of Technology Proficiency survey, which will be taken on SurveyMonkey.com. The results of this survey will identify specific deficiencies in teacher technology proficiency so that appropriate training and staff development sessions can be planned.

Nixon-Smiley High School STaR Chart Summary
School Year '06-'07 '07-'08 '08-'09

Teaching & Learning 12 14 12

Educator Preparation & Development 11 11 12

Leadership, Administration & Instruct. Support 13 15 13

Infrastructure for Technology 14 16 16

The Nixon-Smiley High School Campus Improvement Committee (CIC) has considered the data from the Texas STaR Chart for Nixon-Smiley High School to determine areas of need on our campus. The areas of concern identified from the STaR Chart data were in Educator Preparation and Development and Teaching and Learning. The teacher responses indicated that they participate in minimal amounts of technology professional development each year, demonstrate only two to three of the SBEC Technology Applications Standards, use technology for content area instruction only and have not had the opportunity to participate in web-based or online learning. In reference to Teaching and Learning, instruction is teacher-directed, students use technology on an individual basis to access electronic information and there is a minimal use of technology in foundation TEKS. The committee further investigated the specific professional development needs of the teachers at Nixon-Smiley High School by interviewing, surveying, and observing teachers. This information was used to formulate a plan for training opportunities for teachers.

In addition, the CIC reviewed the Nixon-Smiley CISD District Improvement Plan (NSCISD-DIP) paying special attention to the areas relating to technology and technology integration. One of the target areas of the NBISD-DIP is the improvement of instructional practice by improving the integration of technology into authentic instruction. The district is developing model lessons using technology tools effectively in the classroom. The freshman teachers involved in the Vision 2020 Grant are currently leading the way in developing these lessons.

The campus principal is concerned with the lack of technology integration that he has observed at Nixon-Smiley High School. The campus principal has determined that the teachers of Nixon-Smiley High School are in need of on-going technology professional development and guidance in constructing technology rich lessons. He feels that the small amount of technology professional development provided in the summer is not enough. Therefore, he will offer the opportunity for teachers to volunteer to be a part of a small cadre of teachers that will receive training so they will be able to train, mentor and model best practices for others on the campus throughout the year. “Training is embedded in instruction, not isolated from it, and is driven by the skills that teachers need to use technology in the classroom, not by the technology itself” (Jones, 2007, p. 35).

Nixon-Smiley High School is also expanding its technology integration through the Vision 2020 Grant. The Vision 2020 Grant is a one-to-one laptop immersion program. This grant provided for the purchase of Apple laptops and relevant software for each freshman student and teacher. Each freshman course teacher is receiving 50 hours worth of professional development in the next two years. This professional development focuses on integrating technology in to their lesson plans and best practices for using technology in the classroom. The teachers are also required to post a minimum of one technology integrated lesson per week as well as the student product from the lesson. The increase of laptops will allow for the increased use of technology throughout the ninth grade.

The CIC reviewed the Technology Applications TEKS for eighth grade, which covers the basic technology applications, and found that there was currently no system in place to ensure that these objectives were being reinforced at the high school level other than in the BCIS classes. Since some students take BCIS classes later in their high school career but we want the students to use the technology skills on a daily basis, there is a need for the Technology Applications TEKS to be revisited and reinforced by all teachers as the students enter high school from eighth grade.The CIC also requested a list of all computer applications software, hardware and technology equipment available on the campus. The teachers were provide the list and were surveyed using SurveyMonkey.com regarding their use of and/or proficiency in using each application. The CIC recommends that mini-sessions (1 hour after school) be offered for teachers to explore the features of software already available to them. In addition the teachers will receive time for technology-related preparation. (Wahl & Duffield, 2005, p. 8).

Organizational Chart for Nixon-Smiley High School Technology Integration

Responsibilities

NSCISD School Board:
Approve Technology Action Plan, new personnel positions, technology budget, and District Technology Plan.

NSCISD Superintendent: Mediates between schools and school board.

Director of Technology: Member of District Technology Committee, controls district technology budget, responsible for district technology infrastructure, district technology maintenance, computer inventory, and software licensing.

Technology Specialists:
Member of District Technology Committee, help maintain district technology infrastructure, help maintain district technology, provide “just-in-time” help for the district, and work with Vision 2020 laptop immersion program.

District Technology Committee:
Reviews and revises District Technology Plan. Makes recommendations for professional development and equipment purchases.

Campus Principal:
Head of Campus Improvement Committee and High School Technology Committee directs spending of campus technology funds, evaluates campus needs, evaluates campus teaching staff, and plans campus staff development.

Vision 2020 Grant Manager:
Director of Vision 2020 laptop immersion grant, responsible for Vision 2020 budget, provides “just-in-time” help for teachers and students, plans and provides professional development for 9th grade teachers involved in the grant, and member of the District Technology Committee and High School Technology Committee.


Technology Integration Specialist: Contracted Services
Community Communication Services is a contracted service for the Vision 2020 grant that provides professional development which includes modeling best practices in integrating technology into all curricular areas for freshman classroom teachers. They are also responsible for training professional staff in the use of programs and devices relating to Apple laptops.

Model Teachers:
Responsible for assisting classroom teachers in planning technology integration lessons, modeling lessons demonstrating effective technology integration, facilitating before, during, and after school mini-sessions as well as Saturday sessions when necessary, and provide “just-in-time” help for fellow teachers. These teachers will be identified by the campus principal.

Teachers:
Responsible for integrating Technology TEKS and technology integration into lessons across the curriculum into classroom experiences for students. May make technology professional development requests and purchasing requests.

NSCISD Technology Professional Development Goals
· Technology Integration Specialists, Model Teachers, and Vision 2020 Grant Manager will construct model lessons and demonstrate these lessons on campuses in actual classroom settings.
· Technology Integration Specialists and Vision 2020 Grant Manager will offer on-going technology integration professional development ‘mini-sessions’ throughout the school year.
· All teachers will maintain a teacher webpage and be provided professional development credit for updating these pages.
· NSCISD will implement teacher peer-tutoring in which teachers will be encouraged to share their technology enriched lessons with others.
· Technology Director and Vision 2020 Grant Manager will provide, via electronic newsletter, wiki or blog technology tips for technology enriched lessons and websites that may be helpful in planning lessons.

Nixon-Smiley High School Technology Professionals Development Plan
· Require all professional staff to become familiar with the Technology TEKS, especially through eighth grade, and to cite these TEKS in their lesson plans.
· Require teachers to attend a technology orientation session for ELMOs, projectors, Clickers, and interactive whiteboards prior to being issued the technology equipment for classroom use.
· Require all professional staff to create and share a minimum of one technology enriched and project-based lessons. Vision 2020 teachers will share a minimum of one technology enriched and project-based lessons per week.
· Require all professional staff to attend 10 or more hours of technology professional development annually.
· Recruit teachers to plan and facilitate mini-sessions to familiarize teachers with computer software and devices already available on campus.
· Require all teachers to demonstrate proficiency in the use of the Windows programs such as Power Point, Excel and Movie Maker on PCs. Freshman teachers will demonstrate proficiency in the use of the Apple programs such as Keynote, iWork, iPhoto, iMovie. Those unable to demonstrate proficiency will be required to attend training in addition to the required 9 hours.
· Teachers will attend web-page training and create and maintain a teacher web page that is updated a minimum of once every three weeks. This web page will be used as both a means of communication and an instructional tool.
· Teachers will be provided with 3 hours of release time per semester to observe technology best-practices lessons in model teacher classrooms, or for technology-related preparation with a Technology Integration Specialist, Model Teacher or Vision 2020 Grant Manager.

Evaluation Plan
The CIC and DTC will evaluate the effectiveness of the above mentioned initiatives by comparing STaR Chart data from the 08-09 school year to data gathered in the fall of 2010 and spring 2011. The committees expect to see an improvement in all areas, especially in the areas of Educator Preparation as well as Teaching and Learning. The CIC and DTC will also compare the data gathered from the 2009 Teacher Self-Assessment of Technology Proficiency survey to the results that will be gathered in 2010. The committees expect to see improvement in all areas. The CIC will compare the results of the 2009 Student Technology Survey and other student technology proficiency data gathered. The committees expect to see improvement in all areas and all grade levels.

The CIC will look for improvement in the Texas STaR Chart, AEIS report, TAKS scores, and District Benchmark scores in 2010. While improvement cannot definitively be linked to increased technology integration, any improvement will be assumed to be a reflection of enriching the curriculum with technology and adding opportunities for student collaboration and use of technology to solve authentic problems.

The Campus Principal will evaluate lesson plans to ensure that Technology Applications TEKS are being addressed by all the classroom teachers. In addition, he will ask teachers to submit a self-report of technology enriched lessons conducted each 3-week grading period. Classroom teachers must also provide evidence of conducting a minimum of 1 research and technology based project per semester. These technology based projects must culminate in a multi-media presentation. These presentations as well as the lesson plans will be posted on the school’s network server so as to be available to be the inspiration for the ideas for others.

References
Yonker, John. Personal interview. 7 Dec. 2009.

Duffield, J., & Wahl, L. (2005). Using flexible technology to meet the needs of diverse learners: What teachers can do. http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/rs/763.

Jones, E. (2007). Strategies to put instruction ahead of technology. Principal Leadership, 7(6), 35-38.

Nixon-Smiley CISD. (2009). District Improvement Plan Nixon-Smiley Consolidated Independent School District. Nixon, Texas.

School Technology and Readiness: A teacher tool for planning and self-assessing aligned with the Long-range plan for technology. (2006). Retrieved December 1, 2009, from http://starchart.esc12.net/docs/TxTSC.pdf