Afton Webb EDTECH 501 Tech Eval Summary Dr.

Schroeder Spring 2012

Monroe Middle School School Technology-Use: Evaluation Summary

Demographics Monroe Middle School is serviced by a small district with a low budget. This district also services seven other elementary schools, a high school, and an alternative high school. Schools are parceled out within a rural community that house largely low-income families. Free and reduced lunch was at an all-time high of 73% during the 2011-2012 school year, and is projected to increase. Monroe Middle School has 856 students; 57% male students and 43% female. There is a 26:1 student to teacher ratio. ADMINISTRATIVE Policy Behavioral: Integrated Appropriate use of technology is outlined in student and staff handbooks, and is widely formalized throughout the district. Consequences for inappropriate technology use (for students and staff) are in place. The use of technology by students and staff is appropriate for instruction and learning processes. Resource/Infrastructure: Integrated Although a formal policy does exist, it is widely unfamiliar to certified staff. If youre looking at the benchmark literally, yes, there is one in place. We all follow guidelines given by our administrators and Technology Integration Committee (TIC). Planning Behavioral: Islands Formal planning does take place, but for now it is isolated to specific projects or specific departments within the school depending on funds. Much of the planning is done in tandem with the district and the TIC. Resource/Infrastructure: Integrated If I were writing the technology-use summary for the district, I would have said the district met the Intelligent benchmark; as of this academic school year a comprehensive technology plan with formal evaluation and connection to planning at school and district level has been put into action because of the Students Come First Initiative. However, because the plan is in infancy, little is underway at the building level. As a staff, were working toward achieving the goals set by our district, but itll be a long road ahead. Budget Behavioral: Islands

Monroe Middle is a school where not a lot of funding is available. Office Depot graciously makes donations so that our school, students, and staff may have the necessary supplies for learning and instruction. Also, a lot of school supplies are bought by the teachers themselves. Not a lot of money was spent on technology this year, as we had to borrow computers from other schools within the district to provide enough machines for ISAT testing this year. Technology is a high priority for our school, but were waiting on funding. Most often technology updates are done at a school-byschool basis. The majority of our technology funding will come from the Students Come First Initiative (SCF), as those are state allocated funds. Resource/Infrastructure: Islands Specific technology budget is allocated to Monroe Middle on a yearly basis, but as of yet, no other budgets are considered for technology. Changes can be made in specific situations if district approval is met. Because of SCF, Im anticipating that with the coming years this will more of a priority. Administrative Information Behavioral: Integrated Much of our administrative work is done on a system called SchoolMaster. SchoolMaster is a district mandated software that we use for record keeping, student profile and information, gradebooks, etc. There are still some systems that are done on paper and pen and then later transferred into the system. This may be changing next year. Resource/Infrastructure: Integrated There are some programs that only administrators are privy to, or have the right to overwrite. But for the most part, teachers have access to most administrative systems. CURRICULAR Electronic Information Behavioral: Integrated Students and staff use technology daily, as an integrated part of the curriculum and learning. Resource/Infrastructure: Integrated We have a wide-range of resources available to students and staff at Monroe Middle. Administrators, teachers, and staff share their findings so that each can explore new modes and media for teaching. Resources do tend to be a bit homogeneous, and instruction could benefit from more diversity/depth. Assessment Behavioral: Islands Used infrequently by teachers and staff to do regular assessments. Technology is used district wide to create Electronic Learning Portfolios which are student generated portfolios of their learning and reflections upon their learning throughout the year. Resource Infrastructure: Islands Some assessment and reporting tools are available, such as ISAT score reports in SchoolMaster, but other assessment tools are not. Traditional assessments are common. Curriculum Integration Behavioral: Emergent

Resource/Infrastructure: Emergent A lot of technology and educational software requires funding to purchase licenses. Although we have two programs that use technology as an integral part of their curriculum, the rest do not. We use technology to pad our curriculum and to enrich learning, but our curriculum is not dependent upon it. Teacher Use Behavioral: Integrated District software (SchoolMaster, email) is regularly used by all staff. Other technology tools are used for curriculum planning and related research. Resource/Infrastructure: Integrated Although all teachers have computers equipped with the necessary software and programs for their daily use, Most, if not all, teachers do not have the technology they need to successfully implement it into the classroom and curriculum. Student Use Behavioral: Islands Students at Monroe Middle do use technology daily, but are very limited in the ways they can use and have access to it. Technology is at its very basic level--computers, Microsoft Office, scanners, printers, digital cameras, the Internet. Not enough professional development on technology, its uses, and how to integrate it into the classroom and curriculum has occured. Most teachers are unsure of how and when to use it. Resource/Infrastructure: Integrated All students have access to school-wide technology resources if and when available. SUPPORT Stakeholder Involvement Behavioral: Islands (merging into Integrated) Resource/Infrastructure: Islands (merging into Integrated) Most stakeholders are aware of and represented in the planning and implementation procedure, and more are becoming involved in the process, especially since SCF. Administrative Support Behavioral: Islands Resources/Infrastructure: Islands As educators, our administrative team is largely supportive of using technology for learning purposes. However, there is little involvement of the administrative team to integrate it into the curriculum. The administrators are working with district staff and the Technology Integration Committee (TIC) to make involvement a more wide-spread practice. Training Behavioral: Emergent Resources/Infrastructure: Emergent Few staff members participate in technology training activities and practices because none are available. For the past two years, Monroe Middle School teachers and staff have had no professional development opportunities as the districts budget did not allow for this. The district did

have enough funding to sent select teachers from each school to a training in early 2011. Those teachers then came back and trained other teachers, who then trained their team. The SCF Initiative will change that, as there are four technology and departmental trainings are scheduled for the 2012-2013 school year. Technical and Infrastructure Support Behavioral: Integrated Whatever training and support, however formal or informal, does not go unused by teachers and staff at Monroe Middle. We are constantly bartering and trading technology-use ideas; we are thirsty for it, as we know how important it is for our students education. Resource/Infrastructure: Islands Most often formal training is given to few, and then they teach others, and others then teach their team. There are five teams at Monroe, two seventh grade teams, and three eighth grade teams. Each team has a tech person that attends trainings and/or seminars, and then returns back to teach and support the team as a whole with their technology questions or needs. Sometimes the district technology team or representative will come and instruct teachers on district mandated software, or pending changes thereof. CONNECTIVITY Local Area Networking Behavioral: Intelligent Staff is not limited to data, and does have services for video, voice and other data needs, but in limited areas in the building. We do not have computers with built in cameras or voice recorders, and most of the machines will not play sound. We can upload video from other devices. Resource/Infrastructure: Integrated High-speed internet is available at all working environments. District Area Networking (WAN) Behavioral: Integrated Staff use is limited to data in that our server often fills up, and we have to sift through files on shared drives and delete old or unused documents, pictures, etc. There are certain drives and servers that are allocated to teachers, students, and for media. Resource/Infrastructure: Integrated High-speed internet is available. Internet Access Behavioral: Islands Many staff and students use the Internet frequently. Curriculum integration is limited because many staff do not have adequate training in this area. Resource/Infrastructure: Intelligent There is direct internet connection to all areas throughout Monroe Middle School although its uses may not be sophisticated in nature. Communication Systems Behavioral: Intelligent

Email is used as the main mode of communication by all Monroe Middle staff throughout the day. Aside from daily team planning time (30 minutes daily), it is a key communication and support tool. Resources/Infrastructure: Intelligent Email is available to all staff, and students have the opportunity to use email as a way to transport electronic documents between school and home. Although all staff have district email address, students do not, but can access their personal accounts for academic purposes. INNOVATION New Technologies Behavioral: Islands New technologies would be gladly and widely accepted by staff members if training and opportunities for practice and experimentation were available. Often times technology tools and gadgetry are made mention of, but no further conversation occurs. Or a new technology is introduced and then later abandoned because understanding of its use is limited. Resources/Infrastructure: Islands New technology use would be supported and widely accepted by staff at Monroe Middle, however, because the staff is largely populated with teachers aged 50-60, moderate to heavy implementation support and training must occur. Comprehensive Technologies Behavioral: Emergent (moving toward Islands) As of today, most of our technology is limited to VCRs, DVD players, overheads, computers, printers, etc. Few locations within the building have scanners. Each team is allocated a digital camera and flip camera for taking pictures and shooting video. What resources we do have, we use frequently. Resource/Infrastructure: Islands Available technology utilization is limited to one or two types of technology for most staff and students, and is used to its full potential with the software and programs that we have access to. Conclusion This summary concludes that Monroe Middle is in the early stages of technology use and its implementation. Although frameworks, models, and systems are in place at the district level, little has been infiltrated into schools. Below is an excerpt of Monroe School Districts Students Come First Initiative Summary: In February of 2011, the Technology Team, in conjunction with the District Curriculum Council, formed a working group of teachers, administrators, and technology staff to bring together the technology and curricular needs of instructors with the priorities of the Technology Team. The Technology Integration Committee (TIC), as this group has come to be be known, has worked since its inception to ensure that the technology needed for student learning can be adequately selected, supported, and integrated into curriculum and instruction. This group has been integral in preparing Monroe School District for the resources and challenges that Students Come First brings.