Talk:RSU1 District Technology Plan

Community and Parental Involvement

Involve a broad representation of the school community in the planning process. Include a description of how the technology will be used effectively to promote community and parental involvement and increase communication with parents, including a description of how parents will be informed about the technology and its proper use.

RSU1

Regional School Unit #1 recognizes that community involvement is vital to the development and support of technology use in education. As such, the technology plan will reflect the values and needs of the residents of Arrowsic, Bath, Phippsburg, West Bath and Woolwich.

Opportunities for community involvement in planning include the following:

• The District Technology Committee, which is composed of teachers, administrators and community members, meets regularly during the year to review computer technology issues throughout RSU#1. This committee provides guidance to the planning of technology initiatives. The District Technology Committee will review and make changes to the District Technology Plan on an annual basis. This regular review and amendment process will help to develop a plan that reflects the changing values and needs of the community; that responds to the requirements and recommendations of the State Department of Education; and that meets the needs of students and faculty.
  * Annually, the District Technology Committee will present for review the District Technology Plan, new technology initiatives, challenges to implementation, and other classroom technology related topics to the RSU #1 Board of Directors.
  * Additional efforts have been made, and will continue to be made, to engage the community and RSU#1 in dialogue around the subject of effective computer technology use in education. These efforts have included meeting with the Parent Teacher Student Associations, articles in local newspapers and school newsletters, committee work, and participation in online discussions through forums and blogs.

Opportunities for increasing parental involvement and communication:

• Classroom and school newsletters will be published and updated regularly on school websites.
  * Student work will be published on school websites.
  * The student information system Infinite Campus (IC) will serve as a portal for parents to gather information about their child's educational experience in RSU#1.
  * School websites will be linked to relevant community, local and global websites.
  * Technology staff will participate in Open House and parent nights and will offer an evening MLTI laptop program to introduce the laptops and answer parent questions.

Description of how parents will be informed about technology and its proper use: • Our Acceptable Use Policy (AUP), Student Computer and Internet Policy, and Permission to Publish on the Web form will be distributed to each student to be read at home with parents and returned to school with a signature. These forms will also be available in the Student Handbook and on each school's website.

Action Steps

• Continue District Technology Committee meetings, in person and through online forums.
  * Meet with the Board of Directors concerning various technology updates.
  * Meet with PTSA organizations as needed.
  * Work with local media to obtain coverage of technology related efforts.
  * Implement Infinite Campus parent portal in the fall of 2009.
  

Vision

Technology opens doors to the world for seamless access to learning, critical thinking, research, and communication to meet the emerging opportunities of the 21st century.

Goals

Regional School Unit #1 will work to create a sophisticated learning environment, comprised of technically literate faculty and students. RSU1 will work to become a place where people are excited by what they can do with technology; where the experiences and functions are the source of conversation and energy, not the computers and associated devices themselves.

Technology in education is moving beyond the purchase of devices and their basic use. Technology is moving toward more interesting and rewarding experiences. Such a learning environment, a community of people teaching and learning, in which the technology enhances and improves the effectiveness, the richness of education, would represent the successful integration of technology into curriculum, and into the fabric of everyday life. In addition, RSU1 schools strive to meet the Road map of the 21st Century Teacher. We are moving from enhancement to transformation.

In order to fully support all technical equipment and users, the current CIS staffing model must be improved. Currently, there are 3 full-time CIS employees to support over 1500 network devices at 8 different locations. CIS staffing has remained static while the need for support has increased. This staffing scenario must be addressed. RSU1 needs to hire at least one Technology Integration Specialist. With the expansion of the MLTI 1 to 1 laptop program to Morse High School, the need for technology integration has become more apparent.

Technical support and technology integration refer to two very different needs. This has become clearer as the use of technology has expanded beyond basic communication, administrative tasks, research and presentation in the classroom. Integration at the district level level needs to be addressed with a Technology Integrator.

If a Technology Integration position is reinstated during the next funding year, this person would work closely building administrators, the Director of Technology Support, and the Director of Curriculum and Staff Development. Regular duties would include: planning district wide staff development opportunites, implementing school based professional development plans, and working with staff on an as needed basis. This position would not be a direct instruction position but rather a district level planning position.

This person will develop a set of technology curriculum goals for all grade levels, and provide guidance and support to teachers as they make a coordinated effort to integrate technology effectively. The Technology Integrator should be someone who is, or has been, a teacher, and who is a technology enthusiast. Goal #1: Evaluate the technology needs of RSU1 and fund the resultant District Technology Plan.

Action Steps

• Move the development of the District Technology Plan from a three year cycle to an annual cycle, with revisions submitted to the state each year.
• Evaluate the District Technology Plan annually.
• Provide funding to implement the revised and agreed upon District Technology Plan.

Goal #2: Create an environment in which technology enhances the learning opportunities for students.

Action Steps

• Hire a full time technology integrator.
• Provide carefully crafted staff development and student training in computer literacy skills.
• Provide faculty and staff with examples of technology use that are effective.
• Identify opportunities to improve communication and delivery of lessons using advanced technologies.
• Provide time for teachers to work collaboratively on technology integration.

Goal #3: Improve the technical support resources available to faculty and students.

Action Steps

• Maintain the existing Computer Information Services staffing of Director/MLTI Coordinator, Network Administrator, and District Computer Technician.
• With the MLTI expansion to the high school students, hire one Technology Integration Specialist.

Goal #4: Continue to upgrade the existing network infrastructure.

Action Steps

• Determine exact locations needing to be included in the WAN.
• Prepare a comprehensive Request For Proposal.
• Obtain updated pricing for fiber, pole charges, equipment and labor to establish the WAN.
• Consider alternatives to fiber such as Point-to-Point wireless, MPLS, and other methods to achieve an improved network backbone.
• Determine funding mechanism to support implementation.
• Particpate in MSLN 3 expansion

Goal #5: Improve access to classroom technology resources for teachers and students.

Action Steps

• Provide reliable internet and network access.
• Provide all teachers with sufficient technology training through professional staff development.
• Continue to replace computer hardware on a 4 year life-cycle.
• Create a predictable computer environment by aligning software through out the district.
• Continue to purchase instructional equipment for classroom use (LCD's, Interactive Whiteboards, etc.,.)

Goal #6: Improve communication with the community.

Actions Steps

• Continue to expand the email distribution list to parents and other community members.
• Implement Infinite Campus community portal for parent access to student records.
• Use online forums and blogs to encourage discussion and communication with the community.
• Review and revise the school and district web pages.
• Encourage and train faculty to create online web pages and blogs for communication outside of the classroom.
• Coordinate with local media to obtain coverage of technology successes and efforts.
• Continue with the Technology In Education nights and other public meetings.