Tipton County Board of Education
1580 Highway 51 South
Covington, Tn 38019


Dr. Tim Fite

Director of Schools


3-Year Technology Plan

2006 - 2009

 

Marty Becton, Technology Coordinator

Marla Phillips, Assistant Technology Coordinator

Peter Jennings, Technology Specialist

Tiffany Kelley, Technology Trainer



Vision Statement

Mission Statement

Executive Summary

Goals and Objectives

Implementation

Ongoing Plan Evaluation

Table of Correspondences

Addendum

 

Vision

The district will develop a technology rich, student centered learning environment, consistent with local values, with equitable and equal access for all schools and classrooms, that will improve and enhance students', teachers' and administrations' ability to achieve personal and educational goals.

District Mission Statement

The mission of the Tipton County Board of Education is to develop lifelong learners with the knowledge and thinking skills necessary to successfully meet challenges of the present and future through well trained staff, quality instruction, technological advancements, support services, and a safe, positive learning environment.

Technology Mission Statement

Educational technology will be utilized to improve student achievement, classroom instruction, and organizational capacity, in order to prepare students for life and work in the digital world.

Executive Summary

Over the past five years the number of networked computers has increased from 300 to over 1,400.  We have grown from eight to eleven school buildings, and our student enrollment has gone from approximately 8,000 to 10,000 with just over 1,200 employees.  The Tipton County Schools just completed the last year of a five-year Strategic Planning initiative that covered 1995-2000.  Our plan will build upon the significant technological advancements achieved during the past five years.  We also have recently finished a five-month Strategic Planning project that laid out Technology Goals covering the next five-year period of 2001-2005.

The Strategic Planning committee of 213 members included students, teachers, parents, business leaders, administrators, supervisors, and other interested community and educational leaders.  The technology sub-committee recommendations are reviewed by the district technology committee.

Based on the building level STaR Chart (completed May 2002) and the county-wide technology needs assessment technology survey, the Strategic Planning committee emphasized the need to promote professional staff development, improve technical support, standardize software and hardware procurement procedures, provide a system upgrade path for existing hardware and software, and update the classroom technology configuration model. Educational Technology's main function is to support learning and instruction in the classroom. Thus emphasizing the goal of strengthening the curriculum through the use of technology based applications and instructional strategies.

New educational technology directions have been taken over the past year to engage the entire school district in a curriculum review process. Technology is now seen as integral to the achievement of the school's mission. Technology will support student learning in all areas of the curriculum. Curriculum requirements are now part of the software selection process. We are using a "step-ladder" ("spiraling") type approach with a continuum from grade to grade, resulting in a coordinated effort.

The Tipton County District Technology Committee established and adopted the minimum Core Technology Skills that every teacher should possess. The committee's ongoing responsibilities include setting software and hardware purchasing guidelines, assessing current technology based capabilities, monitoring implementation of Strategic Planning goals, and evaluating ongoing assessment of established goals and objectives.

The first five-year Strategic Plan called for installing a network infrastructure that would support district wide applications deployment. Having deployed the infrastructure designed in the first Strategic Plan, the next five-year Strategic Plan concentrates on professional staff development and integrating technology into the curriculum. For purposes of this document, discussion will be limited to what we expect to accomplish in the next three years.

It is the vision of Tipton County Schools to assure effective equitable and successful utilization of technology to improve student achievement and to gain higher levels of productivity. In order to support teaching strategies and student learning styles, technology will play an integral part in curriculum, instruction, and assessment. It is the district’s obligation to ensure equity and access for all learners in the implementation of appropriate software, hardware, training and professional development. Equitable training opportunities will be provided for all teachers.

Title and local funds have been used to provide additional computers and staff development for schools identified as high-poverty and high-needs. The ratio of student to computer is higher for those targeted schools than other schools in the district. Title and local funds provide for additional training and technical support staff.

Goals and Objectives

  • Administrators, teachers, and students will use a variety of educational technologies to improve student learning, teacher productivity, and increase organizational capacity.


    • Objectives:
    • 80% of certified teachers will complete the Core Computer Literacy Skills over the next three years in order to increase teacher productivity.
    • 100% of building administrators will complete the Core Computer Literacy Skills over the next three years in order to increase administrator productivity.
    • Provide sufficient technical support to keep computer hardware and software, and associated infrastructure functioning in order to maintain the learning environment in the classroom.
    • 10% of administrators, teachers, and students will apply multimedia tools in personal productivity and learning throughout content areas.

  • Administrators, teachers, and students will use educational technology to conduct and evaluate research and to effectively communicate information and ideas.


    • Objectives:
    • 100% of the schools will select and train an on-site web page administrator to increase community and parental awareness.
    • The Technology Coordinator, or his representative, will meet regularly with all PTO groups to communicate how educational technology is being used to improve student learning.
    • The Technology Coordinator and/or the appropriate member of the District Technology Committee will make local radio, television, and newspapers aware of significant events involving educational technology and student learning.
    • 100% of administrators and certified personnel will have access to the district email system to communicate with colleagues, parents, and community.
    • 75% of administrators, teachers, and students will use a variety of computer technologies to collaborate with peers and experts, present, access, analyze, interpret, synthesize, apply, and communicate, information in content areas.

  • Administrators, teachers, and students will use educational technology resources to develop problem solving strategies, improve decision-making, and support real world applications.


    • Objectives:
    • 50% of administrators, teachers, and students will analyze tasks to determine appropriateness of use of computers for problem solving such as: searching, sorting, calculating, and printing.
    • 90% of teachers and administrators will identify, locate, and utilize the appropriate software which will assist them in targeting student learning gaps and improving achievement.
    • 25% of students will use software applications to construct, analyze, interpret, collaborate, and draw conclusions based on real world data.

 

Implementation

In support of the goals and objectives stated in the District Educational Technology Plan and the District Strategic Plan, action steps have been developed to infuse technology into the ongoing learning and work environment of our schools.

The Tipton County School Board of Education has approved policies and procedures currently in place for purchasing, installing, and using technology based hardware and software.  Every student and their parent or legal guardian must sign a Student Acceptable Use Policy and every teacher and administrator also has an Employee Acceptable Use Policy.  The student and employee acceptable use policy was adopted by the Board on 3/8/01.  The Board approved the Internet Safety Policy on 8/8/02.  These policies are annually reviewed the District Technology Committee.

The Technology Coordinator, Marty Becton, will have overall responsibility for putting the technology plan into action.  His specific responsibilities include overseeing the implementation timeline, providing increased accessibility, equity, budget, interoperability, and regular reporting to the stakeholders involved in this plan.  He will also share responsibility with the assistant technology coordinator, Marla Phillips, and the district technology committee for evaluation and the review of policies and procedures.

Professional Development

    Every teacher and school library media specialist’s technology ability will be assessed through the Core Computer Literacy competencies and by using a technology self-assessment tool.  CEO Forum’s STaR chart will also be used to obtain an accurate picture of technology readiness district-wide and at each school.  The five phases of technology use, adapted from CEO Forum’s Year 2 Report, will be used to measure the teacher’s advances in technology integration.  These five phases are entry, adoption, adaptation, appropriation and invention.  By measuring teachers’ and library media specialists’ technology levels against these five phases, an accurate depiction of the effect of technology professional development will occur.  Extensive training and support will be needed as a teacher moves from the entry and adoption phases into the adaptation, appropriation and invention phases. On-going training, support and follow-up will be essential in preparing teachers and library media specialist in adequately taking on their new roles as facilitators.

    A standards-based professional development program will be designed for teachers and school library media personnel with the goal of increasing student achievement.  The technology trainer, working in conjunction with the district-wide technology committee, school technology committees, school administrators and curriculum supervisors will devise a professional development program that fits the needs of our district’s schools.  Since educational technology changes the processes of teaching and learning, as noted in CEO Forum’s Year 4 STaR Report, the teacher’s role must also change.  Technology professional development will reflect an emphasis on teachers changing the learning environment into a more student-centered, problem solving and collaborative setting.

    Strategies that will be incorporated to improve teacher competency in educational technology will be the development of the technology professional development portal, building level mentoring and coaching, ask-an-expert email bulletin board, train-the-trainer workshops and staff development sessions that focus on technology integration.  The just-in-time approach to technology integration will be employed by supplying teachers with knowledge and resources they need to produce a finished product, which is ready to be implemented upon leaving the session regardless of expertise in any software application.  All technology integration efforts will be aligned with state and local curriculum-based standards.

    Professional development for principals and administrators will be offered which promotes the necessary leadership for technology in schools.  Every school administrator will receive a copy of the ISTE Technology Standards for School Administrators (TSSA), which defines standards in areas of leadership and vision, learning and teaching, productivity and professional practice, support, management and operations, assessment and evaluation, and social, legal and ethical issues.  School administrators will receive the necessary support and training needed to demonstrate effective leadership for technology in schools.

The Technology Trainer, Tiffany Kelley, will be responsible for professional development, leadership training and staff development, curricula and teaching that integrate technology into daily educational strategies.  The technology trainer in cooperation with the district-wide technology committee, school technology committees, school administrators and curriculum supervisors will identify student learning gaps based on state and local student assessments.  Using this data, technology integration staff development will be aligned to district-wide curriculum maps and state standards.

The district-wide technology committee will develop and publish student technology standards based on ISTE’s standards and revise the existing teacher technology competencies to reflect technology integration efforts.  Staff development will address the effective use of technology to promote student achievement.  Successful technology integration staff development will prepare teachers to use technology to teach, develop and reinforce the important 21st century skills of digital age literacy, inventive thinking, effective communication and high productivity as outlined in CEO Forum’s School Technology and Readiness Report.

As part of the teachers’ professional development program, a “best practices” component will be implemented in order to identify ideal technology integrated lessons which address state and local standards.  A “best practice” lesson will be defined as a lesson that utilizes technology to promote higher order thinking skills which addresses curriculum standards and can be easily replicated by other educators.  A “best practice” jury will be comprised of the technology trainer, members of the district-wide technology committee and curriculum supervisors. The jury will use a rubric to assist in deciding which lessons are deemed as “best practice” lessons.  “Best practice” lessons will be posted on the professional development district web site, so that other teachers may utilize them or model from them.

A web site portal will be dedicated to technology professional development where teachers can access technology integration resources, lesson plans, and obtain ideas for implementing technology in their curriculum.  The technology trainer and key members of the district-wide technology committee will conduct teacher training, support technology integration and provide follow-up for technology integration.  The Tipton County School System believes that student academic achievement can be improved when well-trained teachers utilize technology to teach standards-based curriculum.  The timeline reflects the phases of implementation.

 

  1. Improve teacher computer literacy skills.
    • 100% of the EdTech funds will be utilized to provide additional staff development
    • Formally assess the current status of teacher and staff computer literacy
    • Establish Core Computer Literacy Skills and Proficiency standards
    • Include Core Computer Literacy Skills in annual teacher professional staff development requirements
    • Assessment of Computer Literacy Skills shall include but not be limited to:
      • Technology based assignments given to students
      • Content involved in assignment
      • Type of assignments given (higher-order, remediation, modeling, etc.)
      • Time allocated to each student
      • How assignments reflect objectives delineated in the state and local standards
      • How technology is used to deliver instruction
      • Teacher productivity affected by the use of technology
      • Type of technology used in the classroom
    • Implement distance-learning capabilities within 3 years
    • Provide inservice for all certified personnel in Microsoft Office

  2. Technical support for computer instruction and maintenance of existing system.
    • Formally assess the current status of computer hardware and software
    • Establish an online, platform independent, browser based, service request mechanism that is easily accessible for all staff
    • Establish tracking logs for each school, teacher, and computer
    • Define realistic problem resolution expectations
    • Train at least one certified person at each site to troubleshoot and prioritize service requests

  3. Improve access to educational technology resources.
    • Install at least one networked computer in every classroom
    • Install a networked computer in every administrative office area
    • Maintain existing automated circulation programs for each school library and provide student access to electronic card catalog from every networked computer
    • Install additional networked printers in strategic locations to better serve administrative and student needs
    • Install wireless network access to all portable buildings and classrooms
    • Maintain existing wide area network (WAN) and local area networks (LAN)
    • Networks must support multi-platform and interoperable hardware and software applications

  4. Provide educational technology resources that will facilitate improved communication between teachers, administration, students, parents, and community.
    • Maintain existing Groupwise© email system
    • Deploy intranet access for teachers to post technology integrated lessons on school web sites
    • Train at least one certified person at each site to develop and maintain their schools web site
    • Integrate school web sites into district web site
    • Train 100% of certified teachers to create their own web site utilizing the Microsoft software the district has standardized
    • Continue providing support for Education Edge, CHOICE, TOTAL Youth Leadership; Middle Schools: Planning for Success; Elementary Schools: Career Awareness; High School: Job Shadowing, and other programs designed to better foster collaboration with our school and our community
    • Establish and facilitate building and district level technology committees that have equal and open membership. See addendum.

  5. Provide adequate funding for Educational Technology Plan.
    • Search for additional funding via state, federal, and other grants, business partnerships, and other such avenues
    • Continue utilizing eRate funds for educational technology resources

     

Ongoing Plan Evaluation

An ongoing evaluation of this technology plan will determine if progress is being made toward the stated goals and objectives, and will help insure that the full integration of the plan is actually implemented.

The technology coordinator will meet with each principal at least once every six weeks, and each curriculum supervisor at least once a month to evaluate and develop an ongoing process of curricula revision in light of the technology integration progress.  The district's strategic planning committee will review proposed curriculum revisions and utilization of technology for instruction and student learning in accordance with the district's strategic plan.

Pre and post student assessments will be performed in math, reading, science, and other areas in which technology has been used to help deliver instruction.   This will provide benchmarks, track improvements, identify learning gaps, and give teachers timely information they can use to help students master the taught objectives.

The technology coordinator will conduct annual technology surveys of both staff and students, inviting comments and recommendations.  The results will be timely presented to the district level technology committee, all principals, curriculum supervisors, and the Director of Schools. In addition, biannual on-line surveys of technology use among parents and other adult members of the community will be analyzed to determine if the primary goals of this plan are being attained.  Information gathered from all surveys will be collected and used in future reporting, analysis, planning, and evaluation.

The technology coordinator will produce periodic reports for awareness and input for the Director of Schools, the school board, parents and other stakeholders, that describe progress made toward attaining the goals and objectives of the technology plan. The Technology Plan must be a dynamic document.  Technology is changing too rapidly for the plan to be static. Therefore it will be critical for the District Technology Committee to meet once a six weeks to determine if the goals and objectives of the plan are being met in light of current technologies.  The District Technology Committee will make recommendations to add or modify the strategies established in this plan, in coordination with the district's strategic plan to enhance the learning process of district and area residents.

Table of Correspondences

1.  Needs assessment - Plan describes the district's needs related to technology literacy and incorporating technology into district education practice. The description must be based on a needs assessment conducted within the district.

2. Stakeholder involvement in planning - Plan describes the diverse stakeholders in the district who were involved in developing the plan and the process through which stakeholders were engaged.

The current members of the district technology committee are:

3. Timeline - Plan includes a timeline (of not more than three years) for implementation.

4. Responsible parties - Plan indicates by name and title who is responsible for overseeing implementation of specific elements of the plan.

5. Vision - Plan includes a vision that relates educational technology to increasing student achievement.

6. Goals and objectives - Plan sets forth goals and measurable objectives for using technology to improve student academic achievement, aligned with State standards.

7. Collaboration among educators - Plan encourages collaboration among all district educators -- including classroom teachers, school library staff, administrators and educational technology staff -- reaching educational goals and objectives. The plan provides mechanisms to promote the active participation of library staff in curriculum planning that incorporates development of information literacy.

8. Collaboration with community partners - Plan includes a description of how the district will work with community partners (such as parents, community groups, other educational entities, government agencies, and public or academic libraries) to help achieve the plan's goals and objectives for educational technology. (The description will include, where applicable, a program in collaboration with adult literacy services providers.)

9. Curricula and teaching that integrate technology - Plan describes how the district will identify and promote curricula and teaching strategies that effectively integrate technology, based on a review of relevant research, leading to improvements in student academic achievement.

10. Increasing accessibility - Plan describes how the district will ensure that all students and teachers have increased access to technology resources.

11. Equity - Plan provides for equitable access to technology and information resources for all students and educators--paying particular attention to closing the gap for students and educators who have had poorer access because of race, gender, disability, economic status, or special needs.

12. Professional development - Plan includes a description of how the district will provide ongoing, sustained, high-quality professional development for teachers, principals, administrators, and school library media personnel to further the effective use of technology in classrooms and library media centers to improve student achievement in a standards-based environment. (The description must include strategies that will improve teacher competency in educational technology.)

13. Budget - Plan provides an annualized budget for connectivity, hardware, software, professional development, print and electronic resources, support and other services, personnel, and plan-related activities that support development and use of educational technology.

14. Interoperability - Plan includes specific provisions for interoperability among technology components (Hardware to hardware; software to software; hardware to software)

15. Leadership - Plan includes elements that strengthen the role of district and school leadership in advocacy, administration, communication, and modeling of effective educational technology integration in achieving the plan's goals and objectives.

16. Review of policies and procedures - Plan identifies the district's current or pending policies and procedures (e.g.,Acceptable use of the Internet, student Internet safety, and digital copyright) that related to the use of educational technology.

17. Evaluation - Plan includes a description of the methods and standards by which attainment of the plan's goals and objectives will be measured.

 

____________________________________________________________

ADDENDUM

Section A.

Timeline

Date Action Responsible Party
September 2002 Review/Revise District Technology Plan Marty Becton, Technology Coordinator District-wide Technology Committee Curriculum Supervisors
September 2002 Ongoing Staff Development for effectively integrating technology Marty Becton, Technology Coordinator
Tiffany Kelley, Technology Trainer
Curriculum Supervisors
October 2002 Identify student learning gaps Marty Becton, Technology Coordinator
Tiffany Kelley, Technology Trainer
Curriculum Supervisors
October 2002 Design Staff Development Plan based on learning gaps and needs Marty Becton, Technology Coordinator
Tiffany Kelley, Technology Trainer
Curriculum Supervisors
November 2002 Develop student technology standards and review/revise teacher technology competencies District-wide Technology Committee
Buddy Bibb, Director of Instruction
Curriculum Supervisors; Dornetha Taylor, Ann Smith and Georgia Dawson
December 2002 All teachers and library media specialists complete self-assessment Marty Becton, Technology Coordinator
District-wide Technology Committee
December 2002 Review progress of technology integration District-wide Technology Committee
January 2003 Professional Development Plan is implemented Technology Department
District-wide Technology Committee
February 2003 Technology Professional Development web portal is published Tiffany Kelley, Technology Trainer
Lisa Turner, Administrative Assistant
February 2003 Education Edge: Job Shadowing Day Ruth Gordon, District Education Edge Coordinator
March 2003 Gates’ Administrator Professional Development program begins Dr. Tim Fite, Director of Schools
Buddy Bibb, Director of Instruction
May 2003 Technology Needs Assessment Marty Becton, Technology Coordinator
May 2003 Plan and schedule summer technology professional development Marty Becton, Technology Coordinator
Marla Phillips, Assistant Technology Coordinator
Peter Jennings, Technology Specialist
Tiffany Kelley, Technology Trainer
May 2003-August 2003 Technology Training Sessions Marty Becton, Technology Coordinator
Marla Phillips, Assistant Technology Coordinator
Peter Jennings, Technology Specialist
Tiffany Kelley, Technology Trainer
Peggy Barber, Technology Trainer
Diana Boswell, Technology Trainer
Kindle Willis, Technology Trainer
July 2003-August 2003 Hardware and software upgrade orders and installation Technology Department
Ongoing Education Edge: Career Awareness Ruth Gordon, District Education Edge Coordinator
Ongoing Education Edge: Planning for Success Ruth Gordon, District Education Edge Coordinator
Ongoing Education Edge: TOTAL Youth Leadership Ruth Gordon, District Education Edge Coordinator
Ongoing Professional Development Technology Department
Ongoing Update and provide software and staff development for analyzing student assessment data Ann Smith, Media Supervisor
Ongoing Improve access to and support for assistive technology for students with special needs Ann Burlison, Special Education Supervisor
Ongoing Provide exemplary web-based resources and tools which support instructional goals Technology Department
Ongoing Replace/upgrade technology hardware and software on a cycle of no greater than 5 years Technology Department
Ongoing Pursue additional technology funding sources District-wide Technology Committee
Ongoing Maintain the automated circulation program for each school library and expand school-wide access Technology Department
Ongoing Provide a means to electronically organize the curriculum to minimize student learning gaps Technology Department
Ongoing Align the teacher professional development with subject area standards Technology Department
Curriculum Supervisors

 

Section B.

Education Edge: Ruth Gordon is the District Coordinator of the Education Edge Partnership that seeks to provide all public school students in Tipton County with the highest quality academic education and lifelong career development through partnerships among students, parents, educators, school board members, government officials, employers and other community members.  Its goal is to integrate academics and career-development activities into a higher-quality, more effective education system that better serves all students.

Working with Access, we saw the potential for creating databases that would enhance our partnership programs, and would streamline and refine communication with our stakeholders.  Student involvement was a key component in the creation of the first database in 1998, used to organize information for the Job Shadowing Day program.  Continued maintenance of this and other databases involves collaboration among students, school staff, the district coordinator, and community coordinators.  The main database currently includes nearly 600 contacts at 150 businesses and organizations, and provides a 4-year history of student participation in selected Education Edge programs.  Our goal over the next three years is to promote our projects online, and link the various forms used in support of our projects to the web site.  This will allow students and community volunteers to fill out the forms online, while the information goes directly into the appropriate Access database.

Programs benefiting from the Education Edge databases include:

Elementary Schools: Career Awareness, serving all Tipton County elementary schools, includes Careers on Wheels, Living Wax Museum, What Hat Will I Wear, Community Classroom Speakers, etc., recognized by both Education Edge and Partners in Education state organizations as a Best Practice.

Middle Schools: Planning for Success, serving all 8th grade students, the Alternative School, and marketing classes at each high school. A drop out prevention program, Planning for Success promotes 6-year planning, life-long learning and self-discipline to succeed.  Includes CHOICES, a two day presentation by community members; a financial literacy program provided by the National endowment for Financial Education and taught by classroom teachers; and the Reality Store, planned, organized, implemented and evaluated by the marketing students.  Follow up includes visits to the Tipton County campus of Dyersburg State Community College, the Tennessee Technology Center at Covington, and area high schools, recognized by both Education Edge and Partners in Education state organizations.

High Schools: TOTAL Youth Leadership, serves 20-25 high school juniors each year, and includes collaboration with the Chambers of Commerce and diverse organizations-the Commission on Aging, Baptist Memorial Hospital Tipton, Head Start, the Tipton County Criminal Justice Center, the Community Corrections Corporation, the Tipton County Courthouse, etc. Sessions include Team building, Government and Criminal Justice, Education, Healthcare, Economic Development, and Quality of Life.

High Schools: Job Shadowing Day, which has served over 1000 students, visiting over 250 businesses to date.  Students better understand the importance and the relevance of their education and see firsthand the range of knowledge, skills, and teamwork that the workplace demands.  In addition, they gather valuable information that may assist them in making decisions about pursuing a career that interests them.  The opportunity to network with businesses has also resulted in job opportunities.

Community: The Family Matters! Conference, a collaboration with the Family Resource Center and with numerous other social service agencies and education organizations, this conference offers a variety of workshops for parents and other caregivers.

Community: Promotion of System with Media, includes Teacher Features and numerous articles in the South Tipton County Star, the Covington Leader, and the Commercial Appeal, radio spots with WKBL, newsletters and form letters.

 

Section C.

Collaboration among Educators

School-level technology committees meet on a monthly basis.  These meetings are open to faculty members, support staff, parents and community representatives.  As a means to facilitate collaborative efforts, a representative from each site committee acts as a liaison by reporting concerns and suggestions to the district-wide technology committee.  The liaison will convey to the school an overview of decisions and issues discussed at each district-wide technology committee meeting.  Regular members of the district-wide technology committee are comprised of parents, teachers, librarians, administrators, supervisors and technology staff.  District-wide technology committee meetings are open to any interested party.  Following each district-wide technology committee meeting, the technology coordinator communicates with supervisors and the superintendent.  The minutes of all meetings are emailed to the committee members, supervisors and principals.  A key function of the district-wide technology committee is to review, revise and implement the technology plan’s goals and objectives.  School librarians are an integral part of the technology committee’s focus on promoting information literacy.  The latest developments and concerns in information literacy are brought to the attention of the committee by the librarians.

Surveys are administered yearly to foster an open forum for ideas and suggestions concerning educational technology.  Invaluable input is obtained from all employees for planning of future professional development

 

Section D.

Tipton County’s technology plan is designed to empower administrators to become effective 21st century users of technology.  Administrators are in a position to drive change in their schools for student success.  Because strong leadership is key to helping all students achieve, administrators must become hands-on technology users.  As leaders of the school, administrators must model technology integration by using technology in his/her daily responsibilities.  It is only then that teachers and other faculty will envision how technology can help them meet their professional goals.  When technology use becomes seamless in a school, teachers will automatically address learning gaps with the appropriate technology tools.  After all, the most important goal is advocating technology use in order to assist students in achieving.

The district-wide implementation of GroupWise email has enabled administrators to communicate with faculty, thereby increasing productivity while modeling the use of technology in everyday communications.  Administrator driven implementation of PLATO Learning software in many schools is linking leadership and learning for the benefit of increasing student achievement.  Automating the library, cafeteria, and student management, pupil transportation systems has already made the use of technology a routine part of every school administrators day.

A well-defined professional development plan must be implemented that will prepare administrators to facilitate, advocate, nurture and sustain effective educational technology integration.  As part of the administrators' professional development program, administrators will attend the Principal’s Leadership Academy.  The academy was funded by the State of Tennessee’s Gates Foundation award and aligns with the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) standards.  District-wide administrator professional development will include training aligned to the ISLLC and ISTE’s Technology Standards for School Administrators (TSSA).  By aligning the professional development with such standards, it will ensure that administrators are well-equipped to lead, advocate, communicate and model the use of technology in schools

 

Section E.

Provide adequate financing for technology.

    The technology budget is listed as a separate line item in the district budget and has been since 1992, when the 21st Century Classroom initiative was implemented in the state of Tennessee.  The district technology committee, supervisory, and administrative personnel are all involved in the budgetary process.  Sources for technology funding include the school district budget, significant dollars from erate, school budgets, PTO organizations, grants, and donations.  We encourage schools to utilize alternative fund-raising activities to acquire technology.  We also actively and successfully seek out technology based grants. Other than the technology budget, there is a separate budget that covers supplies such as paper, printer ink cartridges, etc.  The Vocational Education, Special Education, and Adult Education departments allocate a portion of their budgets for technology expenditures.  The budgetary needs are addressed annually and are coordinated with our school district's 5-year Strategic Plan as well as the dynamically changing needs of each school site.

    100% of the Title II Part D funds, $36,357.00, will be spent for professional staff development. Of the district's regular budget 50% is reserved for maintenance, 25% is allocated for network infrastructure and other network support devices, 15% is allocated toward professional staff development, and 10% reserved for new hardware and software.

 

Section F.

Provide for Interoperability of Hardware and Software

Hardware and Software purchasing should adhere to the following guidelines:

  • Software needs should be based on curricular concerns and identified learning gaps, before hardware purchasing decisions are made.
  • Purchase district licensing or building site licenses, and networked versions whenever possible.
  • Standardized software includes Microsoft Office for word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, and database applications. Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator for web browsers. A+ for curriculum remediation, supplementation, and enrichment for k-8, and Plato for grades 9-12.
  • Donated computers must meet the following minimum specifications:
    1. Pentium III, 64mb memory, 10gb hard drive, video card that can display up to 1024x768, and be in working order.
  • All hardware will be purchased off othe State of Tennessee hardware contracts where possible.  This will help insure, as much as possible, that a standardized computer interface is deployed that users are familiar with regardless of which school a teacher or administrator is assigned.  This will also help the technology department to be more efficient resolving service issues because the hardware will tend to be similar in design and performance capabilities.
  • Hardware purchases should be based on a functional need to help reduce expenses associated with hardware upgrades.
  • Operating system software should be purchased off the State of Tennessee software contracts, where possible, unless a less expensive source is obtained.
  • LAN/WAN must support cross platform data communications. T1 circuits connect all of our schools to the Board of Education.  The routers and switches through which the interconnections must be able to handle various protocols such as IP, IPX, and Appletalk, and must provide for remote management and re-configuration.  The premise wiring will be plenum "unshielded twisted pair" (UTP) wire that meets the Electronic Industries Association (EIA) category 5 standards for high speed data communication service.  One end of each cable terminates in a category 5 RJ-45 jack located near the computer.  The other end terminates on a standard "110 distribution block" at the hub site utility closet.  A labeling scheme must be strictly adhered to so that cables can be identified at both ends later, as needed.

    • Changes:

    4.1b
    Tipton County will expand the use of technology through the E-rate, or Universal Service Program, created under the Telecommunications Act of 1996. This funding will be used for telecommunications services, Internet access, internal connections, and basic maintenance of internal connections.

    4.2c
    Support opportunities for teachers and administrators to develop competence in using technology to meet instructional goals.

    The Parent Center and district staff will address disparity in home access to educational technology by providing increased access to computers for students and adults that qualify as part of a high-poverty rural community


    Advance student learning in using technology to assure that all students are prepared for gainful employment in a high-tech economy.