Pemberton Township Schools. District Technology Plan

Transcription

1 1 Pemberton Township Schools District Technology Plan

2 NJ Department of Education District/Nonpublic School/ Charter School Three-Year Educational Technology Plan Checklist To comply with the E-Rate program, complete the components associated with the unshaded boxes in the REQ D BY E-RATE column. Completion of other components are recommended but not required. Submission procedures found here: Three-Year Educational Technology Plan Checklist Submission Procedure: This Document in: PDF Microsoft Word DIRECTIONS: Place a check in the unshaded COMPLETED column when the TASK has been completed. Completed DATE: TASK Provide your educational technology plan s creation date (the date when the technology plan first contained all of the required elements in sufficient detail to support the products and services requested on the Form 470). ( Tech Plan creation date: 11/14/12 Req d by E-Rate 1 Not req d E-Rate DIRECTIONS: Answers to questions regarding e-rate compliance: Address the numbered items below in a separate District/Nonpublic School/Charter School educational technology plan document. Indicate in the PAGE # column, the page number where the corresponding information is found. For purposes of this document, educators are defined as school staff who teach children, including librarians and media specialists. Sample table templates are provided (see links embedded in this document) to assist in the development of the educational technology plan. Please use these table templates unless information is already in a digital form. Indicate in the unshaded spaces the page number where the corresponding information is found Inventory Sample Table Req d by Not req d E-Rate by E-Rate TECHNOLOGY INVENTORY: 1. Describe the technology inventory needed to improve student academic achievement in the school year that informs the basis for the Form 470. Include in the description the internal connections and basic maintenance for 12 months of the e-rate funded year, such as the following areas: a) Technology equipment including assistive technologies b) Networking capacity c) Filtering method d) Software used for curricular support and filtering e) Technology maintenance and support f) Telecommunications equipment and services g) Other services NOTE: If this plan is intended to be used for three years of E-Rate funding, provide anticipated inventory information for all three years. See Inventory Sample Table. Definitions of items eligible for e-rate discounts: NEEDS ASSESSMENT: 2. Describe the needs assessment process that was used to identify the necessary telecommunication services, hardware, software, and other services to improve education. Page 7 through Page 9 Pages 10 and 11

3 2 THREE-YEAR GOALS: 3. List clear goals for that address district needs. There must be strong connections between the proposed physical infrastructure (bandwidth, cabling, electrical systems, networks) and goals. Include goals for using telecommunications and technology that support 21 st century learning communities. E-Rate requirements: Indicate in the unshaded spaces the page number where the corresponding information is found Req d by E-Rate Pages 12 through 13 Not req d by E-Rate THREE-YEAR IMPLEMENTATION AND STRATEGIES TABLE: Implementation Activity Sample Table 4. Describe the realistic implementation strategies to improve education. Include in the description the timeline, person responsible and documentation (or evidence) that will prove the activity occurred. Address only a and b below to meet e-rate requirements. Address all areas below to continue planning for a technology-rich learning environment. a. telecommunications, b. information technology, c. educational technology (including assistive technologies), and d. student technology readiness in preparation for online testing in PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES: Professional Development Sample Table 5. Professional development strategies should ensure that staff (teachers, school library media personnel and administrators) knows how to effectively use the technologies described in this plan to improve education, and will continue to support identified needs through Address only a below to meet e-rate requirements. Address all areas below to continue planning for a technology-rich learning environment. Describe the planned professional development strategies by addressing each of the following questions: a) How will ongoing, sustained professional development be provided to all educators, (including administrators) that increases effective use of technology in all learning environments, models 21 st century skills, and demonstrate learning experiences through global outreach and collaboration in the classroom or library media center? b) What professional development opportunities, resources and support (online or in person) exist for technical staff? c) How will professional development be provided to educators on the application of assistive technologies to support educating all students? EVALUATION PLAN: Evaluation Plan Sample Table 6. Describe the evaluation process that enables the progress and effectiveness of goals to be monitored. 7. Describe the process to make mid-course corrections in response to new developments and opportunities as they arise. FUNDING PLAN (July 2013 June 2014): Funding Plan Sample Table 8. Provide the anticipated costs for by source of funds (federal, state, local and other) and include expenses such as hardware/software, digital curricula including NIMAS compliance, upgrades and other services including print media that will be needed to achieve the goals of this plan. Allow specific provisions for interoperability among components of such technologies to successfully achieve the goals of this plan. Pages 14 through 17 Pages Pages 18 and Pages Pages Page 14 Page 14 Page 18 Page 18 Pages 22-23

4 3 NJ Department of Education District/Nonpublic School/ Charter School Three-Year Educational Technology Plan Checklist Review Procedures for District/Nonpublic School/ Charter School Educational Technology Plan Educational Technology Plan Review and Approval: The County Office of Education will set the timeline for review, submission and approval of district and Charter School educational technology plans. The County Office of Education will complete an online form by June 15 th indicating the districts and Charter Schools with approved educational technology plans. Nonpublic School Educational Technology Plans may be reviewed and letters issued by the Certified Technology Plan approvers found on the Universal Service Administrative Company web site: Notification of Approval: The NJDOE s Office of Educational Technology will send a notification of approval to the Chief School Officers of the approved districts and Charter Schools. Nonpublic School Educational Technology Plan approvals are not listed on the NJDOE website. Therefore, their approval letters do not have to be submitted to the NJDOE. Posting your plan: The NJDOE s Office of Educational Technology suggests that school districts, nonpublic schools and Charter Schools post the approved educational technology plan on their web site. For Assistance: To answer questions or concerns, contact the district or Charter School s County Office of Education (contact information found at or the NJDOE s Office of Educational Technology at edtech@doe.state.nj.us.

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6 5 Executive Summary The students entering the Pemberton Township School District will graduate and live in the 21st century. Just as our culture has been transformed by technology over the past century, we must transform our application of technology to the teaching and learning process. Most importantly, our students need the technological tools and resources to help them learn and achieve in the future. It is generally accepted that technology continues to progress at an ever accelerating rate. The responsibility of all school districts is to prepare students to live and excel in this ever-changing world. Technology decisions made today will have major effects on the quality and efficiency of the education delivered to the students of today and tomorrow. In addition to changing student needs, school boards and administration will need information in timely, accurate, accessible and usable forms. Teachers need to be able to use technology effectively in their classrooms in order to increase and enhance learning time for students. Educators need to find new and better ways to accomplish their mission, both effectively and cost efficiently. To this end, in 1991 a long-range planning committee set forth the following Belief Statements relative to the use of technology by students, staff, and community. These belief statements are central to the development of the district s technology mission statement and will serve to provide a framework from which all future technology action plans will be developed. 1. The Pemberton Township School District must provide a technology-rich environment for all curricular areas. 2. Technology places users in an information-rich environment, provides access to a broader world of communication and interaction, and generally enhances the teaching / learning process. 3. Successful utilization of technology requires the support of ongoing, high quality training and users who commit to a process of lifelong learning. 4. All users should have the opportunity to develop technology skills regardless of their ability level, socio-economic status or career goals. 5. Through the utilization of technology, users develop the following skills: critical thinking, problem solving, intellectual and ethical discrimination, self-directed learning, effective communication, and general workplace readiness. 6. A fully integrated technology program should enhance or establish collaborative efforts with the community, cooperating school districts, county educational institutions, post-secondary institutions, and business / industry. 7. Ongoing evolution of a technology plan should focus on industry trends, research findings, and an evaluation of the quality of utilization as well as the quantity of technology made available. These beliefs have driven Pemberton Township Schools commitment to technology implementations over the past two decades. Many of our initiatives support these beliefs. Since the initial effort in 1991, technology committees have met and revised the District Technology Plan seven times. Since 2001 a Strategic Planning Team consisting of parents, community members, administrators, teachers and students have identified Technology as one of eight target areas for ongoing district initiatives. This document reflects the direction dictated by the participants over the past years, notes their accomplishments to date, and outlines the plan in place for future technological endeavors.

7 6 The Technology Mission of the Pemberton Township School District is to incorporate technology into the educational program in order to: Establish an ongoing technology training program; Enhance higher order thinking skills; Prepare our students to live, work, and compete in a technological world; Provide equal opportunity for all students; Integrate technology into curriculum as a teaching and learning tool; Develop a district communication system available to all staff; Develop an information retrieval system for use by the district s staff, students, and the community; Establish an effective and efficient management system of the school district s operations; Establish a continuing process for updating and staying current in accordance with technological advances; Maintain an efficient, reliable and secure technology environment to ensure our technology infrastructure supports student achievement. The district s plans to accomplish the mission, continues to be refined this year by a committee of district administration, technology personnel, curriculum supervisors, teachers, students and parents. Included in our District Technology Plan are strategies and action tables, which integrate the beliefs for educational technology.

8 7 Technology Inventory The Pemberton Township School district serves approximately 5,000 students in pre-school through twelfth grades. These students attend 8 elementary schools, a middle school and a high school. The district is supported through local, state and federal funding. Over the last few decades, with the realignment of the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, both the total enrollment and federal funding has decreased substantially. Although Pemberton Township was a special needs Abbott district, state funding has been extremely problematic over the last few years. The fiscal outlook over the next few years will pose significant challenges to available funding. Despite these obstacles, the Administration and Board of Education continues to place a high priority on the importance of technology in our administrative and instructional environments. Since 1998, Pemberton Township Schools have had a wide area network in place, which ties our clusters of schools and administration buildings together for high-speed data and voice communications. Our school data network infrastructure is comprised of six instructional LAN sites and two administrative sites tied by Comcast private fiber communicating at gigabit speed between locations. Within each instructional LAN location, multiple school buildings are connected by 12/strand multi-mode private fiber. Internal connections within the school are generally via fiber optic or Category 5 cable, with all instructional locations equipped with wireless technologies. Each LAN communicates with the Pemberton Township High School for centralized access to the internet, and Stackhouse Elementary School for voice communications. Each school in Pemberton Township has multiple mobile wireless laptop labs. From the High School location, all Pemberton Township Schools access the Internet via a filtered connection to Comcast Business Solutions at a speed of 50 mbps with a planned upgrade to 200 mbps in July This upgrade is being done to support all students and administration in efficient simultaneous access to the Internet. A K-12 USA Secure School internet appliance is in place so that all access to the internet is filtered and safe. Each student is educated by their home school on internet safety and ethical use by media specialists, teachers, technology coordinators and posters in classrooms. Parents receive cyber safety information each year via our Parent Teacher Organizations and our district web sites. The Pemberton Township networking and telecommunications equipment is undergoing continued maintenance and upgrades in order to have the capacity to support 21 st century skills and the anticipated PARCC testing in the school year. Symantec anti-virus software is installed on file servers and all clients to protect our network from virus corruption. Additionally, Spam software is in place to filter content sent to staff members via our Microsoft Exchange server. The Pemberton Township Schools classroom technology inventory is outlined in the tables below. Laptops Desktop PC's District Technology Summary Ncomputing VDI Printers Smart Boards Smart Response Smart Document Cameras Admin. Offices Instructional Pemberton Early Childhood Busansky Elementary Crichton Elementary Denbo Elementary Emmons Elementary Fort Dix Elementary Harker-Wylie/Haines Elem Helen Fort / Newcomb Middle Stackhouse Elementary Pemberton Township High Totals Number of end user devices (laptops+pc's+vdi) 2711

9 Technology Inventory Needed to Improve Student Academic Achievement Future facilities endeavors, will necessitate an infrastructure installation comparable to or better than those we have in place at current locations. This will support a fiber backbone with 100-GB communications to desktops, wireless networking, 2 computers per classroom at the preschool level, 4 computers per classroom at grades K 2, and 1 computer per classroom at grade 3 and above, and high-speed telecommunications to the wide area network to facilitate voice and data communications. Such implementations have meant proper planning of infrastructure, network electronics, PC acquisition, file servers and content specification, PBX and phone station specification, video conferencing capabilities, and maintenance arrangements. In addition to new facilities plans, Pemberton Township seeks upgrades to existing technologies as funds become available including Increased use of mobile technologies including laptops, tablets, e-readers and handheld devices in grades three through 12 in support of instructional activities Continued security system upgrades to include digital surveillance video transmitted to administrative locations over the network for all schools Upgrade of file servers and / or operating systems as technologies evolve Continued implementation of storage area network backup strategy with vault to tape for data integrity 8

10 9 Area of Need Technology Equipment including assistive technologies Networking Capacity Filtering Method Three-Year Educational Technology Plan Checklist Pemberton Township Schools Inventory Table Three-Year Educational Technology Plan Inventory Table Describe for erate funded year Refresh Crichton, Denbo and Fort Dix Elementary Schools. Assistive technologies include E- readers, tablets, Co-writer, Earobics, Test Talker, Boardmakers, smart boards, Intellikeys MP3 players, Franklin Spellers, Franklin Dictionaries, Franklin Translators, Quick Link-Pens, Alpha Smarts, Victor Readers, alternative input devices and Vantage Lite, (device that communicates and speaks for disabled students) Upgrade Comcast Internet from 50 mbps to 200 mbps. Comcast gigabit fiber between district locations. Add wireless technologies. Support to Cisco Infrastructure. K-12 USA Secure School Internet appliance Describe for erate funded year Refresh Harker-Wylie/Haines, Stackhouse and administrative offices. Assistive technologies include E-readers, tablets, Cowriter, Earobics, Test Talker, Boardmakers, smart boards, Intellikeys MP3 players, Franklin Spellers, Franklin Dictionaries, Franklin Translators, Quick Link-Pens, Alpha Smarts, Victor Readers, alternative input devices and Vantage Lite, (device that communicates and speaks for disabled students). Assess network capacity and upgrade as needed. Comcast gigabit fiber between district locations. Add wireless technologies. Support to Cisco Infrastructure. K-12 USA Secure School Internet appliance Describe for erate funded year Refresh Helen Fort Middle and Pemberton Early Childhood Education Center. Assistive technologies include E- readers, tablets, Co-writer, Earobics, Test Talker, Boardmakers, smart boards, Intellikeys MP3 players, Franklin Spellers, Franklin Dictionaries, Franklin Translators, Quick Link-Pens, Alpha Smarts, Victor Readers, alternative input devices and Vantage Lite, (device that communicates and speaks for disabled students). Assess network capacity and upgrade as needed. Comcast gigabit fiber between district locations. Add wireless technologies. Support to Cisco Infrastructure. K-12 USA Secure School Internet appliance Software used for curricular support and filtering Technical Support and maintenance Telecommunications equipment and services K-12 USA Secure School, Symantec anti virus, and anti spam. echalk learning platform 3 year maintenance on new PC s, 3 year complete care on new laptops, Cisco Smart Net on infrastructure. 1 District Information Officer, Network Engineer, Systems Engineer, Systems Analyst, Network Technician, District Database Coordinator, Secretary, 7 Technology Coordinators Continued support to Siemens VoIP and Vuesion voice mail server, and analog classroom phones. K-12 USA Secure School, Symantec anti virus, and anti spam. echalk learning platform 3 year maintenance on new PC s, 3 year complete care on new laptops, Cisco Smart Net on infrastructure. 1 District Information Officer, Network Engineer, Systems Engineer, Systems Analyst, Network Technician, District Database Coordinator, Secretary, 7 Technology Coordinators Continued support to Siemens VoIP and Vuesion voice mail server, and analog classroom phones. K-12 USA Secure School, Symantec anti virus, and anti spam. echalk learning platform 3 year maintenance on new PC s, 3 year complete care on new laptops, Cisco Smart Net on infrastructure. 1 District Information Officer, Network Engineer, Systems Engineer, Systems Analyst, Network Technician, District Database Coordinator, Secretary, 7 Technology Coordinators Continued support to Siemens VoIP and Vuesion voice mail server, and analog classroom phones. Other Services: Continued support to district security and maintenance systems. Continued support to district security and maintenance systems. Continued support to district security and maintenance systems.

11 10 Needs Assessment Evaluate Educator s Current Practices An online survey of district teachers and staff, using the Survey Monkey web site, recently accomplished a needs assessment for educational technology in Two hundred and fourteen teachers and staff members completed the survey which had been previously administered in We have surveyed our staff, four times over the past decade to be certain we are responding appropriately to training needs. Staff indicated their use of technology in the classroom in the following ways: Whole class instruction 56.4% 65.5% Small group instruction 56.8%% 65.5% Independent student use 77% 77.8% Sending students to library or lab 28.4% 58% Working with students in library or lab 44.4%% 43.3% Management of classroom data 89.3% 88.2% This represents a shift where about 10% more teachers are using technology in instructional practices, both in whole group and small group situations. All other indicators remain roughly the same. Summary of Educators Proficiency: In 2013, school-based technology coordinators rated their staff s skill level in the use of in instruction as follows School Number of Teachers % Beginner % Intermediate %Advanced PTHS % 55% 30% Helen Fort Middle 70 25% 65% 10% Newcomb 29 45% 50% 5% Busansky 42 0% 60% 40% Crichton 30 0% 73% 27% Denbo 15 0% 73% 27% Emmons 36 0% 64% 36% Fort Dix 30 0% 83% 17% Harker-Wylie 12 33% 58% 9% Haines 5 40% 40% 20% Stackhouse 13 31% 54% 15% Pemberton Early Childhood Center 46 22% 56% 22% Teacher Totals An aggregate district representation of these figures follows: Beginner Intermediate Advanced 2013

12 11 This illustrates that 360 of our 431 classroom teachers, or 83% of our teachers, are considered to have intermediate to instructor level expertise in the integration of technology to curriculum. This is to be considered an extreme point of pride, showing not only a robust technology infrastructure, but also proficiency on the part of teachers using the technology to make a difference for students. Other activities identified included parent , assignment and newsletter creation, classroom presentations, lesson plan research and development, collaborative research projects, classroom management data, professional development including webinars, RTI instruction and assessments. In the teacher technology survey, the highest areas of perceived training needs included graphics and subject specific software, and Smart Board training. Based on the survey results, the district Educational Technology Coach has scheduled after school and summer workshops to address the identified needs. Additionally, each school is visited monthly for assistance in modeling and mentoring activities. School-based Technology Coordinators augment this effort daily. Students are currently evaluated by teachers via a standardized rubric at the eighth grade level to assess proficiency toward the NJDOE technology standards. Telecommunications and our Comcast infrastructure is reviewed on an ongoing basis to ensure adequate capacity to support effective student and staff web access. Additionally, with our 5-year rotating refresh cycle no PC or server is older than 5 years. Operating system software is upgraded as part of our refresh as new platforms become stable and proven. Subject specific software is evaluated by committees of curriculum supervisors and teaching staff as new acquisitions are planned. There has been a trend toward web-based solutions throughout the district over the past few years, which validates the importance of a reliable and robust wired and wireless network. Our vendors of choice in this regard are Cisco and Meru.

13 12 Goals and Objectives The following goals and objectives are identified for the District Technology Plan Goal 1: Students will attain the educational technology and information literacy skills that will assist them in achieving the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards and to succeed in the workplace of the 21st century. Objectives 1.1 Develop grade-appropriate curricular processes in conjunction with staff (i.e. Educational Technology Coach, technology coordinator, media specialists and teachers) that support technology literacy (the use of internet, word processing, databases, spreadsheets and presentation programs) as essential for all students. 1.2 Develop a means for ongoing assessment of student progress in the use of technology literacy skills. 1.3 Encourage safer and responsible use of technology tools. 1.4 Continue to refresh computers on a five year rotation cycle to ensure no classroom computer or mobile lab laptop is older than 5 years. 1.5 Continue contracted service with Comcast for high speed Internet access and wide area network infrastructure. 1.6 Continue district wide software implementations including Microsoft Office products, Symantec anti virus, Kidspriation / Inspiration graphic organizers, Accelerated Reader, NWEA Map Testing, Harcourt, Destiny Library Management, echalk and other subject specific and assistive technology software. 1.7 Continue to prepare for PARCC Readiness for online testing in school year Goal 2: Educators will attain the skills and knowledge necessary to effectively use educational technology to assist students to achieve the Core Curriculum Content Standards. Objectives 2.1 Educational Technology Coach, and technology coordinators supporting skill development and infusion of technology into curricular processes. 2.2 Encourage administrators participation in ongoing district technology professional development program 2.3 Continue to model and maintain lesson plans demonstrating infusion of technology into daily school activities and establish a district database accessible to all teachers through echalk. 2.4 Teacher and administrator mentoring programs dealing with technology skills and/or infusion skills. 2.5 Continued classroom-based and faculty room access to technology for all staff. 2.6 Technical staff will continue to be trained in evolving technologies.

14 Goal 3: Students, teachers and administrators will have access to educational technology in all learning environments, including classrooms, media centers, offices, and other educational settings, such as community centers. Objectives 3.1 Student access to wireless communications networks in our schools. 3.2 Innovative classroom configurations to include laptops, tablets, e-readers LCD projector and interactive whiteboards while pursuing BYOD implementation. 3.3 Access to technology after school and evenings in community centers 3.4 Continue to maintain web sites with online resources for students and parents 3.5 Continued implementation of echalk district-wide to accomplish online lesson plans, websites, shared resources, digital classrooms, student , blogging and improved communications. 3.6 Continued use of Genesis online student database for Parent module, attendance posting, integrated grade book and grade reporting Goal 4: New Jersey school districts will establish and maintain the technology infrastructure necessary for students and educators to access electronic information and to communicate freely via technology. Objectives 4.1 High-speed connectivity to global and local resources through High speed WANs High speed LANs wired and wireless and Multimedia computers 4.2 Continue to Implement Voice over IP phone solutions to improve communications. 4.3 Continued access to for staff and echalk for students. 4.4 Technical support for both infrastructure and teachers. 4.5 Maintenance plan to keep current infrastructure fully operational. 4.6 Replacement plan for obsolete equipment.

15 V. Three-Year Implementation and Strategies Table Three-Year Implementation Activity Table July 2013 June Goal 1: Students will attain the educational technology and information literacy skills that will assist them in achieving the Core Curriculum Content Standards and to succeed in the workplace of the 21st century. Three-Year Technology Implementation Activity Table District Goal and Objective Strategy/Activity Timeline Person Responsible 1.1 Develop grade-appropriate curricular processes in conjunction with staff (i.e. Ed. Tech. Coach, technology coordinator, media specialists and teachers) that support technology literacy (the use of internet, word processing, databases, spreadsheets and presentation programs) as essential for all students. 1.2 Develop a means for ongoing assessment of student progress in the use of technology literacy skills. 1.3 Encourage safer and responsible use of technology tools. 1.4 Continue to refresh computers on a five year rotation cycle to ensure no classroom computer or mobile lab laptop is older than 5 years. 1.5 Continue contracted service with Comcast for high speed Internet access and wide area network infrastructure. 1.6 Continue district wide software implementations including Microsoft Office products, Symantec anti virus, Kidspriation / Inspiration graphic organizers, Accelerated Reader, NWEA Map Testing, Harcourt, Destiny Library Management, echalk and other subject specific and assistive technology software. 1.7 Continue to prepare for PARCC Readiness for online testing in school year. Continue to implement 4 th and 8 th grade checklists and rubrics. Implement curriculum for keyboarding skills beginning at grade 2. Implementation of echalk student digital portfolios which demonstrate technology skill progression from 6 th through 12 th grades. Implementation of NetzSmarts program (NJ State Police) in Kindergarten through eighth grades. Review existing Internet and Computer Usage policy and make appropriate updates. Continue to refresh with ncomputing PC virtualization (1 CPU powering 4 workstations) in PK-2 and Special Ed. self contained rooms and 1 PC in grade 3-12 classrooms, augmented with wireless installations and mobile wireless laptop labs, tablets and e-readers Director of Curriculum, Educational Technology Coach Principals, Teachers, Technology staff, Students Curriculum & Teachers Administration & Board of Education District Information Officer and Technology Staff Renegotiation of Comcast Contract with amendment for increased Internet bandwidth District Information Officer New computers continue to be procured and imaged with district software selections ensuring consistency districtwide as well as equitable access. Work with Central Office staff to maintain appropriate computers and lab space to accommodate testing window and number of students. Reinforce keyboarding skills for students in grades District Information Officer, Curriculum Supervisors, and Technology staff District Info. Officer, Administration, Teachers And Technology Staff Documentation Curriculum Maps Checklists and Rubrics Student digital portfolios demonstrating 21 st century skills. Age appropriate Assessments Acceptable Use Policy Purchase Orders, Inventories Contract amendment Purchase Order Purchase orders Dell direct image PARCC Readiness Survey Keyboarding curriculum 14

16 Three-Year Implementation Activity Table July 2013 June Goal 2: Educators will attain the skills and knowledge necessary to effectively use educational technology to assist students to achieve the Core Curriculum Content Standards... Three-Year Technology Implementation Activity Table District Goal and Objective Strategy/Activity Timeline Person 2.1. Educational Technology Coach, and Technology Coordinators supporting skill development and infusion of technology into curricular processes. 2.2 Encourage administrators participation in ongoing district technology professional development programs. Technology staff will initiate ongoing monthly professional development opportunities addressing identified areas of need from the 2013 Teacher Technology Survey. Coordinate with Principals to plan the use of contractually available time to offer mandatory technology training on new initiatives and identified areas of need Responsible Educational Technology Coach and Technology Coordinators Administrators, Principals and Technology Staff Documentation Workshop sign in sheets and evaluations. Workshop agendas and schedules Continue to model and maintain lesson plans demonstrating infusion of technology into daily school activities and establish a district database accessible to all teachers through echalk. Continued implementation of echalk intranet to organize and maintain cross curricular technology infused lesson plan repository Curriculum Supervisors, Technology Staff echalk Lesson Plan Intranet 2.4 Teacher and administrator mentoring programs dealing with technology skills and/or infusion skills. Continued Smart Board training in developing Smart Notebook lesson plans in each curricular area at all grade levels Educational Technology Coach and technology coordinators Workshop agendas and evaluations, Exemplary Smart Board lessons on Intranet for teacher use. 2.5 Continued classroom-based and faculty room access to technology for all staff. Continue to supply 100% internet access, both wired and wireless, in every classroom, office and faculty room District Information Officer NJDOE Technology Survey 2.6 Technical staff will continue to be trained in evolving technologies. Continued attendance at vendor supplied workshops including, but not limited to, Smart Certification, Microsoft Certification, and Cisco Certifications District Information Officer Registrations

17 Three-Year Implementation Activity Table July 2013 June Goal 3: Students, teachers and administrators will have access to educational technology in all learning environments, including classrooms, media centers, offices, and other educational settings, such as community centers. Three-Year Technology Implementation Activity Table District Goal and Objective Strategy/Activity Timeline Person 3.1 Student access to wireless communications networks in our schools. 3.2 Innovative classroom configurations to include laptops, tablets, e-readers, LCD projector and interactive whiteboards while pursuing BYOD implementation. 3.3 Access to technology after school and evenings in community centers 3.4 Continue to maintain web sites with online resources for students and parents 3.5 Continued implementation of echalk district-wide to accomplish online lesson plans, websites, shared resources, digital classrooms, student , blogging and improved communications. 3.6 Continued use of Genesis online student database for attendance posting, integrated grade book and grade reporting Continued implementation of wireless technologies within our school buildings With the 5-year refresh, grades 3-12 will receive one PC per regular ed. classroom, and more wireless mobile laptop labs to accomplish 3 to 1 student to computer ratio. Continued installation of mounted Smart Boards in our schools as funding allows. Continue to donate equipment removed in school refresh to Pemberton Township Recreation department for installation in their community centers. Continued implementation of echalk with school and teacher-based web pages, parent resources, student digital lockers and continue Genesis Parent Module and overdrive e-book implementation. Develop schedules, agendas, online resources and tutorials and documentation for standardized delivery of professional development across the district. Continued support and updates to elementary report cards and grade reporting as defined by District Grading Committee Responsible District Information Officer District Information Officer Principals, Administration, District Information Officer District Information Officer, Pemberton Township Recreation Coordinator Media Services Coordinator, Administrators, Technology staff, media specialists and teachers. Educational Technology Coach, Technology Coordinators Director of Curriculum, District Grading Committee, Teachers, IT Staff Documentation Purchase Orders, Inventories Purchase Orders, Inventories Purchase Orders, Inventories, Grant Opportunities Board agenda item approving donation Updated websites and resources Schedules for training, Agendas, Online Resources, and Tutorials Genesis report cards 16

18 17 Three-Year Implementation Activity Table July 2013 June Goal 4: New Jersey school districts will establish and maintain the technology infrastructure necessary for students and educators to access electronic information and to communicate freely via technology. Three-Year Technology Implementation Activity Table District Goal and Objective Strategy/Activity Timeline Person 4.1 High-speed connectivity to global and local resources through High speed WANs, High speed LANs wired and wireless and Multimedia computers 4.2 Continue to implement new Voice over IP phone solutions to improve communication. 4.3 Continued access to for staff and implement echalk for students 4.4 Technical support for both infrastructure and teachers 4.5 Maintenance plan to keep current infrastructure fully operational. 4.6 Replacement plan for obsolete equipment. Maintain Comcast gigabit fiber connections, using e-rate discounts. As new facilities are added, integrate to existing Siemen s phone solution. Continued maintenance to Microsoft Exchange Server for staff . Continued implementation of student access through echalk. Infrastructure maintained by IT staff and teachers supported by Educational Technology Coach and Technology Coordinators. All computers are purchased with 3 year warranty with inventory of parts kept to fix those items out of maintenance (year 4 & 5) Maintenance on Cisco network components and continued replacement of network infrastructure. Begin to refresh with ncomputing PC virtualization (1 CPU powering 4 workstations) in PK-2 and special ed. self contained rooms and 1 PC in grade 3-12 classrooms, augmented with wireless installations and mobile wireless technologies. Responsible District Information Officer Distinct Information Officer Network Engineer Technology Staff, Teachers. Students District Information Officer, IT Staff, educational technology staff District Information Officer and IT staff District Information Officer and Technology Staff Documentation Purchase and amended contracts Construction plans Continued staff Secured and filtered E- mail for students Payroll records Purchase orders Purchase Orders, Inventories

19 18 VII. Professional Development The professional development plan for Pemberton Township Schools is coordinated by the Director of Curriculum, Debbie Beideman. As part of our ongoing administrative implementations, administrative training efforts will take place. These efforts have focused on our Teachscape Evaluation System, Genesis student data application, echalk, CSI Smarts Budget and Financials and web page software and new personnel applications including an Evaluation Tracking System, MAP student testing, Subfinder web-based software, and Applitrack web-based application tracking system. As part of the echalk implementation, administrators will have ongoing access to an online repository of lesson plans which integrate effective use of technology across the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards and Common Core Standards. Educators will receive professional development from the Educational Technology Coach targeting the identified needs in the 2013 Technology Survey. In addition, as part of the echalk implementation, educators will be provided with ongoing structured professional development for implementing echalk lesson planning, web page development, and the use of other digital classroom resources (blogging, wikis, and student digital lockers). The technology training team will continue to model and coach effective use of technology across the curriculum including the use of Smart Boards, Smart Tables, Smart Response Systems, Smart Slates, document cameras, mobile laptop labs, and other evolving technologies. Technical staff routinely attends workshops from vendors including Genesis student database, Meru networking, and Dell. Additionally, as we move to newer server platforms, key personnel are sent to training related to new technologies and operating systems. School based technology coordinators attend NJ Techspo on a rotating basis, with the District Information Officer and Educational Technology Coach. As part of our strategic plan, a district level network technician has been assigned the responsibility of coordinating the implementation of assistive technologies, and turn-key training to staff. It is projected that professional development activities identified in the 2013 Teacher Technology Survey will continue for the duration of this plan. Training will be expanded as new technologies evolve. Please refer to the following table for identified training needs which will be addressed by the Educational Technology Coach, Technology Coordinators and IT Staff.

20 19 Pemberton Township Schools Professional Development ( only) Educators Proficiency/ Identified Need 1. Modeling and coaching technology infusion across grade levels and disciplines. 2. Ongoing training for echalk district-wide 3. Integrating technology into the literacy curriculum 4. Ongoing training in mobile laptop lab utilization and management 5. Optimize time to advance proficiencies. 6. Strengthen skills in Smart Board integration and Microsoft Office tools in support of technology integration by grade level and proficiency level of the teacher. 7. Create and implement professional development activities based on identified needs from 2013 Teacher Technology Survey* Ongoing, sustained, highquality professional development planned for Ongoing support of Educational Technology Coach on regular visits to schools. echalk in-service opportunities at grade level meetings, faculty meetings and in-service days as coordinated through the building principals. Ongoing training and support for Journeys literacy program including Think Central and Smart Board component Educational Technology training staff will develop best practices for laptop use and management which will be delivered in a faculty meeting as new labs are procured. Request training via webinars in echalk. Ongoing workshops offered at multiple district locations with dates provided by building principals. Establish mentor teachers to assist with one-to-one training or small group instruction. Ongoing workshops offered at multiple district locations with dates provided by building principals. Master schedule of technology training published district-wide to optimize participation. Support Scheduled visits by Educational Technology Coach with preplanned specific activities based on teacher input. Educational Technology Coach, mentor teachers, Technology Coordinators and echalk Consulting services. Grade level team discussion of initiatives and ongoing support from Curriculum Supervisor for Language Arts, Educational Technology Coach, and school-based Technology Coordinators. Educational Technology Coach, IT staff, and school-based Technology Coordinators. Educational Technology Coach and schoolbased technology coordinators will support online training. Educational Technology Coach will conduct courses with the support of school-based Technology Coordinators and mentor teachers. Educational Technology Coach will conduct courses with the support of school-based Technology Coordinators *Technology Infusion Techniques, mobile lab usage, spreadsheet software, subject-specific software, smart board integration, and echalk advanced features.

21 20 Evaluation Plan Just as technology continues to change each day, the plans to implement effective technology in Pemberton Township Schools must also evolve. The Technology and Strategic Planning Committees will continue to meet and conduct periodic needs assessments within the district to identify: effective ways to integrate technology into learning across the curriculum areas of training requirements the vision for our future technology action plans to promote 21 st Century Skills and global collaboration and outreach Pemberton Township has partnered with NWEA (Northwest Evaluation Association) to administer technologybased MAP assessments to enable teachers to meet the educational needs of individual students and utilize effective strategies to enhance their learning environment. The MAP data analysis is correlated to the NJASK and HSPA state tests to improve student achievement. Educators administer MAP tests multiple times a year in our schools, to analyze results and focus instruction in areas of student need. This evaluation philosophy will lead to improved instruction and subsequent student achievement with the effective integration of the NJ CCSS and Common Core Standards through the use of technology. Additionally, the success of past plans can easily be monitored by the evaluation of timelines, benchmarks and deliverables and cost expenditures contrasted to estimates. In order for students and staff to have equitable access to information on the World Wide Web for research and collaboration, our schools must maintain a robust infrastructure with high speed data communications, voice over IP communications, and high speed internet access. Beyond this, computers in classrooms must be up to date and configured with effective operating systems, Microsoft Office software, and subject specific software in support of the NJ CCSS and Common Core Standards. In this way we provide students with the opportunity to meet challenging state standards, collaborate and excel in a global learning environment, and become life-long learners. Our Comcast private fiber contract provides the wide area network backbone to make all of this possible, the cost of which is offset by e-rate discounts. A yearly review of action plan accomplishments will be made to ensure that monies are being spent in accordance with state and federal funding requirements, and that technology in Pemberton Township Schools continues to provide students and staff with the skills they need to live and excel in the 21 st Century. In our new teacher evaluation tool, principals and supervisors assess technology usage and integration to lessons. In addition, we periodically report on lab usage to encourage continued efficient use of our technology resources. Our summer academies provide teachers with workshops on technology integration and are always well attended. Feedback from our workshop evaluations provide us with insight for future training endeavors. This document is the culmination of many Technology and Strategic Planning Committee meetings with the collaborations of the Board of Education, district staff and community members. It is recognized that the technology plan is an ongoing effort, which will continue to be refined through our efforts, as the ever-changing world of technology evolves.

22 21 District/Nonpublic School/ Charter School Three-Year Educational Technology Plan Checklist Evaluation Plan Sample Table The evaluation narrative must include how telecommunications services, hardware, software and other services will improve education. Telecommunications services are leased, tariffed, contracted, or monthto-month services that are used to communicate information electronically between sites. The services MUST be provided by an eligible Telecommunications Service Provider. Examples of Telecommunications Services for E-Rate include T-1 lines, basic telephone service, and ISDN. Broadcast services (such as over-the-air radio and television) and cable TV are not considered Telecommunications Services. The burden of proof for any federal inquiry lies with the district, and they should be able to support their process with methodology and documentation. The use of this table is optional and is provided as a convenience. Educational Technology Plan Evaluation Narrative Describe the process to regularly evaluate how... a. Telecommunication services, hardware, software and other services are improving education. b. Effective integration of technology is enabling students to meet challenging state academic standards. Telecommunications: IT staff monitors Internet usage daily in order to plan for upgrades as bandwidth is being depleted. Adequate bandwidth is needed as teachers, students and staff access resources on the world wide web. Hardware: Maintain 5-year refresh cycle so hardware is up to date. Maintain online work order system for timely repair of hardware to facilitate classroom instruction. Software: MAP and Star software measure student achievement and dictate differential instruction to individual students based on test results. Ongoing tests of readiness for PARCC testing. Lesson plan review and evaluation for technology integration. All curriculums are posted online on echalk under teacher resources. Instructional webbased resources are used in all curriculums. c. The LEA is meeting the identified goals in the educational technology plan. Board of Education Technology sub-committee routinely reviews goals, progress, and re-evaluates and adjusts plans based on progress and available resources.

23 22 Funding Plan The established district, departmental and school budgets will fund technology endeavors. Grants and reductions in costs are being sought from NJ Department of Education discretionary grants and e-rate reductions as outlined in the Federal Communications Act of Since August of 1998, an extensive wide area network infrastructure has been implemented which has connected each of our established school local area networks for both data and voice communications via high speed communications lines. This has been accomplished through a variety of funding sources with 4.2 million dollars in e-rate discounts, and $487,000 in state discretionary grants. Pemberton Township continues to seek alternative funding sources with a pending year 16 e-rate application totaling $322,974. We commit to continue these efforts in each of the next three planning years, to integrate technology across disciplines and continue to refresh obsolete equipment. Percentage breakdown of this year s comprehensive annual technology budget is as follows: 8% Administrative Software, Maintenance & Supplies 19% District-wide systems and software maintenance & in-service 49% Replace obsolete equipment 9% Hardware, software & supplies to support NJCCSS 15% Internet, data/voice communications Please note that administrative technology represents 8% of overall technology costs. District instructional costs, assistive technology requests, refresh of technology in classrooms, and school based instructional costs represent 77% of the technology budget with the remaining 15% going to telecommunications and Internet charges. Of the 15% going to telecommunications, we currently get a 74% discount via the federal e-rate program. Overall in Pemberton Township, about 81% of our budget comes from state sources due to our lack of local rateables. Dramatic decreases in both state and federal funding are of paramount concern for our ongoing technology mission. All technology endeavors will be funded from state funds. It is anticipated that as state funding continues to decrease, so will our technology expenditures. It is becoming increasingly important to leverage our Federal e- rate discounts and grant opportunities to accomplish our technology goals.