Reed Elementary School Evaluation

Reed Elementary school is located in the north central region of the lower peninsula of Michigan. This school is made up of a 99% free and reduced lunch economic population and is classified as a Title I school. The entire Reed Public School system includes approximately 1,000 students k-12, which includes students in the high school, middle school, and elementary school. Geographically speaking, Reed Public schools is not exactly located in a prime location that would promote and encourage advanced technologies to be available or used in the schools. This report is an overview and evaluation that will bring to light some of Reed Public Schools strengths and weaknesses in the area of educational technology. Below is a demographic breakdown of our student population, which is something that is very important to take into account when considering the progression technologically of our school. More importantly, though, the fact that we are a Title I school with nearly 100% free and reduced lunch is very telling.

Reed Elementary Demographic

30% 50% 20% White/Cauca sian African American Bi-racial

Free and Reduced Population

1% Other Free and Reduced 99%

Administrative : Islands
Policy o Behavioral Intelligent An appropriate technology use policy is formalized and fully supported at all levels of the organization. Our technology administration has effectively implemented a policy that is publicly available, even on the schools website that very clearly lays out the expectations for use of technology within our district. o Resource/Infrastucture Intelligent A comprehensive policy exists and has been approved by the organizations governing body. This policy has been

both approved and supported by all levels of administration from the school board, to each schools individual administration team, to the teachers in each building. Planning o Behavioral Islands Formal planning takes place, but is isolated to specific projects with some connection to other planning efforts. It is not apparent or evident that regular technological planning takes place within our district unless there is a specific need. It is not a progressive effort. o Resource/Infrastructure - Integrated A comprehensive technology plan receives informal review and some connection to planning efforts. While there is a plan in place, the amount of review that it receives is limited and does not involve staff members. Budget o Behavioral Emergent Some policy exists and it is loosely articulated. It is mostly informal with no formal approval. This is one area that seems to be a mystery to me and other staff members. We have no idea what funds are allocated to our technology budget and how much of those funds are available to us. o Resource/Infrastructure Integrated A specific technology budget is provided in addition to line items in other budgets. While a technology budget is provided, we have to be in the right place at the right time to have access to it. Board members and administrators are aware of these items but teachers have limited access to the information. Administrative Information o Behavioral Emergent Administrative systems are utilized by a few of the staff members, but are primarily used to benefit administration. This is where our school falls off the grid. Our technology administrator is a bit of a control freak and will offer absolutely no administrative rights to anyone on staff except for himself. In my opinion, this is detrimental to the technological progression of our school. o Resource/Infrastructure Emergent Administrative systems are available to administration and/or a few staff only. Truthfully, this statement could be changed to Administrative systems are available to

TECHNOLOGY ADMINISTRATOR ONLY!!! Just as I stated previously, our technology administrator refuses to allow anyone, even other administrators the ability to view or use technological administrative resources within out district. Conclusion of Administrative Evaluation o While our school does have many resources in place for us to be higher on the evaluation grid, there are a few things holding us back from progressing. Our largest road block is the inability of our technology administrator to ease up a bit on the reigns. On multiple accounts throughout this course he has refused to offer me ANY type of help or information regarding our school districts technology resources. Because of his inability to collaborate with others in a positive manner, our district is suffering technologically and will continue to do so until he realizes that in order to move forward, we all have to work together. When I have to wait months just for a special password to be able to print resources, there is a problem.

Curricular: Islands
Electronic Information o Behavioral Integrated Students and staff are very dependent upon information resources and use them regularly. Many of our curriculum pieces include online resources that go hand in hand with what is taught in the classroom. For instance, Pearson is the maker of our EnVision math series that we teach with. Pearson offers an online component that many teachers use on a daily basis. This resource is an Internet based piece that is also available to those students who have Internet access at home. o Resource/Infrastructure Integrated Resources are fairly comprehensive, providing depth or diversity, but not both. Access is available to most. The key term here is access is available to most. While access is available to most, many do not take advantage of the resources available due to a lack of comfort and/or confidence at the teacher level. Many of the teachers in my building are of the older generation and are not comfortable with the online components that are available for use. Therefore, some do not use the resources. Assessment

o Behavioral Emergent Few staff and no students use technology for evaluation of student work. While we do have a program called Power School that we use as our gradebook to keep track of student work and report card information, there are no teachers who are using other technology resources to evaluate student work. o Resource/Infrastructure Islands Some reporting and assessment tools are available with a focus on traditional assessment measures. As I just stated, we do have a gradebook/report card system that is kept online but as for other technology resources to use for assessment, few are available and even less are actually used. Curriculum Integration o Behavioral Islands Curriculum is somewhat dependent on technology and used in multiple ways. Here again, there is a divide amongst the teachers who utilize the resources available to use and those who are not comfortable with using them. I, for one, use technology in nearly every subject taught on a daily basis. I find it interesting, engaging and exciting for the students. However, other teachers who are less comfortable and perhaps close-minded, would prefer to use more old school methods while teaching. o Resources/Infrastructure Islands Technology related resources are available for some curricular areas. The two areas that are most prevalent for technology use in our school are math and reading. Pearson Education has a very useful technology piece that accompanies our math and reading curriculum. However, social studies, science, spelling, and other areas of curriculum lack that technology piece. It is up to the teacher to seek out resources that can be used in daily instruction and assessment. Teacher Use... o Behavioral Islands Regular use by teachers, but not integrated into daily work. Once again, this criteria is completely dependent upon the comfort and confidence of each individual teacher. There are resources such as Gradebook that are used on a daily basis but that is purely used as a tracking and grading resource, not as an instructional piece. o Resources/Infrastructure Intelligent

All teachers have access to appropriate technology in their work area. The key word in this criteria would be access. While all teachers do have access to appropriate technology in their work area, I would argue that many teachers to not actually use that technology. However, since the criteria states access rather than useI must rate this as intelligent.

Student Use o Behavioral Emergent Student use of technology is sporadic, primarily for remediation and enrichment. This would be our schools biggest tell as far as Im concerned. While students to have access to technology resources, the ability to actually use those resources is limited to remediation and enrichment. Each classroom has only three computers, which on most occasions are not working properly and a computer class or special is only available to students twice per week. Access to technology is certainly limited and definitely not integrated into daily instruction. o Resources/Infrastructure - Emergent Few students have consistent and regular access to appropriate technologies. As stated earlier, access to technology is limited to special circumstances and does not include daily instruction, especially for those students who are in classrooms that have teachers who are uncomfortable with various forms of technology. Conclusion of Curricular Evaluation o Taking a closer look at our daily curriculum and the access that we have to various forms of technology resources has really made me realize how much work our school needs in this area. The upside to this discovery is that the resources are available, which is a great thing, but the willingness to use these resources needs to be addressed. Many students would benefit greatly from a number of different resources that we have available to us but because of the lack of comfort and confidence many of our teachers experience, students are not being exposed to these resources. Because of this, Islands is the appropriate evaluation for our school in this area.

Support: Emergent
Stakeholder Involvement o Behavioral Emergent

Some of the groups are aware of the planning and implementation procedure, but few are engaged in the process. Once again, I am reminded of the inability of our technology administrator to release control of all things technology. He is VERY secretive, very closed off, and very exclusive when it comes to involving anyone with all things technology. It is very detrimental. o Resources/Infrastructure Emergent Few groups are represented in the planning and implementation process. I truly believe that the word few groups can be changed to one person in this criteria. Ive explained why multiple times throughout this evaluation. Administrative Support o Behavioral Emergent Support is limited to peripheral discussion, but no involvement. Once again, the unwillingness of our technology administrator to let go comes into play. o Resources/Infrastructure Islands Little formal administration, time and support allocated to the planning and implementation process. While there is time allocated to the planning and implementation process, once again, this planning and implementation is exclusively allowed to our technology administrator. Very little discussion amongst other staff members or even building administration is involved. Training o Behavioral Emergent Few staff members participate in technology training activities. I think that this is one of our districts largest weaknesses because it is the teachers who ultimately use and implement different forms of technology into our classrooms and daily instruction. While we do have a number of different forms of technology available to us, few teachers have actually been formally trained to use any of it. In fact, Ive taught for three years in this district and it wasnt until I took this course and realized how far behind we are technologically that any form of training took place. I have put together two presentations addressing the use of our math curriculum from a technology standpoint and will be presenting a third to the Superintendent and over 300 community members on December 17th at a community dinner. o Resource/Infrastructure Emergent

Limited formal training. This criteria speaks for itself. Without training, how are teachers supposed to effectively use and integrate different forms of technology available to use in every day instruction?

Technical and Infrastructure Support o Behavioral Emergent Few staff utilize formal and informal support. I know this sounds crazy because ultimately we are all adults but because of the attitude and unapproachable personality of our technology administrator, very few people feel comfortable asking him for help. However, on the other hand, we do have some other staff members who are comfortable with certain programs and are able to provide training and support involving certain programs available. The presentations that I spoke of earlier are a perfect example of that. The technology administrator is not always the end-all-be-all. Others can be valuable resources as well. o Resources/Infrastructure - Emergent No formal technical assistance. Users are on their own to find help. Theoretically, there is formal technical assistance but once again, because of the technology administrations attitude, that assistance is very limited and does not come without conditions involved. Teachers have learned to rely upon each other when assistance is needed. Conclusion of Support Evaluation o I strongly believe that this is the area that our weaknesses as a school district really shine through. The lack of support is extremely evident as I work through each of these areas. While as a district we have many forms of technology available to us, the unwillingness of our technology administrator to offer support is once again detrimental to the technological growth of our school. Teachers can rely on each other for support but because THAT is our best option, this area must remain in the emergent stage.

Connectivity: Integrated
Local Area Networking... o Behavioral Islands Staff and students use available networks often, but use is unsophisticated and limited. After taking this course, I have realized how unsophisticated our use of technology is at school. Basic Internet usage that is limited to emails,

attendance, and the occasional math or reading lesson is basically where we are at right now. Few teachers use technology for anything else. In fact, we have overhead projectors and Elmos that many of our staff does not use because they dont know how to use them or dont see them necessary to instruction. o Resources/Infrastructure Integrated High-speed networking with access to all working environments. One thing that is nice about our school is that we have a wireless network that allows us to use our laptops basically anywhere in the school. The reason that I have not put this in the intelligent column is because many of our laptops do not work. For the last three years, I have used my own personal Apple computer at school because the laptop that was given to me for use is so out-dated that I cannot use it. District Area Networking o Behavioral Intelligent Staff use available WAN services for video, voice, and sophisticated data needs. I hesitated to put this in the intelligent column because not all staff uses the services but the fact remains that we do have ACCESS to it so at some point, responsibility needs to fall on the shoulders of those who are not using it. I use video, voice, and other services on a daily basis and I know of a couple other teachers who do also. o Resources/Infrastructure Intelligent Comprehensive network services with high-speed lines, voice, video, and data capacity; data services are available. This is where our strength as a district really shines through. We have fantastic resources AVAILABLE to us. However, the other side of that is where our weaknesses are revealed. Just because you have something, doesnt mean its being used correctly or in an effective manner. Dont let the Intelligent ranking fool you on this one! Internet Access o Behavioral Islands Many staff and students use the Internet frequently, and curriculum integration is limited. I think it would be an interesting study to administer if we could evaluate the actual use of Internet by teachers and administrators. There are a few factors to consider when looking at this criteria. For one, the use of the Internet in our district is

VERY limited in our district due to the control freak component that Ive pointed out regarding our technology administrator. I am convinced that he has made it his mission to make it impossible for us to access anything on the internet because it seems as though every single time I try to search for something, Barrracuda comes up and does not allow me to access it. He regulates that. I think if I could change this criteria to many staff TRY to use the internet frequently it would be more accurate in my district! As far as curriculum integration, there are few teachers who are actually using forms of technology to enhance their teaching. o Resources/Infrastructure Intelligent Direct internet access to all locations. If we are talking about locations geographically within the school, the we are certainly intelligent in this area. Wireless Internet access is available throughout the building. Communication Systems o Behavioral Integrated Email is used frequently to form administrative and learning activities. Our staff and administration uses email on a daily basis for various reasons. Our school is actually a very small school so the use of email isnt always necessary because many times a short walk down the hallway is all thats needed. However, our access to email and its integration into daily routine is evident. o Resources/Infrastructure Islands Email is available to most staff and some students. Each of our staff members does have a school email address and we use it on a daily basis. However, students do not have email and are not encouraged to access email in any way during the school day. Because of the high poverty level of our district, many students do not have access to email at home, either. Conclusion of Connectivity Evaluation o I would say that this is the area our school is most advanced. Our ability to connect is certainly there and is used by some, but not all. While this is a strength of our district, unfortunately it exposes some of the weaknesses of the district as well. I like analogies and when I think of this area, I like to compare it to a car. If someone has a car, but doesnt use it, what purpose does the car serve? At this point, we have the necessary tools to be intelligent in this area but because of a few different things I have highlighted, we are unable to move out of the integrated column.

Innovation: Islands/Integrated
New Technologies o Behavioral Islands New technologies are accepted by many staff members, although opportunities for experimentation are limited. I think this explains my staff very well. When I walk around my school I see many pieces of equipment, many programs, and many other components of technology that are available, but not being used correctly, and in some cases at all. o Resources/Infrastructure Integrated New technologies are readily accepted by the staff with moderate implementation. As I stated earlier, many pieces of technology are littered throughout our school, many of which are new but few of them are used effectively. Staff members show very little perseverance when it comes to working through road blocks with new technologies. If they dont know how to use them right away, they give up and go back to their usual practices. Comprehensive Technologies o Behavioral Integrated Technology is fairly comprehensive, but lacks more advanced techniques. Before this class started, I thought we were a pretty fortunate district considering the different forms of technology that we have access to. However, after speaking with my group members and paying closer attention to other school districts in my area, I have realized that we are not even close technologically to other schools as we should/could be. Our technology is limited to overhead projectors, Elmos and computers. Thats it. No smart boards, no Mac labs, no other fancy things that other districts seem to have. We have a long way to go! o Resources/Infrastructure Islands Available technology utilization is limited to one or two types of technology for most staff and students. As I just stated, we have a long way to go. Very limited forms of technology are available and used in our district. Conclusion of Innovation Evaluation o The bottom line is that technology is what you make of it. A school can have the most innovative and exciting pieces of new technology but if nobody uses it correctly, then whats the point? Going through this section has made me realize that we are

probably closer to the Islands area than we are to the Integrated area because not only are we limited in the forms of technology that we have, we are also limited in the way we use them. There are many improvements that my school can make in this area but some staff are doing a good job of using the pieces of technology that we do have very effectively. Overall Conclusion So what does this all mean? To be completely honest with you, I am not sure how to digest all of this information to be used in the most effective manner. However, I will say that there are a few resounding themes that continue to surface while evaluating the technology components within my school and district. Technology can be one of the most effective tools in the advancement and progress a district, school, teacher, and individual student. However, when that technology is not used correctly, or controlled in a selfish way by certain entities within the district, its effectiveness quickly fades. The sad part is that until personalities are willing to change and perspectives are willing to adjust, our district will continue to rest in the technology slump that we seem to be in. Our challenge will be to address these issues ad we attempt to be come a more technologically advanced and recognized school district. We have a lot of work to do!!