Administrative Team: Kerry Bourne, Michelle

Thompson-Nugent, Janet Walsh-Davis and Nicole Wright.

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1. Vision and Mission Statement………………………………4

2. Introduction…………………………………………………. 5-6

3. Infrastructure……………………………………………….7-8

4. Teaching……………………………………………………...9-12

5. Learning…………………………………………………….. 13

6. Assessment…………………………………………………...14-15

7. Productivity …………………………………………………16-20

8. Conclusion…………………………………………………...21

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Vision Statement

The vision of Visionary High School is to ensure equal opportunity for each

student so that he/she can learn in a safe environment. We will use

technologies that are innovative and seeks to not only improve student

academic achievement, but to also utilize and improve 21st century skills.

Mission Statement

Visionary High School will be providing training for the school personnel in

order to ensure that they are able to lead the drive for 21st century learning.

This technological plan will outline ongoing innovations that will embrace

emerging technologies.

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'The heart and soul of school culture is what people believe, the assumptions they make about how school works.'

Thomas Sergiovanni

Visionary High is constantly looking for ways to improve the opportunities that are afforded to its students. The society is

evolving and there is constant improvement in the technological capabilities that can be implemented in the classroom. The school is

relatively small with a diverse population of about 500 students. The school is located in the rural parts of North Carolina. Though it is

in a rural area the students must be exposed to 21st century learning that will serve to ensure that they are prepared for the world in

which they live.

There are several areas that this development plan will focus. The administrative team thought that it was necessary for the

aspects of focus to be that of infrastructure, teaching, learning, assessment, and productivity. Each area will be discussed at length.

The aspects will have specific timelines that will be adhered to and evaluated for its effectiveness at specific times.

Infrastructure will encompass a number of areas in particular the fact that it is recommended that students and teachers have access to the internet and other broadband services both in and out of school. Of course, the aim here is to support meaningful use of these services that will enhance the teaching and learning environment as well. Also, we want to get students to be not only engaged learners, but also to be able to perform in the 21st century.

Another area of focus is teaching. The focus here is on the support of educators in order to inspire more effective teaching for all learners. The teachers will be provided with the necessary data and tools for using the data. The teachers will also be provided with

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the necessary content, resources and the much needed expertise. It is important, that our educators be cognizant of the use of technology and makes it applicable to their teaching practices daily. More on this will follow in this section later.

In regards to learning, all learners are hoped to have engaging and empowering learning experiences that will serve to make them participants of the globally networked society. The focus of this recommendation that we will discuss is to revise, adopt, and use several resources that basically stem around 21st century technology.

In terms of assessment, the focus will be on the use of technology. For this aspect we will stress the measuring and assessing of data for continuous improvement. These aspects that we have mentioned are essential to the teaching and learning environment. We will focus on the use of technology and emerging issues that is constantly evolving, the implementation and the fostering of growth and sustainability of these areas.

Without a doubt, all of the above areas once implemented and continuously improved on, should lead to productivity, which is the final aspect that we will be focusing on. Productivity is tied in with the fact that all levels will take advantage of the use of technology with improved learning outcomes being the end result. We are hoping that with the application of technology there should be personalized education.

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We need a multiplicity of visions, dreams and prophecies - images of potential

tomorrows.' Alvin Toffler

GOAL: Ensuring adequate internet access and wireless connectivity in and out of school

All students and staff of Visionary High School will be provided access to the most current instructional technology in educational programs, as appropriate and needed, without regard to gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, abilities/disabilities, or nation of origin. We will seek to maximize the effective use of state, federal, and local funds. Technology needs will be assessed annually by school level teams, district administrators and technical staff. Prioritized lists of hardware and software needs will be developed and purchased. Implementation decisions will be made according to those priorities and funds available. A building-wide, high-speed local area network (LAN) is also in place to support all staff and students. In addition to accessing files and resources such as printers via the network, this LAN will allow access to all common software tools, as well as the Internet and other special applications. As a part of the school’s vision, an authorized user will be able to access the information and applications he or she needs, from anywhere in the network.

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Objective Strategies Persons responsible Funding/resources Time frame/evaluation1. To provide mobile internet access to all administrators, and teachers to allow for staff to collaborate among themselves and parents

1.Students will have access to mobile internet cards than can be checked out to provide internet access at home2. Expand wireless infrastructure capabilities as possible

District Technology Committee

Building TechnologyCommittees

Principal

Teachers

Associate Superintendent,

Information SystemsTechnician

Funding Source to support the plan include:

1. Operational budget

2. Federal program support (Title I, IDEA, etc.)

3. E-rate

4. Education for Technology Fund

5. Community Partnerships, local and other grants and foundations

1.Per Semester: Analysis of lesson plans

2.Annually:Comprehensive Assessment System including all student data relative totarget area goals (state mandated assessments etc)

5. Annually: Quality of Education Survey

6.Beginning of School Year: Documentation of individual Student Technology Goals

8.Annually: Grants awarded and successful completion of grant requirements

9. Annually: Total number of laptop computers deployed to students

2. To improve the general curriculum with the one on one laptop initiative by purchasing a laptop for all students, teachers, administrators and other instructional staff

1. All staff, 9th and 10th grade students to receive their laptop in year one.

2. 11th and 12th grade students will receive laptops in the second year

3. Review, revise, and upgrade district hardware and software standards asneeded

3. Provide an intranet service which allows for secure access in school and at home.

1. Continue community partnerships to develop LAN/WAN solutions

2. Regularly review and revise security solutions for LAN/WAN

3. Upgrade existing LAN/WAN infrastructure

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'Good teaching is forever being on the cutting edge of a child's competence'. Jerome Bruner 86

Professional Development Objectives:

1. All teachers and staff will receive relevant technology staff development. (For teachers, integration of technology will be the goal of the training; for staff, effective and efficient operation.)

2. Provide a professional development strategy that ensures staff know how to use the new technologies to improve education3. Increase teacher to teacher communication and collaboration and student-teacher communication through the use of social

network technology within the next two years. 4. Encourage faculty to integrate technology into their curriculum.

In analyzing some of the negatives associated with offering technology training we looked at the following two considerations in guiding us as to when to offer training:

- New technology and some teachers do not accept change easily

- It can prove difficult to get teachers to invest time in use even though benefits outweigh initial time.

Consequently we plan to offer professional development using various forums.

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On-Site One-on-One Informal Training:

Some teachers learn best by working on their own machine one-on-one with a colleague who is also a teacher. At the

beginning of the year teacher and administrative staff will be surveyed for their technology proficiencies. Teachers with needs in

certain applications will then be matched with a mentor who is proficient. In addition, the technical staff wills schedules one-on-one

sessions after school or during planning with teachers who are interested in upgrading hardware or software/applications skills.

On-Site Small-Group Informal and Formal Training:

Technical staff will support the training needs of departments with formal training sessions that are scheduled as needed and

conducted on site.

On Site Formal Small and Large Group Training:

Training in Office applications, net support lab management, Web Page creation and curricular applications will typically be

offered on a bimonthly basis. Tech training sessions will also be offered and conducted during staff development/teacher workdays.

Attendance will be both voluntary and mandatory. These sessions will be conducted by internal staff the will be trained at the county

level and who will be also used as support staff.

Off-site and Summer Training:

All staff will be encouraged to participate in summer technology courses offered by the local community college,

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As the technology program matures, more of the Tech Budget will be allocated to staff development priorities. Additional training

resources will allow outside experts to come into the school to share their knowledge, and will allow key teaching staff to attend

education technology conferences and participate in other off-site technology-oriented workshops and seminars.

Professional development offerings will be offered at least twice each month during the school year and over the summer in

accordance with evolving staff needs. The plan will also continue to identify the school’s in-house “experts” by area of expertise, and

will establish formal mentoring relationships where needed. It will identify any mandatory training that is required and establish

incentives to encourage the success.

In order to assist the ability of all staff to attain at least a basic level of proficiency, the tech staff will continue to develop

tutorials, and help-manuals that are posted on the school’s intranet, Staff Share. Over the next three years, the school will continue to

work closely with the county office and other partners in an effort to improve staff development in technology as well as in other

areas.

The following table gives an outline of the plan of action for professional development and staff training in technology. It

consists of the objectives we hope to achieve, the intended strategies, persons responsible, funding and resources needed. How the

plan will be evaluated and a time frame is also included.

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Objective Strategies Persons responsible

Implementation plan for action

Funding/resources Evaluation Time frame

All teachers and staff will receive relevant technology staff development. (For teachers, integration of technology will be the goal of the training; for staff, effective and efficient operation.)

Teachers willcomplete a technology self- assessment to determine staffdevelopment for the year

Principal,Technology TeamAdministrationClassroom Teachers

NC DPI assessmentinstrument, internet connectedcomputers

State, grants

AnnualReviews,PeriodicFacultyObservation

BeginningAugust, 2011EndingJune, 2012Reviewedannually in June

Provide a professional development strategy that ensures staff know how to use the new technologies to improve education

Plan and offertechnology staffdevelopment basedon Technology self assessments.

Technology Team,AdministrationTrainer(s)

Use resource person to be trained at county level to assist other teachers in training.

This staff developmentmay be on-site(provided by bothin-house, andexternal presenters—including county office, at conferences or other externallocations (such as local Community College or online

Professional development allotted funds

State, grants

Ongoing

FacultyObservations

Evaluate staffdevelopmentactivities todetermine theireffectiveness/followup required

BeginningAugust, 2011

EndingMay, 2012

Planned annuallyin September

Increase teacher to teacher communication and collaboration and student-teacher communication through the use of social network technology within the next two years.

BeginningAugust, 2011EndingMay, 2012Reviewedannually in April

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'Learning is spontaneous, unpredictable, fun, passionate, dangerous.' Bowring - Carr and

Burnham West UK Educators

All students should be encouraged to do well; therefore programs will be implemented that seeks to cater to the needs(s) of every child. As a result we will continue to facilitate the Advanced Placement Program and other challenging courses to middle and high schools alike. Remedial instruction will also be offered through Online Reading and Algebra and other courses tutorials. The needs of those that need to be challenged and those that need to be remediated are addressed through the use of technology. With all this availability of online activities, Visionary High will be teaching online safety as part of its instructional program to students.

There will also be a method of tracking of student progress, or the lack thereof, in order to make it possible for us to be able to put intervention strategies if needed, or challenging higher level topics in place, as is needed. Again, utilizing technology is related to the teaching and learning environment.

We will also create instructional technology resource for teachers in order to help teachers integrate technology effectively in the classroom. It is fair to say that if you don’t know how to do something then chances are that it will not be done. With that said we are seeking to ensure that the necessary resources are in place to educate educators on how technology can be integrated into the teaching and learning environment.

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'The major difference between the 'best' and the 'average' is that the 'best' get as much pleasure

from practice as performance.' Ben Zander

Technology has a vital role to play in enabling data-driven decision-making. Ongoing evaluation of technology applications and student achievement, based on the overall educational goals that were decided on, helps to ensure that the technology is appropriate, adaptable, and useful. Such evaluation also facilitates change if learning goals are not being met. Administrators can acknowledge and recognize incremental improvements in student outcomes as well as changes in teachers' curricula and practices. Gradual progress, rather than sudden transformation, is more likely to result in long-term change.

Baker (1999) emphasizes that besides being a means to collect, interpret, and document findings, evaluation /assessment is a planning tool that should be considered at the beginning of any technology innovation. She adds that the overall focus of evaluation is student learning. Heinecke, Blasi, Milman, and Washington (1999) note that multiple quantitative and qualitative evaluation measures may be necessary to document student learning outcomes. To ensure that evaluation /assessment procedures are adequately designed and carried out, administrators and teachers will consult evaluation sources such as An Educator's Guide to Evaluating the Use of Technology in Schools and Classrooms.

Involved in our student assessment will be the parents’ accessibility to their children’s scores via the school’s website. Although accessible, parents will not have access to changing student’s grades. The assessme4nt will be linked to the use of technology in the classroom and progress will be plotted using line graphs. The results from these graphs will be used to fuel instruction. In addition to online assessment, administrators and teachers will:

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Review a range of national and state educational standards for student learning. Seek out content standards that articulate the goals for students to achieve.

Determine key aspects of national and state student learning standards for the school or district to focus on as educational goals. Involve teachers in this process to ensure that their expertise and opinions are considered.

Charge cross-disciplinary groups of teachers and technology coordinators with finding new ways that technology can help students to achieve those learning goals.

Identify specific curricula, practices, skills, attitudes, and policies that can be enhanced through the use of technology to foster significant improvement in the character and quality of student learning. (For example, if the district is interested in improving students' writing performance, word processing with an emphasis on revision and editing should become a salient part of the curriculum across disciplines.)

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'What gives people superiority at a task is true intention. That makes you attuned to everything.'

Weiner Erhard

Goal: Encourage the efficient use of funds and resources in a manner, which will ensure that all staff and students have access to

technologies that improve student competencies.

STRATEGIES

1. Encourage school/business partnerships and matching fund programs.

a) Brief local agencies, businesses, and community groups of the need for business education cooperation and public funding for

technology.

2) Writing Grants

3) Business partnerships

b) Survey businesses to determine each one’s willingness and possible methods of contributing funds and/or other technology support

4. Develop a funding schedule for the technology infrastructure: maintenance support upgrading, expansion and addition of new

technologies.

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KEY TASKS RESPONSIBLE

PARTIES FUNDING SOURCE

TIME LINES

Develop and implement technology plan for consolidated funding to provide technology infrastructure with costs and resource requirements.

School Technology Committee   Ongoing

Identify specific technologies that will need to be purchased. Implement Lap-Top Incentive Program.

School Technology Committee   Ongoing

Develop standards for purchasing new equipment and the upgrading of current equipment.

School Technology Committee   Ongoing

Update and revise inventory of technology equipment in business department and individual classrooms.

Classroom Teachers   Ongoing

Brief local agencies, businesses, and community groups of the need for business/education cooperation.

School Technology Committee   Ongoing

a) Develop an inventory of technology equipment in the business department and individual classrooms, updated yearly.

b) Identify specific technologies that will need to be purchased.

c) Follow district standards for purchasing new equipment and the upgrading of current equipment.

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EQUIPMENT NEEDED

Scanners

Flip cameras

Digital cameras

Lap tops

Students response systems

Web site subscription

Smart boards

Promethean boards

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The introduction of the three year technology plan for Visionary High School spoke about five aspects on which the plan pivots. Their execution will definitely encompass technology. It is a fact that when used effectively technology will serve to engage learners; with the ultimate result being the enhancement of the teaching and learning environment.

Looking at the demands of the 21st century we must and will incorporate technology where possible. Technology will be used appropriately by more than competent facilitators. Technology will also be used to assess the effectiveness of our strategies and make adjustments were needed as time elapses. As with any plan, it is definitely important that as time progresses that we assess the effectiveness of the strategies that we are using; as a result, we will make adjustments as is needed.

There is no perfect way to integrate technology, but we will use and make adjustments as we strive to meet the needs of the students in our care. It is true that technology can be innovative, but one must remember its applicability as we strive to meet our goals.

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