Pickerington Schools Technology Plan 69

Pickerington Schools Technology Plan 69

Technology Staff and Support The purpose of the technology staff is to provide the staff members an infrastructure that will support teaching and learning as well as administrative tasks. Additionally the technology staff will determine, with assistance from the technology committee, the devices and digital tools the District will purchase/lease. Lastly the technology staff will support staff members in both instructional and in technical ways to best utilize the technology available in the District. Director of Instructional Technology - The Director of Instructional Technology has primary authority and accountability for the District s educational and administrative technology. He/she will lead strategic efforts to utilize technology in support of the District s mission and operations. He/ she will articulate a compelling vision for technology and build the necessary support, both internally and externally, to realize the vision. He/she will evaluate, maintain and enhance current systems and practices, while providing direction in all technology-related issues. Instructional Technology Coordinator - To build capacity for innovative and effective use of instructional and administrative technology in support of the mission and goals of the Pickerington Local School District and its various departments and schools. Technology Resource Leader - Instructional support in the buildings for staff members with devices and digital tools. Technology Specialists - Global Integration Team (Teachers) - To educate students on the appropriate and effective uses of technology. Co-teaching strategies to properly embed the use of technology into the classroom curriculum. (pending approval) Technology Supervisor - To lead strategic efforts to design, implement, maintain and evaluate technology infrastructure and support systems that facilitate and enable the attainment of the District s mission and goals. Systems Analyst - Handles the configuration, implementation and monitoring of many of the technology systems for the District. Pickerington Schools Technology Plan 70

Lead Technician - To support the mission and goals of the PLSD Department of Technology by coordinating and facilitating the efficient and effective delivery of day-to-day technology support services in the Pickerington Local School District Technicians (3.5) - To support the mission and goals of the PLSD Department of Technology by providing timely and professional technical support to district staff. Building Technology Advisors (BTAs) - To support the use of technology for instructional and communication purposes at the individual building levels. Administrative Assistant - To assist the technology staff with administrative duties so that they may devote maximum attention to providing technology support for instructional and administrative operations in the school district. Pickerington Schools Technology Plan 71

Media Centers Supporting the Technology Plan Media specialists/aides support a culture of inquiry learning among all students and staff. Ensuring that the media center is a valuable learning space and that the media collection fully supports the learning needs of the school and curriculum means that there are certain duties specific to the media center. However, in order to promote learning anytime, anywhere, media specialists/aides need to expand the idea of the media center to every classroom and they need to be available to work with students and staff everywhere. Roles & Responsibilities: Encourages and supports a culture of inquiry among all members of the learning community, believing that developing inquiry skills and thinking will empower lifelong learners. Promotes a love of reading and encourages lifelong reading habits. Promotes reading for a variety of purposes, including for information, for enjoyment, for deepening understanding. Guides learners in developing skills and thinking processes necessary for gathering information and turning it into knowledge and understanding. Shares the vision of comprehensive integration of technology to promote excellence and support transformational change in PLSD. Assists teachers in selecting and using technology effectively for assessing student learning, differentiating instruction, and providing rigorous, relevant, and engaging learning experiences for all students. Models and promotes digital citizenship. Demonstrates professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions in content, pedagogical, and technological areas as well as in adult learning and leadership and continuously deepens knowledge and expertise. Creates and supports effective digital-age learning environments to maximize the learning of all students based on research-supported practice. Co-teaches, with classroom teachers, selection and evaluation and use of information sources. Assists teachers in integration of technology related to media centers Co-teaches, with classroom teachers, appropriate, effective, ethical use of technology. Models use of technology to enhance learning environments. Collaborates with other technology-related personnel within PLSD for research and development, curriculum development, PD, and other District initiatives. Pickerington Schools Technology Plan 72

Teaching & Administration Expectations 1. Live and work in a blended learning environment. 2. Have a presence in Google Classroom 3. Use the device as a teaching and learning tool with the key applications supported by the District. 4. Use less paper, not completely paperless. 5. Have an open mind, Be a contributor. The goal of blended learning is to combine the best teaching practice from a traditional classroom and those from a digital classroom. The teaching strategies should align to the goals of the learning objective. Some lessons may require the use of technology, other lessons technology may not be needed, while other lessons may need technology for part of the lesson. The end all goal is to have and utilize the proper tool to enhance the curriculum and meet the instructional needs of the students. Live and Work in a Blended Learning Environment: With the addition of the One2One devices teachers and students now have access to technology and digital tools anytime they are needed. Teachers need to transition lessons that can be enhanced or better achieved into a digital media. We understand that not all teachers will be at the same skill and knowledge level, but every attempt needs to be made to have a digital presence in each teacher s classroom. It is recommended that teachers explore digital resources that are supported by the District (ST Math, Gale Virtual Library, STAR, Illuminate Ed). Also staff members are encouraged to join a digital Professional Learning Network through a social media platform (Twitter, Google+, Facebook) to learn and share from people outside of the district. Have a Presence in Google Classroom: The District has adopted the suite of digital tools with Google Apps for Education. Hence the District is adopting Google Classroom as our Learning Management System (LMS). Each teacher needs to have an online presence in Google Classroom. By having everyone utilize the same LMS students, teachers and parents will be more comfortable with the LMS, building consistency across the District. Pickerington Schools Technology Plan 73

Use the Device as an Teaching and Learning Tool with the Key Applications supported by the District: Over the past few years the District has adopted numerous digital tools to enhance and support the curriculum. With the addition of the One2One program teachers and students now have access to devices anytime, anywhere. Teachers need to utilize the digital tools that have been adopted and are supported by the District. Some of those digital tools support by the District are: Eureka/Wheatley Online, Gale Virtual Research Library, Google Apps, History Alive, Illuminate Education, Imagine Learning, Moby Max, Naviance, Reading Eggs, Renaissance Learning, Springboard Online, ST Math. Use Less Paper, Not Completely Paperless With the increase use of digital collaboration and communication tools the need to print every document should decrease. The use of Google Apps for Education (especially Google Drive and Google Classroom) teachers and students can communicate and receive feedback through digital tools instead of traditional printing methods. Through communicating via digital tools teachers and students can create more of a collaborative environment in which teachers can give feedback and then students can clarify and continue to communicate in ways that traditional methods will not allow. It is understood that there will be times that printing is needed. It is requested that only those necessary items get printed. The district will not support printing from the student One2One devices. Have an Open Mind, Be a Contributor: Venturing into the world of blended learning is pulling those best practices that teachers have learned in a traditional classroom, plus the addition of new practices learned by effective use of digital tools. Through these new tools and new way of thinking of teaching and learning, everyone is encouraged to be willing to try new strategies and integrate the digital tools. Staff has the ability to implement blended learning without the fear of failure. Some things are going to go well and some things will go wrong. It is up to everyone to learn from those things that go wrong and share those things that go well. Educators need to work together to share best practices and contribute to improved teaching and learning of everyone in the District. Pickerington Schools Technology Plan 74

Student Technology Guru Program The Student Technology Guru Program, open to students in grades 10, 11, and 12, is a year-long, hands on study of technology integration in an educational context. Students are required to assess problem sets throughout the day and define the best approach to addressing or solving the problem. In addition to solving problems for students and teachers, students will be required to complete and maintain several running projects that address problems or solutions in educational technology integration. The course also asks students to have a prior understanding of Apple OS, Chrome OS, and the ipad ios. To be considered for Help Desk, students are required to interview with the Director of Instructional Technology, Technology Supervisor and building level technicians, as well as the building administration. Interviews are held in the late spring. *In addition to skills and knowledge related to educational technology, Technology Guru students should possess strong research, writing, and critical thinking skills. Students are expected to be self-motivated, independent learners. The Student Technology Guru Program will be limited to 16 students per high school, with two students managing the Technology Guru Station per period. Students will have the opportunity to obtain Apple and Google Industry credentials. Alignment to current District curriculum: Employ current technology to investigate, create, communicate, and produce Genius Bar students will research the latest developments in educational technology. They will identify the best types of technology tools to use in an educational setting. They will design a tutorial demonstrating how to use the tool as well as an example product, and share their product with a global audience via their individual and/or Student Technology Guru blog. Apply a variety of problem-solving strategies Genius Bar students will take a proactive approach to problem-solving through experimenting and designing digital products. Technology Guru students will also troubleshoot technology problems (both hardware and software) for students and teachers and will offer multiple solutions to technology-related problems. Communicate orally & write effectively Genius Bar students will author content for the Student Technology Guru blog. Types of content includes written blog posts, screencasts and podcasts. Students will also host Live Google Hangouts on Air, deliver classroom presentations for teachers and students, and may have the opportunity to present at local, state, and regional conferences. Pickerington Schools Technology Plan 75

Read critically & obtain, evaluate, analyze, and apply data Through ongoing research and the development of a personal learning network, Technology Guru students will be on the cutting-edge of trends in educational technology. They will curate useful educational technology resources and tools for teachers and students. Demonstrate self-control and respect for all individuals Students will manage their time and multiple projects effectively, collaborate with their Technology Guru colleagues, and provide exceptional customer service to students, teachers, parents, administration, community members, and Guru Station visitors. Exhibit responsible citizenship Technology Guru students will be responsible, work independently, and demonstrate leadership. They will use social media tools responsibility and will develop a positive and appropriate online presence. They will serve as role models to their peers. Pickerington Schools Technology Plan 76