August 31, 2010

The Etowah County School District’s electronic network is available to all students and employees. The goal is to foster learning environments which provide students with the knowledge and skills to become successful and productive global citizens of the 21st Century. The use of technology by students and employees must be legal and ethical, and it should be consistent with the educational vision, mission, and goals of the Etowah County Board of Education.

Schools or school divisions are required to establish guidelines for the appropriate use of computer networks. Such guidelines are generally called an Acceptable Use Policy or AUP. By definition, an AUP is a written agreement in the form of guidelines, signed by students, their parents and their teachers, outlining the terms and conditions of technology-use. It includes definitions of acceptable online behavior and access privileges.

To remain compliant with CIPA (Child Internet Protection Act), school districts hold public hearings to address Internet Safety Policies and Procedures. Network and Internet functionality and protection is mission critical. Because of the emphasis and daily requirements of technology, it is paramount that all precautions are being taken and that systems are working and secure.

At this time, we have two methods to help ensure Internet safety and block inappropriate material. Lightspeed Systems provides network security and a content filtering system. Secondary filtering is provided though an 8E6 system maintained by the Alabama Supercomputer Authority.

Unfortunately, technology-savvy students are tempted to circumnavigate such precautions. This is one reason all students (and their parents) sign an AUP (Acceptable Use Policy) in which they agree to use the technology responsibly. In the event a student violates the AUP, technology access can be revoked. Other disciplinary action may follow, depending on the nature of the violation.

The 2008 Alabama Technology Course of Study has been posted on the district website for all teachers and administrators to use for full implementation within the curriculum. A focus area of this course of study is “Digital Citizenship.”

All employees sign an AUP. They are held to a high standard of technology usage and implementation. It is agreed that the best preventive measure is adequate supervision. It is the responsibility of all employees to supervise and monitor technology usage. This information can also be found on the district website ( under the Student/Parent Channel. Questions or concerns? Please me if you have any questions:

Why Should Parents and Teachers Teach Digital Citizenship? M&feature=youtu.be

Speak-Up Parents What are your top 3 concerns regarding your child’s school right now? Funding (54%), Too Much Emphasis on Tests (16%), School Safety (16%) What concerns you the most about your child’s Internet use at school and home? Meeting strangers online (67%) 49% of parents who responded have a Facebook page. If your child’s school allowed the use of cell phones for educational purposes, how likely would you be to provide one for your child? Likely-Very Likely – 64%

October 5, 2010

Concerns  Limited funding and/or grant opportunities for upcoming year  Technology has tripled which tech support has remained the same  Replacement cycle?

Over 5300 Registered Users Ongoing Workshops Throughout the Year (in-house and district-wide) Centricity2 Upgrade this Year

ECBOE 2010 Impact Survey Item #22. How often do you communicate with parents using communication tools like , online forums, instant messenger, blogs, or web pages? % using tools Once a Month-Daily 15.62% Never 15.82%Once or twice a year 12.37%About every other month 19.88%At least once a month 13.39%About once a week 7.91%More than once a week 8.11%Daily 73% using tools Once a Month-Daily 3.24%Never 9.73%Once or twice a year 9.54%About every other month 23.66%At least once a month 20.61%About once a week 9.16%More than once a week 19.85%Daily 75% using tools Once a Month-Daily 4.47%Never 8.44%Once or twice a year 6.29%About every other month 18.21%At least once a month 19.37%About once a week 12.42%More than once a week 24.67%Daily

Distance Learning / ACCESS 1 st Semester: 330 Students Enrolled (All Six High Schools and 3 Middle Schools) Distance-Learning Courses: Accounting I, Algebra II w/ Trig, Arts Survey, AP Art History, AP US History, Business Tech Applications, Calculus, Chinese I, Contemporary Issues, Creative Writing, Dietetics, Environmental Science, Food and Nutrition, French I, German I, Global Studies, Health, Human Anatomy, Latin I, Latin II, Mandarin Chinese, Marine Science, Multimedia Design I, Multimedia Publishing, Personal Finance, Pre-Calculus, Psychology, Sociology, Spanish I, Spanish II, Spanish III, U.S. Government, U.S. History, Workforce Essentials, Web Design I

High Schools First BlockSecond BlockThird BlockFourth Block West End 3 Students 66 Students RECEIVE VCI – Calculus (from Glencoe High) Web –Human Anatomy, Creative Writing, French I, Latin I, Spanish III, US Gov’t RECEIVE Web – Chinese I, Creative Writing, Food & Nutrition, French I, German I, Health, Personal Finance, Psychology, Spanish II, Spanish III RECEIVE Web – Sociology, French I, Personal Finance, Psychology, Spanish I RECEIVE Web –Psychology, Creative Writing, Environmental Science, Global Studies, Spanish I Glencoe 4 Students 37 Students SEND VCI – Calculus (to WEHS) RECEIVE Web –German I, Multimedia Design, Multimedia Pub., Workforce Essentials RECEIVE Web –Accounting, German I, Multimedia Design, Workforce Essentials RECEIVE Web –Dietetics, Multimedia Design, Multimedia Pub., Psychology RECEIVE Web –Environmental Sci., Latin I, Latin II, Multimedia Design, Multimedia Pub., Workforce Essentials Sardis 35 Students RECEIVE Web –Creative Writing, Spanish III, French I RECEIVE Web – Creative Writing, Mandarin Chinese, German I RECEIVE Web – Creative Writing, Latin I, Health, Marine Science RECEIVE Web – Creative Writing, US HY, Web Design I Southside 29 Students RECEIVE Web – Arts Survey, Global Studies, Marine Science, Physics RECEIVE Web – Algebra II w/ Trig, Arts Survey, Creative Writing, French I, German I, Global Studies, Latin I, Latin II, Marine Science RECEIVE Web –Arts Survey, French I, Marine Science RECEIVE Web –Pre-Calculus, Psychology Hokes Bluff 39 Students RECEIVE Web – French I, Spanish I, Latin I RECEIVE Web – German I, Spanish I RECEIVE Web – AP Art HY, German I, Psychology, Spanish I, Spanish III RECEIVE Web – French I, German I, Latin I, Spanish I, Spanish II Gaston 56 Students RECEIVE Web – Contemporary Issues, Spanish I, Spanish II RECEIVE Web - Health, Multimedia Design, Spanish I, Spanish II RECEIVE Web - Spanish I, Spanish II, AP US HY, US HY RECEIVE Web - Contemporary Issues, Creative Writing, Personal Finance, Spanish I, Spanish II Total: 269 Students

Middle SchoolsCourses Taken Glencoe Middle 23 Students Business Tech Essentials Hokes Bluff 15 Students Business Tech Essentials Rainbow Middle 23 Students Business Tech Essentials Total: 61 Students ACCESS in ECBOE Middle Schools

Etowah County Schools Facebook Demographics

Lots of New Technologies! Flip CamerasFlip Cameras Sound AmplificationSound Amplification Systems Systems Document CamerasDocument Cameras NetbooksNetbooks Promethean TechnologiesPromethean Technologies ActivSlates, Wands, ActiView, ActivExpressions, ActivVotes

23 Sessions Offered This Summer – Over 330 Teachers Attended!! 17 Sessions Offered Summer Session Offered Summer 2008 ECBOE Impact Survey / Item #7 Did you participate in any summer technology-focused professional development activities in the past 12 months? % Yes % Once or twice a year 2.03% Does not apply 60.31% Yes 36.64%Once or twice a year 1.34%Does not apply Summer Technology Workshops

 Skype Summer Workshops  School Workshops  Skype ECBOE Website

ENGAGE PLU for ECBOE Administrators 5 Required Activities 1. Receive Ongoing 21 st Century Professional Development for Administrators 2. Conduct ENGAGE Training in Schools 3. Improve Web Presence 4. Join PD Ning and Wiki 5. Social Media Exposure – Facebook and/or Twitter

Name a technology, lesson, or Web 2.0 tool that you feel has made a significant impact at your school in preparing students with the "3 R's" (Relevance, Readiness, and Rigor)?

What 21st Century technologies and/or Web 2.0 tools would like to see more of in your classrooms this year? Why?

Technology Grants $458, 156  A+ College Ready - $31,950 (HBHS and SSHS) Technology, Equipment, and Supplies  EETT Formula - $19,206 (all schools) Podcasting Tools and PD  EETT ARRA Formula - $47,000 (all schools) School Technology Coordinator Supplements  EETT ARRA Competitive - $160,000 (primarily WEHS & shared with all schools) $125,00 for Equipment / $35,000 for PD  ARC Grant - $200,000 (WEE, WEHS, SSHS, RMS, SSE, JSJ, GES, GMS, & GHS) $150,00 for Equipment / $50,000 for PD

National Conference Attendees  NCTM, New Orleans, October teachers (ARC Grant)  NCTE, Orlando, November teachers (ARC Grant)  NSTA, Nashville, November teachers (ARC Grant)  T+L (Technology + Learning) 2 administrators (ARC Grant)  ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education), Denver, July Presenters 15 Teach 21 teachers, technology coordinators, and administrators (EETT Comp. Grant)

CONGRATS!!!!!  Cara Whitehead (Carlisle) and Farrah Kilgo (Ivalee) Presented at ISTE for Schoolwires  Lisa Richards (JSJ) and Sarah Phillips (WEE) ALSDE LAMP Award  Farrah Kilgo (Ivalee) ALSDE Chiquita Marbury Award

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