Hello to Lesley Wilson, Principal of J.F.K. Middle School, Isabelina Rodriguez-Babcock, Superintendent of Schools, Bill Dornbush, Technology Coordinator, and Linda Carrier, Director of Teaching and learning. This Technology Use Plan has been specifically designed for J.F.K. Middle School. As J.F.K. works to advance the programs it provides to its students, this Technology Use Plan will provide guidance in key integration areas as they pertain to the use of technology.

Discussions with Lesley Wilson and Bill Dornbush have centered around both ISTE standards and proper technology curriculum integration. Both areas are critical to the success of J.F.K. Middle School students, and both areas are currently not being addressed properly. Designing programs and curriculum around standards is the appropriate step for the school system to embark on. The equipment at JFK is quickly becoming out of date and inadequate to meet the needs of standards based instruction. In my assessment of the building, there wasn’t an lack of technology use. There was, however, a lack of appropriate training, lack of up-to-date and available equipment, and lack of funding, all playing a role in the lack of technological success at J.F.K. The Mathematics Planning team identified technology as an area of improvement to help address the ‘restructuring’ status that J.F.K. is currently under for not meeting A.Y.P. goals for it’s target subgroups. There are teachers embracing technology as best they can, but obstacles stand in the way of proper technology integration. By addressing these technology issues, teachers can be better informed and prepared to enrich instruction for all their learners and help prepare students for their futures.

Get your planning team together: We’ll discuss how best to formulate this committee, who should lead this team and why certain people will be important to the process. Write a vision statement. I will describe how the vision statement is the driving force behind the committee. Your committee’s vision will drive all decisions regarding planning and objectives. Plan goals and objectives. The nitty gritty. What specifically do you want to accomplish? Technology integration? Standards based instruction using technology? Equal access? This plan has to include everything from student learning objectives to maintenance and replacement protocols. This is where your committee will focus most of their work. Conduct a needs assessment. There will need to be a baseline to work with. We will need to see what the staff currently knows and how they use technology in their lives and in their classrooms. This will enable us to see what planning needs to occur to meet the goals and objectives of the committee. Organize staff development. Once a needs assessment has been completed, we can develop a thorough staff development plan. This will be diverse in its scope but will focus on bringing all learning back to the student. Evaluate and Assess success. A critical component not to be left out is the evaluation piece. How do we know that the planning and training is being successfully transferred to the students. Are teachers integrating technology into the classroom? We will look at strategies that will help ensure the continued success of the designed program. Timeline. How does this happen? Where do you start? What does the time look like? I’ll have suggestions of where to begin and how to get the program started.

The planning team needs to be diverse and informed. As this is an important committee, some of the school department’s big players need to be directly involved. To ensure full representation, I would suggest up to a 17 person panel: Of course, Lesley Wilson, Principal. As the site-based manager, Lesley is directly responsible for the success of her building. She will need to direct this committee to assure that goals and decisions directly relate to the school improvement plan. Susan Wright, business manager, may be an important figure at this juncture as she has a strong grasp of the budget as it pertains to J.F.K., the overall school system budget, and the city budget. She may provide valuable budgetary realities as decisions are being considered. Bill Dornbush, Technology Coordinator. Bill will need to be an active member of this committee. He will be directly involved with decisions from hardware and software discussions to site licensing to training and city continuity. Bill will need to sign off on all computer related expenditures, so his inclusion is key. Linda Carrier, Director of teaching and learning. Linda’s role is going to be huge. She will not only provide input on integration throughout departments, she will also be critical in the design and implementation of direct instruction for your students. It will be Linda’s job to assure curriculum decisions have follow through in the classroom. The 2 building computer teachers. Terry and John may be the most effected by the committee’s decisions. There has been serious talk about restructuring their roles in the building. They need to be part of that decision process. They are the building experts and should be active participants when it comes to redesigning the curriculum and method of instruction. There will need to be 4-6 Teachers from diverse departments as liaisons for all the teachers (science, math, English, special ed, exploratory). Those teachers will be able to bring discussions and decisions back to department meetings to assure teachers voices and ideas are represented in the committee work. The committee will need 1 tech person (preferably Eric Gagne) who know about the ins and outs of J.F.K.’s infrastructure (wiring, hardware and software issues, upgrade and replacement issues) In some ways, Eric may be the most valuable resource as he knows the realities about the technology in the building. I would also suggest the planning team include two parents as liaisons to the process. In order to secure some funding (like the 21st century grant) it is suggested that two liaisons from the business community serve on the committee. Parents and business leaders can prove to be invaluable if funding issues like a bond referendum should arise. And finally, 1 to 2 students should feel represented on this committee. This insures all parties have representation. In a community like Northampton, that sense of transparency and inclusion is catamount to successful implementation of any program.

Your committee’s vision statement is the mastery objective. Why did you call this team together? To improve student learning? To provide equal access? To integrate technology? To implement a standardized curriculum? What do you envision for your school over the next five years? How are you going to meet the technology needs of your students with the tight budget that exists? When students walk out of eighth grade, what technology skills do you want them to have? How do you envision JFK using technology? Your vision statement should be a broad, general statement that you will use to drive the decisions the group makes toward meeting your goals. I have included a vision statement from the Madison County School District in Wisconsin. There are many ways to write a vision statement. The key, however, is to write a general statement that focuses on the true mission of the committee. If you are thinking about preparing the kids for the 21st century while meeting the needs of ISTE and state standards, say so.

This is the area that your committee will spend the most time working on. Developing a strong and thorough technology plan will require input from the entire committee as your plans and goals must be multi-faceted. Equipment is aging, while supplies and hardware are limited. Actual student time on computers has gone down in recent years. Outside of computer classes, there is no written integrated curriculum in place at JFK. The committee will absolutely need to write one. Your committee should investigate how special education can benefit from technology, and how exploratory can integrate technology as well as regular content areas. There is a need for a tech person at the school 2 full days a week. Ultimately, the technology goals for your building will need to be three-pronged. Your plan will need to include: Part 1: curriculum integration Part 2: staff development Part 3: maintenance and support I have offered two examples of goals that may provide some insight as your group begins the process of designing technology goals.

It has become apparent that one laptop cart will not meet the needs at J.F.K. Is one on each floor enough? There have been discussions about funding a wireless school. Where have those discussions gone? Is there validity behind the discussion. Is there an update plan for the two computer labs? All of these issues will need to be decided by the committee. Is there a restructuring plan in place for the labs and the two teachers. This has been an area of discussion between Ms. Wilson and myself for some time. Is there a desire for more technology integration in the regular education classroom, or is J.F.K. going to maintain the status quo as far as technology classroom management. This will all need to be discussed and decided upon by the committee.

Before any of the planning can be put into place, a thorough needs assessment will need to be conducted to know exactly what staff know and how they are currently using computer in their classrooms to meet the standards of ISTE. One amazing dynamic of most schools is teachers and administrators don’t know what other teachers know; there's just no time. The same applies to computers. To know about training, there needs to be a thorough needs assessment. There hasn’t been a needs assessment done at J.F.K. in three years, I have created a rather lengthy yet thorough examination of use and needs at J.F.K. For now, the main focus is on the teacher: What do the teachers have for background. What do teachers currently use for technology to enhance productivity? How are staff integrating technology into the curriculum? What sort of training have the staff received, and what training do they feel they need? There are two pages in the survey devoted to the student. What technology is available to the students in each classroom? In what ways are students using technology in those classrooms? How have students been successful using technology? What challenges are teachers and students experiencing? I have attached the needs assessment survey geared specifically for J.F.K. It will be important to conduct this survey some time in May so that the committee will have ample time to review the results before the next fiscal year.

Once the needs assessment has been administered and the results evaluated, a staff development plan can then be formalized. This has to be thorough in its scope, with the understanding that teachers have diverse understandings and needs. Teachers must be able to see how learning and using technology will help them in their instruction. If teachers do not see a direct correlation between what they are learning and its connection to their classes, then training is a hard sell. The staff development will need to be innovative and invigorating for the staff. Staff development must be focused on the ISTE and state standards. The standards should drive teacher practice. A thorough examination of the standards by the planning team is essential to the planning process. Tied to this program must be incentives for teachers to feel compelled to participate. Offering professional development points will be a great benefit to teachers, but only if they can be tied in with content-specific learning. Teachers need content specific pdps. If we can assure that training and pdps can be related to direct instruction, many more teachers will be onboard. Teachers will need time to process and experiment with technology to reach a professional comfort level. Training must be inclusive. All staff must be aboard as consistency for all the students is the key to success. Making this an integral part of J.F.K.’s School Improvement Plan will empower teachers to include technology planning into the Professional Development Plans. Remember, all training for staff is to bring the learning back to the students. How is the training going to improve instruction and success for the students of J.F.K.?

Before even conduction a needs assessment I have identified a couple of staff development programs that can be instituted right away. Two successful programs all ready in place at J.F.K. are the Mentor program and the use of coaches. There may be a nice transition to expand on both of those programs without adversely affecting budget. The Mentor proposal is for the inexperienced user. It is important to get those teachers at least to minimal proficiency for the school to move forward. A Mentor-Mentee program at J.F.K. can mirror similar programs; this time, in many instances, the roles will be reversed. Your newer, tech-savvy teachers can mentor a inexperienced veteran teachers. This really opens a new dichotomy amongst the staff and opens professional lines of communication. The needs assessment should provide us the information on who would make strong mentors in the building and may provide us with information on who may want to be a mentee. Coaching may be more costly; however, this programs is successfully running at J.F.K. Perhaps some of the funds available for coaching may be restructured to include technology coaching. Problems with these two programs surround the consistency of instruction, but focused meetings with mentors and coaches can address that issue. Part of the math curriculum planning committee work was the inclusion of the TI 84plus calculator program. That should begin as soon as possible. Training over the summer would allow the teachers to start using that program right away in September. Bill Dornbush is currently checking on the status of possible free trainings that accompany the recent TI purchase. In-house teacher training. When it comes to teacher training in-house, I am referring to both staff and outside presenters coming to J.F.K. to help implement a training program that incorporates the general, not specific. Basically what that means is that ISTE recognizes that most curriculum integration can be successfully implemented with general office products, not on content and subject specific software. Whether J.F.K. continues to use Microsoft Office or switches to Open Office, that focus must be the same: Teaching teachers how to integrate this software into their curriculum. For English teachers, that might entail training in Inspiration and Microsoft Word while science and math teachers might be integrating spreadsheets and data analysis software. Social Studies teachers should receive training in research and presentation while exploratory can be diverse and creative with their training.

The success of all of this work centers on the teacher. Are teachers using the training to enhance classroom instruction? Are students using technology in classrooms that will improve performance? How is that going to be evaluated? Luckily, all Massachusetts teachers must present a professional development plan to their building administrator each year. That professional development plan must reflect system and building school improvement plans. Because technology is certainly part of the school improvement plan, requiring teachers to have a technology goal in the professional development plan is not out of the question. As part of the teacher evaluations, principals and evaluators should address how the teacher is meeting the technology needs of the building and district. Principals and staff can then set attainable goals that help move this process forward. This allows the principal to see across the building how the technology development plan is succeeding. I would love to suggest a yearly needs assessment, but in reality perhaps every two years will allow the program time to make measurable progress.

The key to the timeline is getting the planning team in place soon. It would be to your benefit to begin the process of talking to possible members immediately so that you can convene the first meeting some time the first week in May. You will want to conduct the needs assessment the second week in May so that there is time to evaluate the results and reconvene the committee before the end of the school year and fiscal year. This will allow the committee time to make some district plans prior to the budget changeover on July 1st. With the acquisition of the TI 84 plus math program it is important to schedule training for math and science teachers so that they can implement the curriculum in the fall. Depending on the timeframe, beginning a mentor program in the fall may seem idealistic, but waiting until mid-year will be a disjointed way to start a mentor program. If at all possible, start thinking about how to implement a mentor program for the start of the school year.

In-service trainings should take place similarly to the way the building focused on Ribas training the last three years- that is, through the use of the three building in-service training days. If this is a school priority, then this is an excellent use of those training times. Once the needs assessment has been thoroughly examined, trainings can be planned and organized to meet the diverse needs of the staff. Once the school budget is set for the year and in place as of July 1st, the committee should reconvene to prioritize repairs, replacements and assess the possibility of another laptop cart for the building. As of the budget discussions on April 7th, a cut of $31,000 was proposed for technology. Bill Dornbush will have to sit with the committee and prioritize repairs and replacements.

There is no time to wait. Starting this Technology Use Plan in April puts us in a little bit of a bind as far as time. It is important to start right away in getting the planning team in place an a needs assessment conducted. I hope that this PowerPoint presentation has been helpful. Feel free to contact me with any questions you have. You can create a strong program for J.F.K. Middle School. The school has strong leadership and a staff that can skillfully address the educational needs of J.F.K. students. I look forward to meeting with you soon.

John F. Kennedy Middle School Technology Use plan

Why develop a tech use plan? To meet the needs of ISTE and the state instructional technology standards Technology curriculum integration Part of the math instructional development plan Technology at JFK is being used, and demand is high. To empower teachers to enrich instruction using technology. Rationale

Formulate your planning team Create a vision statement Plan goals and objectives Conduct a needs assessment Organize staff development/support Evaluate/Assess Timeline Process

Lesley Wilson, Principal Susan Wright, Business Manager Bill Dornbush, Technology Coordinator Linda Carrier, Director of Teaching and Learning The 2 building computer teachers 4-6 teachers from diverse departments 1 tech person (Eric Gagne) 2 business/community leaders 1-2 parents 1-2 students Planning Team

What is the number one thing you want to take from this committee work? To improve student learning? Equal access? Technology integration? Standardized curriculum? Vision Statement “…our students will have access to the technology that they need to be skilled problem solvers. We will strive to ensure that all students will achieve the standards listed by the State and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), and every student graduating from high school will demonstrate competency in computer applications.” (Madison County, Wisconsin)

Plan Goals/Objectives Develop a curriculum/technology integration plan that meets ISTE and state standards Develop a professional development plan to best meet the needs of teachers and students “By the end of 8th grade students will manipulate data and communicate results using graphing calculators.” “Math and science teachers will receive training on the TI 84-plus graphing calculator program and learn to integrate the technology into classroom lessons and instruction.”

Develop a plan for replacement/upgrade/maintenance of current equipment. Computer Lab updating A second laptop cart Wireless school Discussions/plans for restructuring computer teachers 1 in classroom 1 technology integration specialist Plan Goals/Objectives

Must happen before any professional development is planned. Needs to be given to all staff Teacher background How teachers use technology Software and hardware How are they integrating What do they have and need for training How the students are using technology The J.F.K. Technology Survey tech_survey.pdf Needs Assessment

Can’t feel detached from the classroom Must meet the needs of ISTE and state standards Involve incentives Professional development points Release time Has to be inclusive Bringing it back to the students Staff Development

Mentor-Mentee program Technology coaches TI training for the 8th grade math and science teachers In-house professional development on computer integration General, not specific Staff Development

Professional development plans From school improvement plan Technology goal Teacher evaluations Address technology Training Integration Bi-annual needs assessment to track progress against goals. Evaluation/Assessment

By May 1st, conduct an initial search for possible members of the planning team. Hold an initial meeting that first week. Conduct needs assessment second week in may TI calculator training this summer Begin mentor training in the fall Coaching based on funding Timeline

In-service trainings on November, January and March staff development days Wait for equipment repair and replacement decisions until the July fiscal year to assess available funds Timeline

Contact John T. Crescitelli Technology Consultant 38 Carolyn St. Florence, MA 01062 (413)586-5173 johncrescitelli@mail.boisestate.edu As you can see, There is no time to wait!