Johnetta Alfred ET 8039 Dr. Sheryl Abshire EDLD 5362 Informational Systems Management

ESC - Region 4 HOUSTON, TX Phone (281) Fax (281) County District Number Number of Campuses - 67 Total Student Enrollment District Size - 50,000 and over Percent Econ. Disadvantaged %

“By 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.” —President Barack Obama, Address to Congress, February 24, 2009 Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology The National Education Technology Plan, Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology, calls for applying the advanced technologies used in our daily personal and professional lives to our entire education system to improve student learning, accelerate and scale up the adoption of effective practices, and use data and information for continuous improvement. It presents five goals with recommendations for states, districts, the federal government, and other stakeholders. Each goal addresses one of the five essential components of learning powered by technology: Learning, Assessment, Teaching, Infrastructure, and Productivity.

"The increased use of technology has helped ignite excitement in teaching and learning while building students‘ critical-thinking and problem-solving skills" (Jones).

The Texas Teacher STaR Charts is an assessment tool developed around the four key areas of the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology. The Texas STaR Chart is a tool designed for use in technology planning, budgeting for resources, and evaluation of progress in local technology projects. Future applications for state funded technology grants will request a completed campus or district Texas STaR Chart profile to be filed with the application as an indicator of current status and progress and as a formative and/or summative evaluation tool. The online assessment may be used as a basis for dialogue with staff, administrators, technology directors, school board members and community leaders to plan for future growth.

The plan must establish clear goals and a realistic strategy for using telecommunications and information technology to improve education or library services. The plan must have a professional development strategy to ensure that staff know how to use these new technologies to improve education or library services. The plan must include an assessment of the telecommunication services, hardware, software, and other services that will be needed to improve education or library services. The plan must provide for a sufficient budget to acquire and support the non- discounted elements of the plan: the hardware, software, professional development, and other services that will be needed to implement the strategy. The plan must include an evaluation process that enables the school or library to monitor progress toward the specified goals and make mid-course corrections in response to new developments and opportunities as they arise.

Budget Item Cost Funding Sources Staff Development = $3,981, $59, Salaries (tech specs) - $3,832, Telecommunications & Internet Access = $950, (Tech Svs Local - $158, and E-rate - $792,000.00) Materials & Supplies = $8,920, Tech Svs Local - $2,574, and E-rate - $6,346, Equipment = $4,204, Tech Svs Local - $969,600.00, State Tech Allotment - $1,620, and New School Bond - $1,614, Maintenance = $6,743, Tech Svs Local - $2,967, and E-rate - $1,279, and Salaries (Tech Svs) - $2,496, Miscellaneous Expenses = $22, Tech Svs Local - $22, Total = $24,822,810.11

GOAL 1: Demonstrate sustained growth in student achievement GOAL 2: Provide a safe and secure technical environment for students and staff GOAL 3: Use technology to improve communications

OBJECTIVE 1.1: Use technology to improve, sustain and support student achievement at or beyond grade level. OBJECTIVE 1.2: Provide technology professional development to improve job performance and student achievement. OBJECTIVE 1.3: Provide and evaluate technology resources to achieve maximum performance. OBJECTIVE 1.4: Integrate technology into all curriculum areas to achieve information literacy at an appropriate level for all students.

OBJECTIVE 2.1: Provide a secure network to meet local, state and federal standards and requirements. OBJECTIVE 2.2: Develop a disaster recovery plan to provide business and instructional continuity. OBJECTIVE 2.3: Develop a redundant network plan. OBJECTIVE 2.4: Develop a help desk for faster response to administrators', teachers' and students' needs.

OBJECTIVE 3.1: Increase parent participation through communication and a welcoming environment. OBJECTIVE 3.2: Provide technologies and training for parents. Strategies and technologies previously funded. OBJECTIVE 3.3: Survey stakeholders annually to determine levels of satisfaction and opportunities for improvement. Strategies previously funded. Surveys are constructed and evaluated in-house.

"Teachers who are already somewhat technology savvy can manipulate and enhance Web-based resources to better meet students’ needs. The materials can be printed out for classroom use or used electronically. They can be edited and changed to fit with different lessons or students(J. Duffield and L. Wahl)."

Aldine will continue to: work with campuses and departments to evaluate and standardize district technologies for students and staff. The Technology Services Department will be Aldine’s in-house consultants for all technology related purchases and initiatives. move toward standard software loads for each grade level and subject area. Efforts will be made to obtain district-wide site licenses where appropriate and affordable. continue to maintain the On-line Technology Catalog of standardized hardware and software products. provide a method for automated software distribution. track technology inventories. provide appropriate browser-based information portals for staff and students. provide appropriate Internet information portals for parents and community members. investigate Web 2.0 applications and integrate as appropriate and acceptable to the Aldine community.

“Students are likely to be increasingly dissatisfied with conventional approaches to teaching and learning and to the limited resources available to them in all but the best-equipped schools” (Levin & Arafeh, 2002).

The Technology Plan addresses strengths and weaknesses identified using district and campus improvement plans as well as teacher STaR Charts. Technology is addressed directly or indirectly throughout the District Improvement Plan and the technology plan continues to be aligned with the DIP.

"Young people in the developed parts of the globe are very aware of the new tools at their disposal and many of them spend hours online using these tools. Because these new technologies and new capabilities engage and motivate students, we can use them to educate" (Soloman, G., & Schrum, L.).

References Duffield, J., & Wahl, L., (2005) Using Flexible Technology to Meet the Needs of Diverse Learners: What Teachers Can Do, Jones, Eric. (2007). Strategies to Put Instruction Ahead of Technology. Principal Leadership, Levin, D., & Arafeh, S. (2002). The digital disconnect. The widening gap between internet-savvy students and their schools. Pew Internet and American Life Project. Retrieved on April 9, 2012, from pdf pdf Soloman, G., & Schrum, L. (2007). Web 2.0: New tools, New schools. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education, 7-44.