THREE-YEAR DISTRICT TECHNOLOGY PLAN:

Transcription

1 THREE-YEAR DISTRICT TECHNOLOGY PLAN: Middletown Township School District Middletown, NJ William O. George III, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools 1

2 Table of Contents Contents I. Executive Summary... 3 II. Technology Inventory/Overview... 4 III. Needs Assessment IV. Three-Year Goals V. Three-Year Implementation and Strategies Table VI. Professional Development VII. Evaluation Plan VIII. Funding Plan

3 I. Executive Summary A. Technology Plan creation date: March 10, 2014 B. District Profile The Middletown Township School District is a preschool through twelfth grade public school district located in Monmouth County, NJ. The Middletown school district is home to seventeen schools with over 10,000 students. Covering 42 square miles, Middletown is one of three original townships formed in It is comprised of seventy thousand residents from Monmouth County. The Middletown Township School District is includes twelve elementary schools, three middle schools, and two high schools. The district is known for its focus on technology and excellent curricular offerings. The District s website is Each of the seventeen schools maintains an individual website easily accessed from the district site. School community members can access information that includes, but is not limited to, a parent portal for reviewing student progress, individual school programs, staff, curricula, activities, Board of Education minutes/agendas, lunch menus, before- and after-school services, and upcoming events. C. District Vision Statement Focusing on technology, Middletown Township will remain focused on sustaining an interactive learning community in order to afford all students the opportunity to attain skills and knowledge D. District Technology Mission Statement The Middletown Township School District will develop an advanced technological environment in all curricular areas for its students and staff in a productive and cost effective manner. We will integrate technological skills to enhance the teaching and learning process and improve the efficiency of all district operations. The Middletown Township School District is committed to preparing our students to be proactive digital citizens in an ever-changing world. We will strive to provide students with the best skills, attitudes, and resources to succeed in a global work force. Technology will be used as a mechanism that immerses students in a learning environment that fosters communication, conceptual understanding, collaboration, and creativity. Through increased and continual professional development, educators will combine and integrate technological tools with new instructional models that continue to acknowledge the individual learning styles of a diverse student population. Doing so will enable all students to become responsible, technological learners. 3

4 II. Technology Inventory/Overview A. Current Technology Inventory Building Desktops Laptops Minis ipads Chromebks Nooks Kindles Smart Board Bayview Fairview Harmony Leonardo Lincroft Navesink New Mon Nut Swamp Ocean Ave Port Mon River Plaza Village Bayshore Thompson Thorne North South Totals The district s network is client-server based with servers running Windows 2003/2008 Server operating system. An upgrade to all of our servers to Windows Server 2008 is planned during the school year. Currently, most client workstations are running Windows XP Professional operating system with service pack 3. The district plans on upgrading the operating system on many desktops/laptops to Windows 7 by January Dell is the district standard for servers and desktop/laptop computers. The district s current desktop models are Dell GX620, GX745 and GX755 workstations running Windows XP Professional with between 1GB and 4GB of RAM. District servers are Dell PowerEdge models. The district has a VMWare farm for running virtual servers making it very cost effective to add services and application servers. In additional to the desktop computers for staff and student use, the district has purchased over the past 2 years 1,000+ ipads and 3,000+ Chromebooks. We also have a Bring Your Own Device program available to all students and staff district-wide. To prepare for this large influx 4

5 of wireless devices the district upgraded its Aruba wireless network to n in the summer of This will allow for a greater density of devices throughout our buildings. Future wireless upgrades to the ac standard are planned. In February 2013 the district completed the installation of a fiber network to connect all of its buildings with a minimum bandwidth of 1GB back to the central data center. This fiber network will act as the backbone to provide increased technology applications and services for many years to come. The main data center is protected by a large UPS for power protection during outages. Future plans are to install a backup generator to provide services and prevent data loss during long term outages. Our data closet connections within our buildings are fiber with copper connections to all classroom data drops. The district utilizes a 500 MB Internet circuit from Windstream with the capacity to be upgraded to 1 GB. Our intention is to obtain a secondary Internet provider of 500 MB to provide resiliency and redundancy. Our web content filter is from Bloxx. Our Exchange system is frontended by a Barracuda SPAM filter. Additionally we subscribe to Barracuda s Cloud Protection Layer to initially scrub all messages of SPAM and viruses before reaching the district. Our Elementary schools use Citrix Xen Desktop technology to provide virtual desktops to the majority of computers. This helps minimize individual software updates and eases the deployment of new applications. Data backups are performed nightly directly to a network SAN using CommVault software allowing for file restores to be performed in minutes. Each classroom has a dedicated teacher workstation and multiple wireless devices. All classrooms have a projector and a document camera. Each Elementary classroom has a mounted Smart Board while numerous classrooms in the Secondary Schools also have Smart Boards. Prior to the school year, most of the wireless devices were Intel-based laptops. The district has made a move to ipads in Grades K-2 and ChromeBooks in Grades The ChromeBooks will be essential for use with the upcoming PARCC online assessments. The ChromeBooks also will provide synergy with the district use of Google Docs as every district student is assigned an account. The trend will be to a one-to-one environment as our budget permits as this will provide the best opportunity for technology integration in the classroom. Each Elementary school has one computer lab, Middle Schools have 4 computer labs and each High School has 8 computer labs. There are also ipad carts in each High School, used by the Math department to assist with instruction and to access an interactive textbook. 5

6 B. Technology inventory needed to improve student academic achievement through Three Year Technology Plan Inventory Table ( ) Area of Need Describe for Describe for Describe for Technology Equipment District Networking Capacity 1. finishing mounting projectors and Smart Boards in all Elementary classrooms. 2. purchasing 4 ipads for each K-2 Classroom 3. purchasing 4 ChromeBooks for every 3-8 classroom 4. purchasing 55 ChromeBook carts for HS Humanities classrooms 5. purchasing 270 ipads to expand the HS Algebra pilot program and start geometry pilot 6. upgrading all Elementary classroom teacher computers with newer refurbished units with lifetime warranty 1. upgrading Internet bandwidth from 300 to 500MB in 2. upgrading our SPAM filter to a more effective appliance/software 3. upgrading our VMWare environment to VCenter upgrading load balancing appliances for Power School and 1. adding more SMART Boards and mounted projectors in the Middle and High Schools. 2. purchasing devices to meet PARCC requirements 3. migrating more existing physical servers to the current virtualized server farm. 4. Start implementing a one-to-one device program in designated grades from starting to replace document cameras in both high schools 6. establishing a print environment to include wireless devices 7. continuing to purchase tablet devices for primary grade levels 1. starting to upgrade switches in network closets throughout the district. 2. implementing a network monitoring solution to provide more proactive support. 3. purchasing a web filter appliance with additional capacity to handle the influx of mobile devices. 4. investigating the next upgrade in our wireless infrastructure. 5. continuing to evaluate Internet bandwidth usage and needs 1. continuing the implementation of one-toone program in designated grades 2. continuing to add SMART Boards and mounted projectors in the Middle and High Schools 3. continuing to purchase various devices to meet PARCC requirements. 4. migrating more existing physical servers to the current virtualized server farm 1. continuing expansion/upgrade of wireless infrastructure 2. continuing the evaluation of Internet bandwidth usage and needs 3. evaluating web/spam filters for possible upgrades/expansion 4. continuing network switch upgrades 6

7 Three Year Technology Plan Inventory Table ( ) CONTINUED Area of Need Describe for Describe for Describe for Software used for curricular support Technology maintenance policy and plans 1. continuing the Microsoft School agreement for software upgrades. 2. investigating the upgrade of desktops/laptops to Windows 7 operating system. 3. continuing Discovery Education school licensing agreement. 4. continuing ASP agreement with TIENet for IEP writing/reference 5. continuing the subscription to Destiny, PowerSchool, Journeys and Digits 6. evaluating student virtual desktop infrastructure for use with ChromeBooks. 7. investigating more textbook support software. 8. evaluating digital textbook delivery. 9. purchasing more assistive technology software. 1. continuing summer maintenance of computers and switches 2. investigating printer/copier vendors for a new equipment/maintenance contract 3. renewing all software licensing 4.. renewing support contracts on all district software including Destiny, Surpass, Systems 3000 and Power School. 5. extending warranties on Dell servers to end of life 1. continuing the Microsoft School agreement for software upgrades. 2. Starting to upgrade desktops/laptops to Windows 7 operating system. 3. continuing license agreements with Discovery Education, TIENet, Destiny, PowerSchool, Journey s and Digits 4. implementing student virtual desktop infrastructure for use with ChromeBooks. 5. adopting textbook support software. 6. purchasing more assistive technology software 7. maintaining current web based resource subscriptions that support the CCSS and NJCCS 8. exploring the procuring of new web based resource subscriptions that will support the CCSS and NJCCS 9. developing a webpage resource for teachers to access software and web based applications that are easily accessed with a descriptor of each. 1. continuing summer maintenance of computers and switches 2. renewing all software licensing 3. extending Dell warranty on all equipment to end-of-life. 4. renewing support contracts on all district software 5. selecting a vendor for new printer/copier equipment and maintenance 1. continuing the Microsoft School agreement for software upgrades. 2. continuing upgrade of desktops/laptops to Windows 7 operating system. 3. continuing license agreements with Discovery Education, TIENet, Destiny, PowerSchool, Journey s and Digits 4. adopting textbook support software. 5. purchasing more assistive technology software 6. maintaining current web based resource subscriptions that support the CCSS and NJCCS 7. exploring the procuring of new web based resource subscriptions that will support the CCSS and NJCCS 8. developing a webpage resource for teachers to access software and web based applications that are easily accessed with a descriptor of each. 1. continuing summer maintenance of computers and switches 2. renewing all software licensing 3. extending Dell warranty on all equipment to end-of-life. 4. renewing support contracts on all district software 7

8 Three Year Technology Plan Inventory Table ( ) - CONTINUED Area of Need Describe for Describe for Describe for Telecommunication services (Central Telephone, PA System, CCTV, Cable TV, and Distance Learning) 1. selecting a new vendor/manufacturer of a voice-over-ip solution to replace existing digital phone system. 2. evaluating our existing security camera infrastructure for future upgrades/enhancements or replacement. 3. investigating acquiring a second 500 MB Internet provider to load balance our existing Internet circuit. 1. installing a secondary Internet circuit with 500 MB. 2. implementing a new security camera system for all schools. 3. investigating alternate and more cost effective Internet Service and phone circuit Provider solutions 4. continuing implementation of new VoIP phone system and evaluating additional features 1. continuing evaluation of Internet usage to determine most cost effective solutions 2. investigating possible expansion needs to security camera system 3. evaluating additional features for VoIP phone system Technical support Technical support for workstations and servers is Technical support for workstations and servers is Technical support for workstations and servers is provided by district personnel. Parts are either provided by district personnel. Parts are either provided by district personnel. Parts are either supplied by suppliers for equipment under supplied by suppliers for equipment under supplied by suppliers for equipment under warranty or purchased by the district for out of warranty or purchased by the district for out of warranty or purchased by the district for out of warranty repairs. warranty repairs. warranty repairs. Facilities infrastructure including security, fire, and alarm systems 1. establishing a secondary main data center as Active/DR site 2. evaluating our existing security camera infrastructure for future upgrades, enhancements or replacement 3. procurement of larger UPS for main data center 4. evaluating the installation of a gas-powered emergency generator to power our main data center during power outages. 3. implementing an upgraded security camera system district wide to better meets industry standards. 4. upgrading bandwidth between buildings that are 1 GB to 10 GB 1. installing a gas-powered emergency generator to power our main data center during extended outages 1. Evaluating security camera system for additional cameras and features Other services Continue migration to SchoolWires web site services by expanding the deployment with active sites and teacher created web sites. The district plans on investigating the use of cloud data services. The district plans on implementing cloud services for portions of data network 8

9 3 Year Technology Enhancement Description: A. Core Objective: The district maintains a wide variety of hardware, software, supplies and services that provide: Educators and students with access to technology that enhances learning, instruction and productivity in a variety of instructional settings including individual or group work in the classroom, computer lab or media center. A multitude of Internet-based resources that may be used for independent student research and supervised online learning and assessment activities. B. What We Have Accomplished Over the Last 3 Years: In the summer of 2011, the district embarked on a project to connect all district schools with a fiber network. The fiber network would be paramount in supporting all district technology initiatives for years to come. This includes expanded Internet bandwidth, distance learning, security and communications systems, wireless infrastructure and online assessments. We have continued to expand our BYOD initiative and will soon start a one-to-one device project for grades The district has continued to rollout Google Docs to where now every student has an account used for collaboration with other district students and staff. Our server has been upgraded to Exchange 2010 and with the upgrade to Office 2010 district wide our internal communications have been improved. In the summer of 2012 the district upgraded its wireless infrastructure district wide to an Aruba n network to accommodate anticipated increases in both district-owned and BYOD wireless devices. A CIPA compliant Internet filter from Bloxx was installed along with a Barracuda SPAM filter. Internet bandwidth over the past 3 years has grown from 40 MB to 500 MB in an effort to keep up with ever increasing demand for on-line resources. Desktop computers around the district have been upgraded with newer refurbished Dell GX745 and GX755 models having 4 GB of RAM and faster processors. These refurbished computers also come with a lifetime warranty thereby capping future repair expenses. The oldest computers which were in the Elementary schools, High School South, Thompson/Thorne Middle School and the Board of Ed offices classrooms were upgraded along with the oldest computers labs at HS South. Our core infrastructure has been upgraded with higher speed data switches, 9

10 increased data storage and upgrades to our VMWare virtual server farm. The district has implemented several administrative applications to assist in efficiently running the district. These include: Aesop Staff attendance management Applitrack Job applicant tracking VersaTrans Student transportation management PayForIt On-line meal payment processing AirWatch Mobile device management Destiny Secondary school library management SynreVoice Parent and Staff Phone Blast/ /Text communications system SchoolWires Hosted web site services Parent Portal Portal for Power School With regard to curriculum, effective September 2012, the middle school math program is a totally digital program that incorporates interactive example and videos in the daily lesson and allows students to do their homework assignments online with assistance where necessary while enabling teachers to formatively assess student performance prior to the next day s lesson. Each middle school mathematics classroom has five ChromeBooks to facilitate groupwork and differentiated instruction. Also during the , the lower level high school Algebra I classes were given access to the Fuse Algebra I program that utilizes ipads to enhance instruction. As of the school year, elementary and secondary students and teachers participate annually in a month-long Technology Challenge. Each day a new web-based resource or application that supports learning and productivity is highlighted for students and teachers to use in the classroom. At the end of each Technology Challenge, the district hosts a Technology Celebration that allows teachers and student to demonstrate/present some of the projects they have created using the various web tools and programs. Effective September 2012, My Learning Plan was purchased by the district to review, approve, inform, and keep a record of professional development district-wide. C. Planning for the Next 3 Years (Funding permitted): The largest driving force in the implementation of technology at Middletown is the integration of technology in the classroom for instruction and the upcoming PARCC online assessments. The district will be using a combination of wired and wireless devices to drive infusion of technology into the classroom and curriculum. In preparation for the technology requirements/guidelines of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), the district has been and will continue to upgrade desktop computers. A move to Windows 7 operating system will begin. We have placed many 10

11 ChromeBooks in classrooms and will be moving toward one-to-one devices in grades 3-12 district-wide. Mobile devices such as ChromeBooks and ipads will be essential as the district moves towards an anywhere anytime computing environment at school and at home. The district will be mounting video projectors and Smart Board technology in the secondary schools to bring the classroom environment on a par with the Elementary schools. Internet bandwidth will continue to be increased to keep up with the demands of PARCC and online curriculum initiatives. A strong infrastructure to support increased numbers of wired and wireless devices will be essential. The district will be evaluating the new ac wireless standard to support greater densities of mobile devices. We will be investigating enhancing our wireless network security as well as improving methods for supporting BYOD. Our network switch infrastructure will be evaluated for performance upgrades. The recently completed fiber network will allow consolidation of technology services and greater redundancy for increased uptime and efficiencies. Our phone systems will be upgraded to support the latest telecommunication technologies. Upgrades to our web filter appliance will be required to allow for anticipated future Internet bandwidth increases. A new IP-based security camera system with increased storage capability will be installed to enhance building security with possible connections to door locks and building alarm systems. To address long term power outages such as those experienced during Hurricane Sandy, the district will be looking to install a gas-powered generator at our main data center. We will also be looking to establish a disaster recovery data center at our Bayshore Middle School. With regard to curriculum: During the school year, we have implemented a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) initiative that incorporates: Educational Technology Specialists at the elementary level; Family Engineering Nights at the elementary schools; STEM Specialists at the middle schools; and STEM Pathway for high school students Funding from the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) Lakehurst Business and Partnership Office has been utilized to support the middle school STEM initiative during the school year. Plans are in place create a co-curricular STEM club in each middle school effective as of the school year. 11

12 To support the implementation and integration of technology in the classroom, Middletown has created six Educational Technology Specialist positions at the elementary level effective September Support is being provided to students and teachers district-wide to utilize Google Docs to complete writing assignments, collaborate on projects and presentations, create surveys, register online for professional develop, etc. The elementary literacy program, adopted effective September 2013, includes: online access to all resources for teachers and students, both in school and at home; the use of use classroom sets of ipads in kindergarten through second grade classes and classroom sets of ChromeBooks in third through fifth grade classes to access leveled text for guided and independent reading; a newly written curriculum, adopted July 2013, that incorporates a multitude of web-based resources, available electronically to teachers. LibGuides subscriptions are being introduced in the Spring of 2014 to support the development of high quality research skills. The middle and high school literacy and middle school social studies curricula, adopted effective September 2013, also incorporate a multitude of web-based resources, available electronically to teachers. The high school social studies curricula are being revised to incorporate such resources as well effective September Humanities teachers of grades six through twelve have access to CICERO s fifth generation of The Online History Textbook. All ninth through twelfth grade humanities classrooms have carts of ChromeBooks. The elementary mathematics program is scheduled to be updated effective September 2014 to incorporate online access to additional resources as appropriate for alignment to the Common Core. Effective September 2013, all high school Algebra I classes have access to the Fuse Algebra I program that utilizes ipads to enhance instruction. Plans are in place to expand this program for use in the middle school Algebra I classes effective September In addition, the Fuse Geometry ipad program is being piloted during for possible district-wide adoption effective September Examples of some of the technology applications implemented during annual Technology Challenge for and demonstrated during the 2014 celebration included: Symbaloo, PowToons, Poplet, ReadWriteThink Timeline, Edmodo, Wetly, Animoto, Go Noodle, Google Drive, Campaign Feedback, Educreations, Class Dojo, imovie, Pixton, and the online version of the World Book Encyclopedia. As of the Spring 2014, all educational specialists i.e., reading, mathematics, technology, and STEM have been issued either a MacBook or ipad (or both) to assist them in fulfilling their job responsibilities. 12

13 III. Needs Assessment The Middletown Twp School District works interactively with the teachers and staff during the course of each school year through in-person meetings and other forms of communications to receive input of technology needs. District Tech Specialists survey staff on tech instructional needs and provide in-class training in areas of need. BOE administrators meet weekly and building administrators meet monthly to discuss technology needs among other issues. A committee made up of multiple staff from each school meets several times yearly to guide the district in making future purchases and integrating existing technologies. As an example it was from these meetings that a decision was made to use ipads in Grades K-2 and ChromeBooks in Grades During the month of October 2013, the Middletown Township Education Association was given the opportunity to offer input for the district s three year technology plan. The survey was administered through a form created using the Google platform. There were four-hundred seven responses (407) of which each level of instruction responded. Below outlines their responses as it relates to the technology needs of the district: 75% of respondents use technology at least two or more times per week in their classrooms The primary use of technology in the classroom is teacher directed presentation o 24% of respondents present with technology o 19% of respondents use technology for interaction o 19% of respondents use technology for research It is substantial to say that teachers want the district to purchase more laptops, tablets, and Chrome books Students are using technology in the classroom to research, access educational websites, and publish/create student work 73% of respondents feel our technology is current or exceeds current levels Respondents feel that focus should be emphasized on device purchase and professional development (52%) Expansion of district purchased web applications was overwhelmingly wanted by staff Considerations that staff feel we should have in our plan: o Increase bandwidth and overall infrastructure o Increase professional development as it relates to technology o Increase the support personnel in the technology department o Move printing capabilities to a wireless model o Purchase more web based applications o Move in the direction of 1:1 device capability Overall, the staff feels that we need to continue in the direction we have started since this administration took over. They are happy with the large purchases made this year and look forward to increasing the devices in their classrooms. 13

14 IV. Three-Year Goals A. The needs assessment results show a need for providing additional devices to further student access to technology. 1. Goal 1 Start a one-to-one deployment of ChromeBooks in Grades 3, 6 and 9. This objective integrates with the district s implementation of Google Apps for Education as students will use their Google account to login on the device and access their applications and saved documents. 2. Goal 2 Continue deploying ChromeBooks in and perhaps be in a position to have one device for every student in Grades 3 through 12. B. The needs assessment results show a need for additional Internet bandwidth. 1. Goal 3 Install a second Internet circuit of 500 MB with capacity of 1 GB 2. Goal 4 Install upgraded CIPA-compliant web filter to handle the increased bandwidth requirements. C. The needs assessment results show a need for a strategy to minimize network downtime (VDI desktop access, staff , and Power School, Internet access in the event of an extended power failure. 1. Goal 5 Provide emergency gas generator backup power to the network operation center in the event of an extended power loss. 2. Goal 6 Creation of a DR site at the Bayshore Middle School D. The needs assessment results show a need for updated A/V equipment in secondary schools 1. Goal 7 Provide new wall-mounted projectors, document cameras and Smart Board technology in classrooms at High Schools, mount existing projectors and Smart Board technology in Middle Schools E. The needs assessment results show a need for updated desktop computers 1. Goal 8 Install updated desktop computers in District computer labs and classrooms F. The needs assessment results show a need for updated network and physical security 1. Goal 9 Add ability to wireless network to better control onboarding of mobile devices and prevent unauthorized access 2. Goal 10 Install upgraded unified security camera system in all schools 14

15 V. Three-Year Implementation and Strategies Table District Goal Three-Year Technology Implementation Activity Table Strategy/Activity Timeline Person Responsible Documentation 1 Start a one-to-one deployment of ChromeBooks in Grades 3, 6 and 9. 2 Continue deploying ChromeBooks in and perhaps be in a position to have one device for every student in Grades 3 through Install a second Internet circuit of 500 MB with capacity for 1 GB Summer 2014 Summer 2015 Spring 2014 Network Manager, Network Tech, Computer Techs, and Outside Vendor Network Manager, Network Tech, Computer Techs, and Outside Vendor Network Manager, Network Tech Purchasing bid documentation Purchasing bid documentation Testing report from ISP. Internet speed test reports from various sites 4 Install upgraded CIPA-compliant web filter to handle the increased bandwidth requirements. 5 Provide emergency gas generator backup power to the network operation center in the event of an extended power loss. Summer 2014 Summer 2014 Network Manager, Network Tech and Outside Vendor Network Manager, Facilities Dept. and Outside Vendor Performance testing results Testing results of automatic failover simulating a power failure 15

16 District Goal Three-Year Technology Implementation Activity Table Strategy/Activity Timeline Person Responsible Documentation 6 Creation of a district DR (disaster recovery) site at the Bayshore Middle Summer 2014 Network Manager, Network Tech and Outside Vendor Testing of backup and recovery processes 7 Provide new wall-mounted projectors, document cameras and Smart Board technology in classrooms at both High Schools, mount existing projectors and Smart Board technology in Middle Schools 8 Install updated desktop computers in District computer labs and classrooms Summer 2014 and Summer 2015 Summer 2014 and Summer 2015 Network Manager, Facilities Dept., Principals and Outside Vendor Network Manager, Network Tech and Computer Techs Project documentation, electrical diagrams, manufacturer spec. sheets Inventory data on oldest computers, golden image creation 9 Add ability to wireless network to better control onboarding of personal devices and prevent unauthorized access 10 Install upgraded unified security camera system in all schools Summer 2014 Summer 2014 Network Manager, Network Tech and Computer Techs Network Manager, Security Admin, Facilities Dept., Outside vendor Wireless network maps, personal device permission forms Building maps, camera coverage diagrams 16

17 VI. Professional Development A. Describe the planned professional development strategies by addressing each of the following questions: 1. How ongoing, sustained professional development to all educators (including administrators) that increases effective use of technology in all learning environments, models 21st century skills, and demonstrate learning experiences through global outreach and collaboration in the classroom or library media center? The following professional development opportunities are being offered to the staff: Technology training at in-services and out-of-district workshops. This will include, but is not limited to the following areas: subject area in-services including new curricular adoptions and ongoing support for existing district adoptions, Microsoft Office productivity software suite, PowerSchool student information system, Destiny library automation system, Office 3000 business software application, Edmentum, and SMART Board integration. communication from Information Technology department imparting technology material/instructions i.e., using dedicated browsers in the classroom, clearing the cache, removing pop-up blockers, utilizing SplashTop to access to access network folders, etc. During monthly staff meetings, district in-services, grade level meetings, departmental meetings, and Professional Learning Communities, educators will be provided opportunities for articulation regarding technology infusion to support 21 st century skills, digital citizenship, and the facilitation of independent student learning. The district will continue to reach out to its own in-house experts in the various areas of technology to turn-key professional development to their colleagues via Master Teacher Innovation Labs. Professional development in the area of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields will continue to be increasingly incorporated. Opportunities for out of district conferences, workshops, and seminars will be offered to all educators to further the effective use of technology and assist with the infusion of 21 st century skills. Monthly district administrative council and principals meetings where attendees receive technology updates, information, and training as needed. 17

18 Monthly Superintendent and Business Administrator Roundtable meetings, National School Boards and New Jersey School Boards conferences National Education Association (NEA), New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), Monmouth County Education Association (MCEA), and Middletown Township Education Association (MTEA) conferences/workshops/online training New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association (NJPSA) and New Jersey Federal Program Administrators (NJPFA) workshops/conferences 2. What professional development opportunities, resources, and support (online or in person) exist for technical staff? Technology staff has training opportunities at district in-services and out-of-district workshops. This will include, but is not limited to the following areas: Microsoft Office software suite, Power School student information system, Destiny library automation system, Surpass Library automation system, KACE computer management system, Aruba Wireless network, Active Directory, Google Apps for Education, Office 3000 business software application, and SMART Board integration. Quarterly county Technology Director/Coordinator meetings State Conferences (NJASBO, TechSPO) Vendor in-house and out-of-district workshops Meetings and phone conversations with District technology consulting firm Self-paced technology resources available on the Internet Knowledge transfer among technology staff members Technology staff meeting 3. How will professional development be provided to educators on the application of assistive technologies to support educating all students? Professional development for educators on the application of assistive technologies to support educating all students is provided in both formal and informal settings. Formal setting professional development includes hands-on workshops for Middletown s special education teachers. Upcoming PD for all special education teachers will be held on Wednesday, March 12, 2014, and Wednesday, April 30, Informal professional development occurs throughout the school year, and is provided to the educational teams of students with disabilities who use assistive technology. PD is typically provided in small-group or one-on-one settings at the student s school. Any Middletown educator may request assistive technology PD, either related to a specific student or as a class-wide support. 18

19 B. Projected professional development activities that will continue to support identified needs through 2016, including all partners. Projected professional development activities are as follows for : Projected Professional Development Activities for School Year School Year School Year Training to introduce teaching staff to online resources that support the new elementary language arts literacy adoption, Edmentum, etc. Ongoing training to support existing curricular adoptions such as digits in middle school mathematics, CICERO in secondary social studies, etc. Training to introduce teaching staff to online resources that support the new elementary mathematics adoption and any other new adoptions. Ongoing training to support existing curricular adoptions including the elementary Journeys language arts adoption, etc. Training to introduce teaching staff to online resources that support the new curricular adoption. Ongoing training to support existing curricular adoptions including the elementary Journeys language arts and mathematics adoptions, etc. Various Power School SIS training Continued Power School SIS training Continued Power School SIS training SMART Board training Continued SMART Board training Continued SMART Board training Office 3000 training Continued Office 3000 training Continued Office 3000 training Microsoft Office Productivity Suite training Aesop attendance system training Continued Microsoft Office Productivity Suite training Continued Aesop attendance system training Continued Microsoft Office Productivity Suite training Continued Aesop attendance system training District website management Continued district website management Continued district website management Google Docs training Continued Google Docs training Continued Google Docs training Classroom technology curriculum integration training District website management training VMWare management training Windows 7 & Windows Server 2008 training Active Directory, KACE PC management, Firewall, Load Balancer, Web Content Filter, Antispam, VDI, and Exchange server training Distance learning (Skype, etc.) software training Classroom technology curriculum integration training Continued District website management training Continued VMWare management training Continued Windows desktop & server OS training Continued Firewall, Load Balancer, Content Filter, Anti-spam appliance, Ericom VDI, and Exchange server training Continued distance learning (Skype, etc.) software training Classroom technology curriculum integration training Continued District website management training Continued VMWare management training Continued Windows desktop & server OS training Continued Firewall, Load Balancer, Content Filter, Anti-spam appliance, Ericom VDI, and Exchange server training Continued distance learning (Skype, etc.) software training 19

20 VII. Evaluation Plan A. Describe the evaluation process that enables the progress and effectiveness goals to be monitored. The Middletown Township School District employs a variety of methods to determine and evaluate the effectiveness of integrating technology into the curricula and instruction. Some of these measures to evaluate, monitor, and correct include: Lesson plans and formal and informal classroom observation and teacher feedback will provide evidence of increased fluency accessing and implementing the wide variety of online resources that are an integral part of instruction K-12. Professional development will include the integration of technology (e.g. CICERO Kids for new K-5 Social Studies curriculum, the use of appropriate technology to facilitate flipping the classroom instruction, etc.). Teacher feedback and lesson plans reflecting NJCCCS and CCSS will provide evidence of the effectiveness of technology enhanced delivery of curriculum. District professional development and building-based PLC s will promote the use of appropriate technology tools (i.e., LibGuides in our K-5 classrooms to develop high quality digital/technology-based research skills, formative assessment tools, etc.). Classwork, student presentations and collaborative projects will provide evidence of technology integration. Students keyboarding skills will be evaluated to determine the impact of regular keyboard instruction embedded in all elementary classes. Lesson plans and formal and informal classroom observations and teacher feedback will provide evidence of increased use of ipads, Chromebooks and Google Docs for classwork, homework, presentations and collaborations. District, departmental and building-based professional development will be designed and implemented through the publishers of newly adopted ebooks and online resources (i.e., in World Languages, middle school mathematics via the digits program, etc.). Lesson plans, classroom observations, teacher and student feedback will provide evidence of the impact of technology enhance instruction. 20

21 B. Describe the process to make mid-course corrections in response to new developments and opportunities as they arise. The Middletown Township School District Central Office administrators meet weekly to discuss all aspects of the district including technology, curriculum, personnel, business, facilities, operations and student services. This allows for the development of synergy between all district operations and allows for quick adjustment to district short and long term plans. Decisions made at these meeting are disseminated to district personnel via memorandums, , phone and inperson conversations. The district also holds monthly meetings with all district school administrators to discuss district developments and direction. The district holds several meetings over the course of the year with technology stakeholders from every school to discuss technology issues, plans, goals and desires. This is a valuable tool in determining the technology direction of the district. As new technology emerges, the district technology staff and curriculum specialists evaluate the potential for integration in our curriculum and possible use in the classroom. Those technologies that are deemed promising are piloted in select buildings/classrooms and if successful are considered for adoption. 21

22 Middletown Township School District Technology Plan ( ) VIII. Funding Plan ITEM Three-Year Educational Technology Plan Anticipated Funding Table (First Year) DESCRIPTION OF ITEM TO BE PURCHASED FEDERAL FUNDING STATE FUNDING LOCAL FUNDING MISC. (e.g. Donations, Grants) Digital curricula Technology Equipment & Supplies Digital textbooks and instructional systems Desktops, laptops, tablets, servers, SMART Boards, document cameras, projectors, and ink/toner cartridges. Network/Capacity Gigabit switches, Internet pipes Filtering Web Filtering appliance Software/Licensing VMWare, Barracuda Anti-Spam and Firewall, Commvault Backup software, School Connects, Citrix Xen VDI, Microsoft School Agreement, Maintenance Upgrades Other services Warranty and preventative maintenance supplies Wireless Infrastructure, Phone System, Security cameras Website hosting, Technology consulting services 22