KelseyRamirez

EDTECH501
Summer2013

WaterfrontParkElementaryTechnologyMaturityBenchmarks
Evaluation

AreaDynamics

WaterfrontParkElementarySchoolissetonthecoastofMyrtleBeach,SouthCarolinaina
richlytouristregion.Thepopulationoftheareaisapproximately14,000,whichisa
continuouslychangingnumberasresidentsmoveinandoutoftheareadependingonjobs
focusedintourism(Citydata,2012).

AstheSpringseasonhits,awidevarietyofgroupsmigrateintotheareaduetothetourism.
OncetheFallseasonpeaks,thesamepopulationusuallyleavesorfaceunemployment.Due
tothisissue,thereisahighturnoverrateintheschools,includingWaterfrontPark
Elementary(Citydata,2012).Inaddition,thisisoneofthereasonthefree/reducedlunch
rateishigherthannormal(whichyouwillseebelow).

SchoolDistrictDemographics

WaterfrontParkispartofthestatesthirdlargestschooldistrict,HorryCounty,serving
approximately39,000students.Thedistricthas51schools(oneisopeningnextyear)in9
attendanceareasincludingMyrtleBeach,CarolinaForest,Conway,Socastee,NorthMyrtle
Beach,Loris,Aynor,GreenSeaFloydsandSt.James.

*CensusandDistrictDetailschartsabove(NationalCenterforEducationStatistics,2012)

SchoolDynamics

WaterfrontParkElementaryiscomprisedofsecondandthirdgradewith746students.The
facultyandstaffinclude46teachers,whichincludes37secondgrade/thirdgradeteachers,
twoselfcontainedteachers,oneGifted&Talentedteacher,fiveSpecialAreasteachers,three
ReadingInterventionists,and34staffmembers.Thestudentracialmakeupiscomprisedof
430Caucasian/NonHispanicstudents,225AfricanAmericanstudents,52Hispanicstudents,
4Asian/PacificIslanders,1AmericanIndian/Alaskan,and34Twoormoreraces(V.
Underwood,personalcommunication,July18,2013).

WaterfrontParkElementaryrecentlybecameaTitleISchoolthatwillreceiveadditionalfunds
fortheincreasingrateofFree/ReducedLunchrecipients.Theschoolwillreceive
approximatelyanadditional$105,000fromthedistricttoaidininstructionandteacher
salaries(V.Underwood,personalcommunication,July18,2013).
.

Thepercentagebreakdownofdifferentsubgroupsisshownbelow.45studentsareEnglish
asaSecondLanguagelearners,22studentsareSpecialEducationstudents,97studentsare
selfcontained,and97studentsattendresourcewithapproximately32studentsinSpeech(V.
Underwood,personalcommunication,July18,2013).

TeachersatWaterfrontParkElementarycomefromarangeofbackgroundsfromalloverthe
country,fromCaliforniatoNewYork,TexastoSouthCarolina.Thestaffiscomprisedoffirst
timeteachersfreshoutofcollegetothirtyyearveterans.Theprincipalhasledtheschoolfor
fouryearswithtwoadvanceddegreesoneincounselingandoneinadministrative
leadership.TwentyoneteachersholdBachelorsdegrees,twentythreeholdMasters,and
twohaveDoctorates(V.Underwood,personalcommunication,July18,2013).
.

*Piechartdata(SouthCarolinaDepartmentofEducation,2012).

BeforeWaterfrontParkElementarybecameaTitle1school,whichtakeseffectforthe
20132014schoolyear,itspentmoremoneyoninstructionaleducationthanothersimilar
neighboringschools.Thepopulationoftheareaisamixbetweenlowpoverty,middleclass,
andasmallpercentageofaffluentfamilies(SouthCarolinaDepartmentofEducation,2012).

AdministrativeFilter
Overall,theadministrativefilterreceivedanoverallratingofbeingattheIntegratedStage.Moststaffare
informallyawareofsystemsandpoliciesinplace.Thereisaninformalreviewoftechnologyuseplanning
thatisrevisitedbytheadministrationonhowfundswillbeallocatedtoupgradinghardware/software.
Technologyisahighprioritythatisgraduallybecomingmoreofafocuswhileworkingwiththedistrictto
acquiremorefunding.Acquiringadditionalhardwareandcontinuingpaperlesssolutionsarethenewest
actionsforWaterfrontParkElementary.

Policy
Behavioral

Integrated
Appropriatetechnologyisavailablefortheschool,andpoliciesonhowtoutilizethem
areinplacethroughouttheschool.
AdministratorsuseavailableIpadsasmandatedbythedistrictforclassroom
walkthroughs.
Teachersutilizeappropriatetechnologiesforalladministrativefunctions(grading,
communicationlogs,attendance)setoutinthetechnologypolicy.
Schooldistrictsdeterminerefreshcyclesforteacherlaptops(fouryears)and
upcomingstudenthardwarethatthedistrictissupplyingonly.
Resource/InfrastructureIslands(School),Integrated(SchoolDistrict)
Atthecurrenttime,aninformalpolicyexistsattheschoollevelonwhatisexpectedby
allfacultymembersofadministrativefunctions(assaidabove).

 Teachersareencouragedtoutilizealltheavailabletechnologybutalooseplanexists
thatspecifieshowmuchitshouldbeusedorinwhatareas.
Technologyplanatthedistrictlevelismoresophisticatedandmustbeapprovedby
theschoolboard.Thisgoesintodetailsofanyprojectsthatwillberolledouttoallor
selectschoolsandcorrespondinggradelevels.
SchoolDistricthassetpolicythatdeterminesrefreshcyclesforteacherlaptopsand
studenthardware.

Planning
Behavioral

Integrated
Technologyplanningisfocusedaroundthebudget.Projects(including1:1
computation)arereviewedatwhatexpensecanbecoveredbytheschooliftheschool
districtisnotmandatingit.
Technologyisintegratedschoolwideinshortandlongtermplanningoftesting,
schoolwideevents,andstaffdevelopment/inservicedays.
Thereisnoteacherorstaffcommitteefortechnologyplanningjustadministrative.
Thereisadistricttechnologyplanthatissharedwithadministrators.
Labplanningisafirstcome,firstservesignupbasisandseeslargeamountsof
vacancytimesassometeachersdonotutilizetheirsignuptime.
Resource/InfrastructureIntegrated
Thetechnologyplanisinformal(teacherwillutilizethegiventechnologytohelpassist
curriculumstandards)andisreviewedandchangedoften(whatneedstobeused
moreinspecificclassrooms)tomeettheneedsoffaculty,staff,andstudents.
Computerlabshavesetplanschedules.
Testing(MAP)isasetscheduleforeachteacher.

Budget
Behavioral

Intelligent
Technologyfundsareofahighprioritywithadministrationlookingformultiplebudgets
tofundhardware/software.
Longtermfundingisabigpriorityatourschool,andtheadministrationlooksforways
toupgradetechnologyorinvestinneweronesinthefuture.
Resource/InfrastructureIntelligent
Eachschoolisgivenanannualbudgetwheretheyhavetodeterminethefundsto
spendinwhatareas.
Eachindividualschoolcanlookforadditionalfundswithintheexcessoftheirbudgetto
fundtechnology.
WaterfrontElementaryhascreatedwithintheirannualbudgetanamountthatis
allocatedfortechnologyprojectsandresourcesincludinglookingintootherbudgets
(General,PTO,etc.)tofindexcessmoney.


AdministrativeInformation
Behavioral

Intelligent
Theuseofelectronicsystemsiscompletelypaperless.
AttendanceandgradingaredependentonPowerSchoolsystems.
Substituteteachersandsick/personaldaysareaccessedthroughSmartFindsystem.
Allannouncementsaredeliveredthroughemail.
Teacherworkgroupassignmentsarecompletedthroughbloggingsystem.
Resource/InfrastructureIntegrated
Mostteachershaveaccesstoadministrativesystemsexceptthesupportstaffthatare
aidsorinterventionists.TheyhaveaccesstoSmartFindbutnotPowerSchool.
Principalhasaccesstosomeinformationthatisonlyearmarkedfortheprincipal.She
maychoosetoshareitwithanyoneshewants.

CurricularFilter
Thecurricularfilterranksattheintegratedstage.Technologyisutilizedonadailybasisbymoststaff
membersandstudents.Curriculumismoderatelydependentontechnologydependingontheclassroom
onewalksinto.Teachershaveaccesstoavarietyoftechnologytoengagestudents,andassessmenttools
suchastheMeasuresofAcademicProgress,whichrequirestechnology.Notallstudentshaveaccess
throughoutthedayassomearepulledoutduringreadingandmathintensiveinstruction.Withupgrades
suchas1:1computingandlessfocusontraditionalassessmentmethods,WaterfrontParkElementarycould
easilymovefromtheIntegratedstagetotheIntelligentstage.

ElectronicInformation
Behavioral

Intelligent
Studentsareheavilydependentonelectronicsourcestoreceiveinformation.
Teachersutilizeavarietyofelectronicsourcestosupplementtextbooks.
Electronicinformationisuseddailythroughoutmanycurricularsubjects.

Resource/InfrastructureIntelligent
MoststudentsreceiveinformationandtakenotesfromPowerpointpresentations,
interactivewebsites,onlinebooks,andcomputersoftware.
StudentsuseinteractivemapsandreadnewspaperarticlesinSocialStudies,
completephonicsinstructionwithdownloadedSRAmaterials,andoftenview
Powerpointsinscience,suchasonEarthsmaterialsandmotionandsound.
Allstudentshaveaccesstoelectronicinformationthatisdispersedthroughoutthe
schoolday.
Anyfilesthatstudentswanttoreviewareplacedonthestudentdriveforaccessibility.

Assessment
Behavioral

Integrated
Someteachersuseintegratedtechnologiessuchasdigitalclickersintotheir

assessmenttools.
Someutilizebloggingasanassessmentofwork(especiallywhenintegratingwriting
intosubjectmaterial).
AllteachersutilizeelectronicgradebooksthroughPowerSchool.
Teacherscompleteselfassessmentandschoolsurveysonlineaswell,suchasSafe
SchoolsSurvey,Home/SchoolImprovementSurvey,andADEPT(stateofSouth
Carolinaevaluationprocess).
ManystudentsusetechnologytotaketestsonbookssuchasAcceleratedReaderor
completeassessmentsonlessonsandactivitiestheyhavecompletedonCompass
LearningOdyssey.

Resource/Infrastructure

Islands
Unfortunately,only14%ofthestaffactuallyhaveapersonalsetofSenteo
assessmentclickers.
100%ofstudentsutilizetechnologytotaketheMeasureofAcademicProgress(MAP)
inreading,writing,andmathuptothreetimesayear.
However,mostteachersarestillsetonimplementingtraditionalpaper/pencilteststo
determinestudentachievementversusblogs,onlinediscussionsandcollaborations,
andonlinequizzes.

CurriculumIntegration
Behavioral

Islands
MostteachersteachtheircurriculumalongsidetheSMARTBoard.
Thecurriculumisintegratedskillwiseandtoenhanceinstructionhowever,textbooks
andworkbooksarestillapredominantfocus.
100%ofteacherfacultyhaveaSMARTBoardintheirclassroomshowever,theydo
notalluseitinawaythatdependsonthetechnology.
Resource/InfrastructureIntegrated
.
Thetechnology(computers,SMARTBoard,electronicinformation)isreadilyavailable
forteacherstointegratethetechnologyinmultiplesubjects.
ThisincludesallthespecialareateacherssuchasArt,Music,andLibrary.
1:1computingisstillnotavailabletointegrateallcurriculum.

TeacherUse
Behavioral

Integrated
Teacherscompletealladministrativefunctionssuchasgrading,attendance,and
reportcardsonline(Intelligentstage).
Dailyuseoftechnologyisintegratedthroughoutcurriculumwithmajorityofteachers
asamethodtoenhanceinstruction.
Resource/InfrastructureIntelligent
Allteachershavealaptopcomputerthatissuppliedbythedistrictonafouryear
refreshcycletocompletealladministrativefunctions.
Whenalaptopbreaks,crashes,etc.,areplacementisgivenorloanerisprovideduntil

theITdepartmentfixestheproblem.
EachclassroomissuppliedwithaSMARTBoardtoutilizethroughwholegroupand
smallgroupinstruction.

StudentUse
Behavioral

Integrated
Studentsaresurroundedbytechnology(exceptina1:1computingsense)thatallows
forthemtousefrequently.
Learningobjectivesandoutcomesarenotdependentonitsusehowever,itdoes
improvetheoutcomesasithelpsexplainconceptsmoreeasilysuchasusingGoogle
Earthtodemonstratehowbigtheworldis,howbigtheUnitedStatesis,howbigSouth
Carolinais,andthatweliveinatinyspacealthoughitisabigcity.
Resource/InfrastructureIntegrated
Moststudentshaveaccesstotechnologyduringdifferentiatedreadingworkshop.
However,4%21%ofstudentsarepulledoutforintensivereadingintervention,sodo
nothaveaccesstocomputerstations.
Studentsthatarepulledoutaregivenopportunitiesatothertimes,suchasinthe
morningbeforeschoolbeginsoraftertheofficialschooldayendsandwhilewaitingfor
thebuses,iftheyareabusrider.

SupportFilter
ThesupportfilterisattheIntegratedStage.StakeholderInvolvementislackingandneedstoseemore
participationfrombusinesses,students,andsupportstaff,notjustteachers,selectparents,and
administration.However,thesupporthelpsaidteachersintechnologyimplementationwithinclassrooms.
Trainingisavailabletoteachersprovidedbythedistrictandschool,personnelisprovidedtofix
hardware/softwareissuesinadditiontothenetworks.Further,WaterfrontParkElementarysadministration
workshardtoengageteacherstoincludetheminplanningandmeettheneedsofthefaculty.

StakeholderInvolvement
BehavioralIslands
Stakeholdergroupsconsistofadministration,staff,supportstaff,parents,students,
andlocalbusinesses.
Manygroupsareawareofhowplanningisconductedandtheimplementationof
technologythroughupdates.
Fewgroupsareengagedintheplanningprocessasthatprimarilydealswithfunding.
Resource/InfrastructureIslands
Therearerepresentativesfromthestaff,parents(PTO),andadministrationthatmake
technologyplansandimplementthem.
PTO(ParentTeacherOrganization)drivesamajorityoftheimplementationwiththe
fundstheyraise.

AdministrativeSupport
BehavioralIntegrated
Administrationencouragesopendiscussionandopinionsofneededtechnology
equipment.
Softwareisusuallydeterminedbyschooldistrict,butifalargegroupofteacherswant
aspecificprogram,theadministrationisopentodiscussit.
Resource/InfrastructureIntegrated
Thereissomeformaladministrativetimethroughouttheschoolyearthatisdesignated
todiscusstechnologyimplementationsuchasnewhardwarethatisarriving.
Forthosethatreceivehardwarethatisnotschoolwide,aninserviceisprovidedfor
training.

Training
BehavioralIntegrated
Moststaffmembers(allregularclassroomteachersandspecialareateachersand
administrative/officesupportstaff)participateintechnologytraining.
Aidsandsupportstaffsuchascafeteriaandinterventionistsdonotreceivetechnology
training.
Resource/InfrastructureIntegrated
Trainingforteacherslaptopsarerequiredbythedistrict(2daytraining).
SMARTBoardtrainingforbasicandadvancedskillsisprovided.
Teachersthatreceivepilothardware,suchasSenteos,receivetraining.
MosttrainingisconductedduringStaffDevelopmentdaysatthedistrictofficeoratthe
school.
Technical&InfrastructureReport
BehavioralIntegrated
MoststaffmemberswillcallthetechnologyteacherorITdepartmentiftheyhave
hardwareissue(formal).
Mostwillwillinglyaskotherteachersforsoftwaresupportsuchashowtoworkan
optionontheteacherdrive,howtocreateaSMARTBoardlesson,howtoconfigure
grades,andpasswordstoprograms(informal).
Resource/InfrastructureIntelligent
Theschoolhasatechnologyspecialistonstaffthatteachestechnologyaswellasthe
InformationTechnologydepartmentthatisavailableatthedistrictthatusuallycomes
outthesamedayornextday.
ThetechnologyspecialistusuallyaddressminorproblemswhiletheITdepartment
fixesmajorproblemsnetworkissues,advancedcomputerproblems,and
PowerSchoolissues.

ConnectivityFilter
TheconnectivityfilterisattheIntelligentStage.Withasecurelocalareanetworkinplaceprovidedby
AerohiveNetworks,WaterfrontParkisabletoquicklydownloadvideos,uploadwork,Skypewith

professionals,andfileshare.Emailisavailabletostaffandstudentsandisanintegralpartofeach
teachersworkdayforprofessionalduties.Moststaffutilizetheinternetonadailybasisbythehourandall
studentshaveaccesstoitregularly.

LocalAreaNetworking
BehavioralIntelligent
StaffusethelocalareanetworkforsavingandsharingfilesknownastheTdrive.
StudentsuseasimilardrivecalledtheSdrive.
Filesharingandprintingarepopularaswellasutilizingthedataforinternetusage.
Videodownloadingispopularhowever,uploadingisnotaswidespreadthroughout
thestaff
Skypingwithotherclassesandprofessionalsisbecomingpopular.
Resource/InfrastructureIntegrated
Wirelesssystembeyond802.11isprovidedbyAerohivewhichgivesenhanced
securityincludinganintegratedfirewall,WIPS(WirelessIntrusionProtectionSystem),
VPN(VirtualPrivateNetwork),RADIUS(RemoteAuthenticationDialInUserService),
andActiveDirectorySupport.
Highspeedwirelessisthroughoutthewholebuildingandconnectstothecomputer
workstationsandlabs.
Wirelessdevicessuchastabletscanbeusedthroughouttheschoolandinevery
classroom.
Wirelesscanevenbepickedupontheplaygroundincaseanyoutsidelearningis
conducted.

DistrictAreaNetworking
BehavioralIslands
Teachersrarelyusethedistrictserver,orWAN(WideAreaNetwork).
WhenteachersdoutilizetheserversonthedistrictWAN,theyusethemfor
filesharing.
Resource/InfrastructureIslands
TheschoolhasafewserversontheWANatthedistrictlevelhowever,thedistrictis
focusingonutilizingAerohivenetworkstoincreasetheschoollevelLocalArea
Network.

InternetAccess
BehavioralIntegrated
Moststaffusestheinternetfrequentlyonadailybasisthatenhancescurriculum.
Allstudentshaveaccesstotheinternetatleastonceaweekallstudentshavea50
minutetechnologyperiodtheygotoonceaweek.
Resource/InfrastructureIntelligent
DirectInternetaccessisavailableonallschoolproperty.

CommunicationsSystems

BehavioralIntelligent
EmailisanintegralpartatWaterfrontParkElementarythroughemailannouncements
ofupcomingevents,plannedandimpromptumeetings,lessonplanapprovals,grading
materials,andparent/teachercorrespondence.
Resource/InfrastructureIntelligent
Allstaffandstudentshaveemailavailabletothemontheserver.
However,atthistime,studentsdonotutilizetheemailfunction.

InnovationFilter
TheinnovationfilterisattheIntegratedStage.Moststaffmembersembracenewtechnologyasanothertool
toincreasecurriculumgoals.Manyolderfacultymembersareafraidofthenewtechnologiesandneeda
longertrainingtimetounderstanditandworkwithittoreachtheircomfortlevel.WaterfrontElementaryis
equippedwithanumberoftechnologiesrangingfromdigitalcamerastolaptopcomputers.Theavailable
technologyisusedinmultiplewayshowever,notallteachersutilizeittothebestofitsabilities.More
trainingandexperimentationcouldassisttheseteacherswiththepracticetheyneedtoimplementitdaily
intoavarietyofsubjects.

NewTechnologies
BehavioralIslands
Newtechnologyisoftenacceptedbymoststaffmembers,especiallythosewitha
strongtechnologybackground.
Manyolderteachersarehesitantofutilizingnewtechnologywithoutpropertraining
anddonotcaretoexperiment.
Experimentationwithtechnologiesaresometimeslimitedtoaselectfewtopilotthe
hardware/software.
Typicallywhenatechnologyisintegratedschoolwide,ateacherhasbeforetheschool
yearbeginsandfirstfewweekstoexperiment.
Resource/InfrastructureIntegrated
Newtechnologyisusuallyacceptedwithabout80%,or37outof46teachingstaff
members,whenthereisa100%implementationrateofthetechnology.
ThenewesthardwareupgradewastheiPadadoptionforteacherswhichwasmostly
acceptedbyteachersfamiliarwithApple/Androidsystem.
Whenanewtechnologyisintroduced,itisexpectedthattheteacherattendstrainings
andworkstoimplementitintheclassroominsomewaytobetterstudentoutcomes.

ComprehensiveTechnologies
BehavioralIntegrated
TechnologyincludesDelllaptopcomputersforteacherswithSDreadersfordigital
videoandphotographyuploads,personalprinters,scanners,copiers,SMARTBoards,
45desktopcomputerswithheadphonesperclassroom,twocomputerlabswith30
desktopcomputers,Senteoclickers(sixsets),documentcameras(sixsets),digital
cameras,100Netbookcomputers(70splitontwocartsforcheckout,30foran

additionalthirdlab),videocameras,andiPads(administrationandteachers),and30
iPadstomakeuponeclasssetthatcanbecheckedout.
Onlyrecentlaptopsthatareonthelatesttworefreshcycleshavewebcamstovideo
conference.
Theschoollackswebcamsinallcomputers,tabletcomputingforstudents,andvoice
recognitionsoftwaretocompletecommands.
Resource/InfrastructureIntegrated
Theavailabletechnologyisusedbystaffmembershowever,notallstaffmembers
utilizeallthefunctionsofthesoftwarecreatingvideos,conferencingwithSkype,and
creatingdigitalprojects.

OverallMatureModelBenchmarkRatingIntegrated
WaterfrontParkElementaryisatechnologicalsavvyschoolthatmostlyembracestechnologicaladvancesin
equipmenthardwareandsoftware.Theschoolmustfindthemoneywithinitsownbudget,orrelyongrants,
tosupplyuptodatetechnologythatisnotonadistrictmandatedproject.Morestakeholdersneedtobe
engagedintechnologyuseplanningtoeffectivelyrepresentallgroupsinvestedintotheschool.Technology
isutilizedwithinmostcurricularsubjectswithalargeconsistentstudentaccessrate.Mostteachersdepend
ontheirtechnologyforadministrativefunctionsaswellasteachingthestatecurriculumandCommonCore.
Theschoolhasasophisticatednetworkthatissecureandfastandcoversthewholeschoolwithany
wirelessdevice.WaterfrontParkhasintroducedavarietyoftechnologiestobecomemorecompetitiveand
advanced.WithmostbenchmarksratingintheIntegratedstagewithafewIslandratingsandintelligent
ratings,theschoolcouldworkonimprovingtheislandratingstointegratedandfocusingtheireffortson
makingtheschoolmorestudentcenteredwithimprovedtechnologies.Withavarietyofchangesand
upgrades,WaterfrontParkcouldsoonbeenteringtheIntelligentStage.

WorksCited

CityData(2012).[Graphillustrationsandstatisticsofpopulation,racialdemographics,mapsoflocalarea,
popularindustries,localschools,attractions,businesses,areaweather,andhousingmarketinformation
].North
MyrtleBeach,SouthCarolina.
.Retrievedfrom

http://www.citydata.com/city/NorthMyrtleBeachSouthCarolina.html

NationalCenterforEducationStatistics.(2012).
Searchforpubliccountyschooldistricts:Horry01
[Datafile].

Retrievedfrom
http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/districtsearch/district_detail.asp?Search=1&State=45&County=Horry+County&ID2=45
02490

SouthCarolinaDepartmentofEducation(2012).
TheStateofSouthCarolinaannualreportschoolreport
card.
[Datafile].Retrievedfrom
http://ed.sc.gov/data/reportcards/2012/elem/c/e2601048.pdf
.