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Etowah City School
Technology Plan
2005-2008
Mission Statement
The Etowah City School is committed to prepare its students for the next level of their instruction.
1. Needs Assessment: Etowah City School technology staff conducted a needs assessment using the Tennessee StaR Chart. The data obtained was used to determine the two most important areas of need. The two identified areas were:
A. Teaching and Learning
B. Infrastructure for Teaching
Based on these findings, the following needs were determined:
A. Staff development to help teachers identify strategies that incorporate the use of technology in classroom instruction.
B. The need for additional classroom hardware and software.
2. Stakeholder Involvement of Planning:
Technology Coordinator - Served as Chairperson of the Technology Committee.
Evaluate current technology equipment and infrastructure; conducted needs assessment.
Director of Schools - Provided support and has final approval on all components and timeline of plan.
Principal - Assisted in development of goals and objectives.
Fifth Grade Teacher - Assisted in development of technology training needs and timetable.
Parent/Community - Assisted in collection of input from PTSO, community business leaders, and civic organizations.
3. Goals and Objectives:
The Etowah City School System's primary goal is to improve student learning by incorporating the use of technology in classroom instruction. The Tennessee Curriculum Frameworks and their assessment will be used as a basis for setting educational goals and measuring progress to improve student learning.
To achieve this primary goal, the following objectives have been established.
A. To improve access to technology.
B. To provide teachers with the opportunity to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively use and integrate technology in classroom instruction.
C. To improve academic achievement and technology literacy.
D. To align Etowah City School curriculum with the Tennessee State Standards Curriculum Frameworks. 4. Strategies for improving Academic Achievement and Teacher Effectiveness: Goal A: To Improve access to technology. Strategies: 1. Purchase additional computer desktop systems for both classroom teacher and student use. 2. Maintain and upgrade when necessary school wide network to include file server, wiring, hubs, switches, and router. Desired outcomes: 1. Reduce student/computer ratio from 5:1 to 4:1. 2. Expand school wide network to accommodate additional computer equipment and student/staff use. Goal B: To provide teachers the opportunity to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively use and integrate technology in classroom instruction through the use of staff development. Strategies: 1. Based on needs assessments, plan staff training sessions on Reading Academy software that targets K-1 and at risk students. 2. Schedule training sessions on effective use of the Internet throughout the year on stockpile staff development days. 3. Ed Tech/Erate funds will be used to upgrade/purchase additional hardware/software to improve the academic achievements of all students.
Desired outcome: Increase the number of teachers who use technology in instruction from six (6) to eight(8) which in turn will improve student mastery of skills being taught as measured by teacher observations and written assessments.
Goal C: To improve academic achievement and technology literacy.
Strategies: 1. Use technology resources such as software, CD's, laser disc programs, and supervised internet exploration in classroom and school computer lab.
Desired outcome: Improve student academic achievement.
Goal D: To align Etowah City School curriculum with the Tennessee State Standards Curriculum Frameworks to include technology standards. Strategies: 1. Plan staff development sessions for purpose of curriculum alignment to insure that school wide curriculum has the proper scope and sequence of skills being taught at each grade level in academic areas as well as technology literacy.
Desired outcome: Improve student academic skills, insure adequate student progress at each grade level, and improve scores on state achievement tests. Improve technology literacy skills.
5. Collaboration among Educators:
Administrators, Classroom Teachers, Educational Assistants, the Technology Staff, the Media Specialists, Title I Staff, and Special Education Staff will work together to implement the goals and objectives of the Technology Plan. Two system stockpile days as well as other in service days designated in the school calendar will be used to align the Tennessee Curriculum frameworks into the school curriculum. Technology standards will be incorporated at the same time.
6. Collaboration with Community and Adult Literacy Etowah City School will work with education partners, Woods Memorial Hospital and Tennessee Wesleyan College as well as business and local civic organizations to plan a technology curriculum that will help prepare students for the future. Representatives from education partners and local civic organizations and businesses will be given the opportunity for input during the development and future planning and evaluation of the Technology Plan which will be reassessed on a yearly basis. The result will be an improved technology curriculum school wide and better prepare students for the future. Since Etowah City is a small one school system, our adult literacy provider is Athens City School System. The close proximity of their facilities provides Adult Education classes for adults in the Etowah area.
7. Parental Involvement: Communications to parents will involve newsletters and posts on school website explaining the school technology program as to types of equipment and software used as well as goals and objectives. Parents will be given the opportunity to visit classrooms and the school computer lab during regularly scheduled PTSO meetings.
8. Curricula and Teaching that Integrate Technology: The technology staff and media specialists will assist Classroom Teachers with materials and activities that integrate technology into the curriculum and teaching methods. Faculty and staff will have access to the Internet to identify sites with information to supplement classroom instruction. The technology plan committee will use a needs assessment and conduct relevant research to find effective strategies that integrate technology into curricula and instruction. Etowah City School system will develop and sustain an on-going program of technology staff development. This staff development program will: A. Provide teachers the opportunities to develop skills and knowledge to integrate technology into regular classroom instruction; and B. Include sessions devoted to the alignment of Etowah City School to the Tennessee Frameworks Standards for Academics and Technology into the curriculum, students academic achievement will improve and will be measured by teacher observation and written assessments. Etowah City School will research and evaluate the use of distance learning as an innovative delivery system.
9. Increasing Accessibility: Faculty and staff will be provided with adequate hardware, software, and training to incorporate the use of technology with traditional strategies. Students with parent/guardian permission will be able to access the Internet in the classroom and the school computer la. The school is presently equipped with two (2) T1 lines for Internet connectivity and all classrooms have network/internet capabilities. As funding permits, additional computers, laser disc players, software and other equipment will be purchased. It is our goal to purchase additional computers and reduce the ratio of student computers from 5:1 to 4:1. 10. Telecommunications: Etowah City School System will conduct needs assessments on a yearly basis to evaluate the status of telecommunications systems. Any recommendations for maintenance, additions, or upgrades to improve education or library services will be based on these assessments.
11. Equity:
All students and staff have access to computers and the Internet in both classrooms and the school computer lab. Title I and Special education programs will provide adaptive technology equipment and support as needed. All teachers will have a computer desktop system and a laser disc player connected to a large screen TV (31" or larger) and four (4) student computers.
12. Professional Development:
Based on a needs assessment and relevant research, Etowah City School System will develop and sustain an on-going program of staff development to improve the integration of technology in classroom instruction.
13. Budget/Timeline: This budget is subject to availability of federal, state, and local funds:
| Year
|
Activity/Item
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Fund Source
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Cost
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| 2005-2006
July 2005
|
Upgrade Internet Service
From ENA, Nextel phones
For teacher in-school
Communications, Bellsouth school
Wide phone service
|
Local and Erate
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$19690.08
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| December 2005
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Fifteen (15) student
Computer for classrooms
|
Local, Special Ed.,
Title
|
$9,000.00
|
| August 2005
|
One (1) 32" TV for
Music Class
|
Local
|
$600.00
|
| February 2006
|
Staff Development
On teaching with
technology
|
Title
|
$500.00
|
| 2006-2007
August 2006
|
Staff Development
Trainers
|
Title and Local
|
$500.00
|
| September 2006
|
Training Materials,
Software
|
Title and Local
|
$300.00
|
| December 2006
|
Fifteen (15) Student
Computers for
Classrooms
|
Title and Local
|
$9,000.00
|
| February 2007
|
Grade Specific
Software and Reading Academy
Software
|
Local, Special Ed.,
Title
|
$10,000.00
|
| 2007-2008
August 2007
|
25 Laptops for
Teachers
|
Local, Title
|
$25,000.00
|
| October 2007
|
Staff Development
On teaching with Technology
|
Title
|
$500.00
|
| Year |
Activity/Item |
Fund Source
|
Target/Goal/Activity
|
| 2005-2006 July 2005
|
Upgrade Internet Service From ENA, Nextel phones
For teacher in-school Communications, Bellsouth school
Wide phone service
|
Local and Erate
|
Improve/increase access to the Internet and
Communications within the school.
|
| December 2005
|
Fifteen (15) student
Computer for classrooms
|
Local, Special Ed., Title
|
Improve/increase access
To technology.
|
| August 2005
|
One (1) 32" TV for Music Class
|
Local
|
1. Improve teacher effectiveness; 2. Provide strategy to
present lesson components
using technology.
|
| February 2006
|
Staff Development On teaching with
technology
|
Title
|
Improve teacher effectiveness.
|
| 2006-2007 August - September
2006
|
Provide faculty and staff Training on using the
Internet as a teaching Resource.
|
Title
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Improve student learning Through the use of technology.
|
| December 2006
|
Purchase fifteen (15) Student
Computers for classrooms
|
Local, Title
|
Improve/Increase
Access to technology
|
| February 2007
|
Grade Specific Software And Reading academy Software
|
Grants, Local, Special Ed.,
Title
|
Improve student learning
Through the use of
Technology.
|
| 2007-2008 August 2007
|
25 Laptops for Teachers
|
Local, Title
|
Improve/Increase access
To technology for teachers;
Improve teacher effectiveness.
|
| October 2007
|
Staff Development
On teaching with Technology
|
Title
|
Improve teacher effectiveness.
|
14. Interoperability:
The technology coordinator and assistant will approve the type of hardware and software purchased to insure compatibility with the computer operating system software and the school wide Novell network. The technology budget will include Local, Erate, Special Education, and Title I funds and will coordinate purchases school wide. Local, Erate, Special Ed., and Title I funds will be combined if necessary to make purchases of hardware/software or to fund staff development.
15. Leadership:
Administrators at Etowah City School will insure that opportunities as well as tools necessary are available to meet the goals and objectives of the technology plan. The principal through directives by the Director of Schools will perform periodic observations an ongoing evaluation of the plan.
16. Review of Policies and Procedures:
Etowah City School has an Acceptable Use Policy to Electronic Information, Services, and Network. Filtering of Internet sites is provided by Education Networks of America which is the statewide network used by all state run public school systems. The system is in compliance with the CIPA (Child Internet Protection Act).
17. Evaluation:
Goal A: To Improve access to technology thus enabling students to reach State academic standards. Evaluation: Maintain a current inventory of computer equipment and compare to total student enrollment to determine student/computer ratio. Compare the number of teacher workstations to number of classroom teachers.
Goal B: To provide teachers the opportunity to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively use and integrate technology in classroom instruction thus enabling students to reach State academic standards.
Evaluation: Principal and technology staff will conduct classroom observations to determine any increase in the number of teachers who integrate technology into classroom instruction. Goal C: To Improve academic achievement and technology literacy thus enabling students to reach State academic standards.
Evaluation: Teacher evaluations by school Principal.
Goal D: To align Etowah City School Curriculum to Tennessee State Standards Curriculum Framework to include technology standards thus enabling students to reach State academic standards. Evaluation: Teacher evaluations by school Principal. 18: Review of Policies and Procedures:
Etowah City School has an Acceptable Use Policy for Access to Electronic Information, Services, and Network. This policy is posted on the school website. Filtering of Internet sites is provided by Education Networks of America which the statewide network used by all state is run public schools. The system is in compliance with CIPA (Children's Internet Protection Act).
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