Strategic Technology Plan. Heather Nydam. New Jersey City University

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1 Strategic Technology Plan 1 Strategic Technology Plan Heather Nydam New Jersey City University RUNNING HEAD: Strategic Technology Plan

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3 Strategic Technology Plan 3 Ridgefield Board of Education Strategic Technology Plan The technology committee formulates a strategic plan that is intended to support a growing population, several new facilities and an effort to ensure a strong infrastructure. Mission Statement The Ridgefield School district is committed to fostering individual growth, academic exploration and social responsibility regardless of the medium to pursue lifelong achievement and excellence. The Ridgefield Board of Education is devoted to developing global citizens and leaders in the 21 st century. Through technology the broader mission/vision of the district is supported. Vision The Ridgefield Board of Education recognizes that a comprehensive understanding of technology is essential for success in preparing students as global citizens and leaders in the 21 st century. Systematic and explicit application of educational technology will enhance not only the learning experiences of students but also the professional growth of the Ridgefield faculty and staff. Educational technology must accessible by all students at any given time. Students are to take ownership of their educational and technological skill-building will be integrated into the curriculum. The Ridgefield School District believes that full and equitable access to resources for technology is a high priority and should be accessed by students, faculty, and staff, as needed. To support this new and exciting enterprise classrooms are to be inquiry-based learning, cooperative learning, collaborative partnerships, and/or problem-based learning environments. Teachers will be provided with continued support to guide inquiry and direction to lead students to become lifelong independent fully engaged learners and leaders. While technology continues to be an ever changing entity in the course of normal business and educational practices, it is imperative that in the global environment students needs for proficiency in digital, visual, informational, and textual literacy are met. In cooperative and collaborative work environments critical thinking and creative problem solving will remain in the forefront for the success of a 21 st century learner. Technology facilitates the process of a strategic plan that meets a curriculum that is interdisciplinary, global, and diverse. The Ridgefield Board of Education is committed to providing faculty and staff with quality resources and support to meet the strategies set forth by this plan. The Ridgefield Board of Education desires for all faculty to develop leadership skills that can ultimately be transferred to students through effective modeling of technology use. In the hopes to attract the best and the brightest a superb technological environment is to be established. Additionally, professional growth and development will be offered to provide seamless integration of new technologies. In conjunction to the teaching staff the administration in the Ridgefield School district will maintain the same access and support to promote and enhance cohesiveness with student activities, admission services, development services, financial services, communication, and

4 Strategic Technology Plan 4 facilities management. An investment in technological resources will provide the entire learning community with long-term benefits for success and productivity. Strategic Technology Plan Goals A. Equip Ridgefield Schools, present and future buildings/structures, with a state-of- the- art technological infrastructure that includes both hard wired and wireless access to the internet. B. Provide technology resources that support and enhance teaching, learning, and administrative processes. C. Offer professional development that is on-going and relevant to maintain proficiency of technology for all faculty and staff. D. Enhance productivity and administrative processes the continued technology support. E. Ensure that software and hardware are relevant to the learning process, the curriculum and instruction. F. Create an educational environment that provides students with an understanding and proficiency of technology as a tool used for education and productivity upon graduation. G. Support and encourage innovative uses of technology, as well as, take suggestion and implement technology that is new and relevant to the curriculum and instruction. H. Evaluate and assess technology plans annually for progress and revision to stay current with technology trends. Strategic Technology Plan Implementation Strategy A. Equip Ridgefield Schools, present and future buildings/structures, with a state-of- the- art technological infrastructure that includes both hard wired and wireless access to the internet. 1. Establish hard-wired access. a. Telephones b. Administrative computers i. Student records ii. Personnel records iii. Assessment data iv. Evaluation data c. Permanent/Stationary Equipment i. Smart Boards ii Fax machines iii. Routers iv. Printers 2. Establish wireless access a. Laptops b. Desktops c. Tablets, phablets d. BYOD-staff/ students bring your own device B. Provide technology resources that support and enhance teaching, learning, and administrative processes. 1. Develop procedure to assess technology resources on a yearly basis a. Infrastructure

5 Strategic Technology Plan 5 b. Hardware c. Software d. Technology support 2. Establish hardware standards a. Computers b. Printers and copiers c. Classroom technology d. Conference and meeting rooms e. Network hardware 3. Establish software standards a. Academic computing b. Administrative computing 4. Establish a process to review whether software and hardware acquisitions are compatible and sustainable. a. Compatibility checklist b. Establish a process for collaborating with the technology department for proposed software and hardware acquisition. c. Select technology venders who share a similar vision with the Ridgefield Board of Education. 5. Establish Data Management Policy/Guidelines a. Develop policies and procedures for School Database Management i. Ensure data consistency and accuracy ii. Procedures to reduce data redundancy b. Develop policy for Personal and School Related Data c. Establish and maintain procedures for data output e.g. Printing, file formats. 6. Review, evaluate, and assess adherence to Acceptable Use Policy by all users C. Offer professional development that is on-going and relevant to maintain proficiency of technology for all faculty and staff. 1. Develop procedure to assess technology training needs on a yearly basis. 2. Outline how we will conduct training, where and whom by. 3. Demonstrate different uses of technology in the classroom. 4. Invite guest speakers to demonstrate uses of technology in the classroom. 5. Promote the understanding of technology systems and effective use of technology applications. 6. Provide training for effective troubleshooting of common technology difficulties. 7. Attempt to rectify technology difficulties to ensure less time spent by staff for trouble shooting. D. Enhance productivity and administrative processes the continued technology support. 1. Establish minimum service levels and response times for support requests from all users. 2. Define Help Desk procedures for users. 3. Define service delivery, tracking and quality control procedures for the Technology Coordinator and team. 4. Define the appropriate operational resources needed to meet service delivery.

6 Strategic Technology Plan 6 E. Ensure that software and hardware are relevant to the learning process, the curriculum and instruction. 1. Encourage teachers use of productivity and class management tools to facilitate lesson development, instruction, assessment, communication, and grade reporting. 2. Encourage teachers use of digital tools for student/teacher communication and to promote student collaboration. 3. Ensure that teachers encourage the use of technology in student assignments (research, analysis, writing, and presentation). 4. Look for evidence of technology integration in lessons and student work through periodic classroom observation. 5. Ensure that teachers model the ethical use of information and technology resources. F. Create an educational environment that provides students with an understanding and proficiency of technology as a tool used for education and productivity upon graduation. 1. Enable use of technology to generate new ideas, product or processes. 2. Provide access to digital tools to facilitate communication and collaboration among students 3. Ensure that students use digital tools to gather, evaluate and process information intelligently, creatively, and ethically. 4. Ensure that students are able to select and use applications appropriately. 5. Ensure that students are able to perform essential troubleshooting functions. 6. Expand the curriculum to enable students to develop competencies in computer programming and design. G. Support and encourage innovative uses of technology, as well as, take suggestion and implement technology that is new and relevant to the curriculum and instruction. 1. Identify technology innovators among faculty and staff who will explore new technologies, systems and software to determine their viability in the Ridgefield Board of Education s technology environment. 2. Establish guidelines and funding for exploration of new and innovative technologies. 3. Establish a forum for sharing ideas and professional development opportunities. 4. Recognize and reward innovative and effective uses of technology and digital tools. 5. Identify ways to engage talented students in technology innovation in and outside the classroom. H. Evaluate and assess technology plans annually for progress and revision to stay current with technology trends. 1. Establish a Technology Committee to oversee the implementation plan in all buildings to determine the technology needs in each building. 2. Establish and define the roles of the Technology Committees with in the Ridgefield School District. 3. Assess continually the role and structure of each Technology Committee for effectiveness.

7 Strategic Technology Plan 7 Evaluation Tools for the Strategic Technology Plan Evaluation of the technology used within the district will be determined in a variety of ways. For new software and hardware periodic surveys through forums such as Surveymonkey and Google surveys will be administered to staff. These results will help to determine if the technology being surveyed is being used efficiently and effectively. Additionally, staff technology knowledge will be determined through effective use of programs such as MyLearningPlan, Aesop, IEP Direct, Rethink Autism and any other programs required for collecting data. Staff members are to issue technology use survey to students periodically to determine if the students are using technology effectively and efficiently. Future Decision-Making for the Strategic Technology Plan The information gathered and from staff regarding their technology use and teacher observations, walk-ins and evaluations will help to determine how to plan technology for the future of the Ridgefield School District. As administrators view the dashboards of various technology programs they will have a clearer picture of the use of these programs and how to best serve the schools within the district. This information will be shared with the Technology Committees and the Committees will help to determine whether the technology is to remain or be replaced with a more effective form of technology.

8 Strategic Technology Plan 8 References Frazier. (2012). The Technology Coodinator's Handbook. Eugene, Oregan: International Society for Technology Education. Mayer, R. C. (2011). e-learning and the Science of Instruction. San Francisco, CA: Pfieffer. Networking, N. M. (2014). The NMC Horizon Report: 2014 K-12 Edition. Stanford, CA: The New Media Consortium. Olier, R. (2012). The Future of Mobile Learning. Educause: Center for Applied Research. Reiser, R. A. (1987). Instructional Technology: Foundations. Mahwah, NJ: Taylor & Francis. Reiser, R. A. (1994). Evaluating instructional software: A review and critique of current methods. Educational Technology Research and Design, Additional Resources American Association of School Librarians. Learning for Life. American Association of School Librarians Feb < guidelinesandstandards/learning4life/document/l4l-9.pdf>. Standards for the 21st Century Learner. American Association of School Librarians Feb < learningstandards/standards.cfm>. International Society for Technology in Education. National Educational Technology Standards for Administrators. International Society for Technology in Education Feb < ForAdministrators/2002Standards/NETS_for_Administrators_2002_Standards.htm>. National Educational Technology Standards for Students. International Society for Technology in Education Feb < NavigationMenu/NETS/ForStudents/2007Standards/ NETS_for_Students_2007_Standards.pdf>.

9 Strategic Technology Plan 9 National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers. International Society for Technology in Education Feb < NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf> National Educational Technology Standards for Technology Facilitators and Leaders. International Society for Technology in Education. 23 Feb < Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTechnologyFacilitatorsandLeaders/ NCATE_Standards.htm>.