Part 1: Technology Plan Assessment Rubric

3 Goals are linked to objectives. Goals are specific, comprehensive, and realistic in addressing teaching and learning needs as well as clear, attainable, and measurable. Goals clearly answer the questions: who? What? When? How much? Realistic Strategy Strategies for using for using telecommunications and Telecommunications information technology are and Information well defined and are Technology clearly linked to goals and objectives. The use of technology is specific, comprehensive, and realistic in addressing teaching and learning needs. Assessment of An assessment of Telecommunication telecommunication Services services is listed in the technology plan. The assessment clearly explains all of the telecommunication services that are provided for the school district.

Components Goals and Objectives

2 Goals are linked to objectives but are not readily attainable and/or measurable. Goals are loosely tied to state or district documents. Goals are broad and comprehensive but not completely clear. The use of technology is broad and does not address teaching and learning needs. Strategies for using telecommunications and information technology are loosely defined and are loosely tied to goals and objectives. An assessment of telecommunication services is mentioned in the technology plan, but does not fully explain the telecommunication services that are available to the school district.

1 Goals are equipment based rather than based on learning outcomes. Goals are not linked to objectives. Goals are not measurable, attainable, and are unclear. The use of technology is minimal at best. Technology parameters are not linked to goals and objectives and do not address teaching and learning needs.

The assessment of telecommunication services isnt listed in the technology plan. Or More than two telecommunication services were left out of the technology plan.

Hardware

Software

One or two of the telecommunication services were left out of the technology plan. Technology Plan provides Technology Plan a list of the major hardware provides some, but not needed to be provided to all of the major teachers. hardware information is provided. Each type of hardware is fully explained. Major Each type of hardware hardware components are is explained with explained with no errors. some of the major details left out. Technology Plan provides Technology Plan a list of the major software provides some, but not needed to be provided to all of the major teachers. software information is provided. Each type of software is fully explained. Major Each type of software software components are is explained with explained with no errors. some of the major

Technology Plan provides no information on the hardware needed for the school district. Each type of hardware is mentioned with no other explanation. Technology Plan provides no information on the software needed for the school district. Each type of software is mentioned with no other explanation.

Part 2: Documentation of Reasoning for Analysis

Introduction: The Long County School Systems technology plan is being evaluated in this report. This system serves three schools and approximately 2500 students. The technology plan is a three year plan which was implemented on July 1, 2009 and will be used until June 30, 2012. The plan was approved by the State Department of Education, the Educational Technology Training Centers, and Armstrong Atlantic State University. Use of this plan is strongly implemented by all schools in the Long County School District. Each school has specific technology needs which are met according to the grade levels addressed on that individual school. This technology plan can be found at:

http://www.longcountyps.com/Departments/Technology_Dept/LongCo_3yr_Tech_Plan_0912.pdf

Body: Goals and Objectives The goals and objectives are the most important part of any technology plan because they set the foundation for what the school district would like to achieve and they inform all stakeholders of the vision for technology throughout the district. The Long County technology plan offers 6 different goals that range from targeting the technological needs of parents and the community to targeting students, teachers and administrators. The goals of this technology plan are very in depth and provide certain criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of the goal. One goal that I found quite interesting was the fact that the Long County School district has decided that 100% of students with special needs will be provided with the necessary assistive technology as stated in the students Individualized Education Plan. While the Long County School District addresses the need for instructional technology amongst teachers and administrators, they district does not neglect the need for technology amongst students with special needs. Unique characteristics to the goals and objectives of Long Countys technology plan such as requiring the adaptation of technology amongst special needs students is one reason why I scored the plan very high. Other goals such as requiring administrators to be an integral part in the technology implementation and to increase the number of technology enhanced classrooms are characteristics that I found intriguing. Such goals are quite interesting because as educators

we know that our administrators must buy into the concept of technology before significant changes can be made to the infrastructure of the school or school system. The goals and objectives also included benchmarks and evaluation methodology Benchmarks are helpful in knowing the exact plan of the goals and objectives of a districts technology plan. The Long County technology plan is equipped with specific benchmarks that include specific information pertaining to each goal and sub goal. The evaluation methods of the technology plan are specific and attainable. Each goal and sub goal includes the method for evaluation as well as the person responsible for evaluating the goal. Overall the goals and objectives section of Long Countys technology plan was prepared quite thoroughly and included all pertinent information. Goals and sub goals are stated in simple terms so that readers of all levels can understand the vision of the technology plan. All stakeholders were addressed in the technology plan and it is evident that the district has envisioned a future of ongoing technological updates and improvements.

Realistic Strategies Realistic strategies for using telecommunications and information technology is important in helping create deep level learning and thinking by students. Realistic strategies for using technology help make learning meaningful for students. Realistic strategies that are incorporated into Long Countys technology plan were spread throughout the document and exist in almost every section. I scored this section as high as possible because Long County has made it clear that the use of technology by students, faculty, and staff is evident and will continue to be incorporated at

all levels of instruction. Elementary, middle and high school students have access to internet connected computers at a ratio of about 2:1. While students have access to computers, teachers are given the freedom to incorporate real world software learning programs such as Photo Story, Movie Maker, and Web 2.0 programs. Technology is used at the middle school level to help low level learners prepare for the CRCT. Many teachers in the Long County School District are given the freedom to create their own class websites in order to post homework assignments, instructions, or announcements. As I was evaluating the effectiveness of realistic strategies for using telecommunications and information technology I found that the Long County School District has done a great job in creating realistic uses of technology and the technology plan heading into the future continues to address such realistic uses. In order to be effective, the technology department must be able to adapt with the ever changing times of technology and instruction. The Long County School District has been proactive in addressing 21st Century learning needs and will continue to be. One drawback that I found that may need to change for future technology plans was the fact that the realistic strategies were spread throughout the document. It was a little difficult to find the exact information needed to evaluate this section. Telecommunication Services Keeping in touch with stakeholders about the technology being used within a school district is important. Reviewing the Long County School System technology plan, the section for communication is very easy to find. It is bolded and the font is larger than the font around it to make it stand out to its reader. It gives examples of how the stakeholders will be contacted and how the stakeholders can contact the community and technology specialist. A couple of ways the school district provides telecommunication services to its

stakeholders is providing them with access to school websites, press releases, Internet articles, and school newsletters. On the website, stakeholders within the school district and parents can see upcoming events, lunch menus, recent school news, and the school calendar. However, the communication section is also connected with the marketing section. This makes reading this section a little more difficult. It seemed like the first two paragraphs covered the communication services and the third paragraph covered both communication and marketing. Not really knowing the school system that well, this was a little confusing for me. If the two sections had been divided, it would have made reading this section read more smoothly. Having stated that, section didnt talk as much about marketing as much as I thought it would since it was headed for communication and marketing. This is another reason why communication should have had its own section. Hardware Hardware is an essential part of any technology plan. In this particular technology plan, it was very difficult to find where the plan explained what kind of hardware the school district has. It didnt have its own section so I had to read and re-read the plan very carefully to find the hardware section. When I found the hardware section, it explained in great detail about the hardware that could be found within the school district. For example, it gave the number of desktop computers, 762, and that each classroom has high speed Internet connections. I was surprise to read that the school district had completed a hardware inventory survey. I didnt realize that there was a hardware survey. The only thing I would change about this section is I would have given hardware a separate section or at least a sub section. This would have made finding the hardware section much easier and less confusing. Software

This section was actually divided into the three different schools; Elementary, Middle, and High School. I really liked this because I could read what kind of technology each school uses. The technology described under each school was very well defined with each type of software listed. This was very helpful and interesting to see what type of software each school uses, such as Dreamweaver, Inspiration, and Class Works. The only improvement I would make to the software section, is instead of having the names of the school italicized and the same size font as the font underneath, I would bold the names and make them a little larger so the reader can easily see the three different schools. Other Services Needed Even though the technology plan does not have a section specifically for other services needed, it does give reference to the Armstrong Atlantic State University Educational Technology Center. Here the technology plan states that this technology center provides support to the Long County School System by assisting with grant writing, training, and other professional learning needs. The technology only gives one paragraph describing the services that the technology center provides. It explains everything in detail, but I would have liked to read more about what else the technology center does for the school system and its future plans for the school system. This was interesting to me because I hadnt heard of a university helping a school district with their technology services. If all school districts had help like this one, schools might be able to keep up to date with technology and be able to have access to more technology grants. Professional Development: In the area of professional development or staff development, the technology plan scored all possible points three out of three. The technology plan discussed the importance of

professional development, partners such as Armstrong Atlantic State University, and standards to follow. The school aligns technology staff development with the Georgia Performance Standards and the National Education Technology Standards. Along with listing the importance and standards for professional development, the plan also consist of a detailed list of courses offered for specific technologies along with target audiences for the technology development. While this was a good description of the professional development offered, I think that it could be improved by giving the specific name of the training and the company that provides the training. I also think that it would be beneficial to include online resources for professional development. Budget Resources: The sources of funding are clearly stated. The technology plan lists Title program funds and local funds which are shown to support technology equipment, software, and training. The technology plan breaks down the budget by strategies and project. It lists the strategy being addressed along with the funding source and estimated amount allotted by the technology budget. These strategies are also broken down by goals given earlier in the technology plan. One example of this includes strategy, to provide professional learning opportunities that will enable technical support specialists to maintain and enhance network infrastructure; and budget for this strategy includes an allotment of $10,000 provided through local technology funds. Another example was the strategy, specific student technology competency goals as required by Georgia Technology Standards will be incorporated into the curriculum at all grades levels, the budget for this strategy list State School wide Funds and Title I funds of $10,000. The technology plan also includes time frames in which the strategy is evaluated. Many timelines for strategies are annual. However, some strategies are weekly, monthly, or ongoing

throughout the year. Therefore, the technology plan scored 3 out of 3 in the section of projects, budgets, and timelines. One possible improvement to the plan could be a comprehensive summary of the budget. While the budget was broken into categories telling how the funds would be allocated and which funds would be used, the plan did not have an actual budget breakdown and summary section. I believe that the plan would be better if it had a whole section for budget. An Evaluation method is listed for each technology strategy and goal. A large portion of the technology plan includes a chart listing a technology strategy/goal, benchmark for reaching that goal, funding source/estimated amount, person responsible, and an evaluation method. About twenty strategies are listed with clear evaluation methods for each strategy

Summary: The Long County School District has done an outstanding job creating, implementing, and evaluating their three year technology plan. Long County is comprised of one elementary school, one middle school, and one high school. While Long County may be a smaller school district, the same goals and objectives that are relevant at this level apply in a larger district as well. That being said, the Long County technology department has a smaller scope of services to provide, but the services that are provided are essentially the same throughout each district in the State of Georgia. The Long County School District has an outstanding vision for technology use amongst students, teachers, parents, administrators, and other community stakeholders. The goals and

objectives are attainable and are accompanied by in depth evaluation methods. Teachers, students, and administrators are allowed access to web 2.0 applications and software which is quite unique to the Long County School District. The Long County School District utilizes online web resources effectively to communicate with parents, teachers, students, and community stakeholders. One unique quality of the Long County School Districts technology plan is that Armstrong Atlantic State University is utilized by the technology department for outside services such as professional development, grant writing, and any other services the University may be able to provide. As you can see the Long County School District is aware of the need for technology. The district has implemented an initiative to create a 21st century learning district. While all parts of the technology plan were scored a maximum score of three, our group felt that there were a few minor organization issues that could be addressed to make the plan more reader friendly. Overall, the plan was effective in addressing 21st Century Learning needs for all stakeholders, goals and objectives were linked to GPS and NETS, and methods for evaluation were efficient and attainable.