Techplan

= __ Education Technology Planning Committee Agenda __ __ November 30, 2010 __ =

Goal of Committee
The committee will be responsible for the development of the overall technology plan. The committee will utilize the mission and vision of the current Strategic Plan to develop a plan, determine the goals that must be met to reach it, and create steps to implement those goals. The plan should be developed based on what students, staff, and administration should be able to do with technology and let those outcomes determine the types and amount of technology [the] plan requests.

The mission of the Lower Moreland Township School District is to foster individual excellence in a nurturing environment by integrating a dedicated staff, an innovative curriculum, and community resources, while promoting respect for self and others. All students will acquire the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes necessary to become life-long learners and citizens who will think critically, act responsibly, communicate clearly and collaborate effectively in a global community. Our Vision for The Lower Moreland Township School District is expanding horizons and individualizing excellence for each and every student. Our vibrant and rigorous curriculum, our passionate, dedicated and talented staff, our exceptional parent and community support, the challenging and exciting extracurricular activities, and outstanding leadership from a committed and well educated board of school directors are evident points of pride. Our dynamic and caring environment for everyone who works and attends our schools is achieved because our staff, students, parents, community and board of directors work exceptionally well together and focus upon the same mission.
 * **Our Mission Statement**
 * **Our Vision Statement**

Building a knowledge Base
In order to plan effectively, our committee will need to understand how students learn, what skills students need to succeed in the workplace, and how technology can be used to improve education. We will need to become familiar with some of the learning research but also with research on the most promising ways of using technology to improve student achievement, condition of facilities, available technology (including cost), and professional development opportunities and requirements. Our vision for the next Technology Plan should support meaningful, engaged learning for all students, outline the district's learning goals for placing technology in the hands of educators and students, and support the curricular goals of the school. A challenge for the committee will be how to address the ever changing technology needs while having an awareness of the school district's budget. Let's look at what technology might look like in the year 2020....

Technology Accomplishments in the last three years
Activity: Divide into groups. Step 1 - Use Google Docs to list Technology accomplishments in the last three years. [] Step 2 - Include strategy that the accomplishment focused on.

Overview of Previous Educational Technology Plan
Technology was a separate goal in our 2008 strategic plan, and as such was a major focus. Our encompassing goal was “To utilize technology in all aspects of the educational process” and includes three strategies: 1. The district will develop a plan for the continued incorporation of best practices for the use of technology as a seamless instructional tool. 2. The district will continue to assist students in the respectful and responsible use of information technology. 3. The district will develop a plan for the on-going acquisition and replacement of technological tools used for instruction, record keeping, administration, and communication with the community.
 * Goal: Technology**

These strategies were developed with needs assessments conducted by the Strategic Planning Steering Committee, the district wide Technology Committee, and a surveying of district stakeholders. To accomplish this goal and these strategies, the committee recommended the following action steps:

1. Develop and implement a comprehensive K-8 technology curriculum in accordance with National Educational Technology Standards for Students (ISTE) including integration into all curricular areas, yearly benchmarks and assessments, information literacy practices and related professional development. 2. Investigate one-to-one computing, as recommended by ISTE. 3. Investigate a fully functioning internal and external cable channel. 4. Investigate videoconferencing across the district. 5. Investigate designating an instructional technology specialist at Pine Road and Murray Avenue with the intention of providing classroom teachers with the support they need to create technology-rich curricular projects and connections. Periodically, review and modify (if necessary) the K-12 technology code of conduct to ensure it adequately and thoroughly addresses all aspects of technology use and require students to sign/acknowledge receipt. 6. Investigate best practices in utilizing electronic resources in order to implement a program which includes internet safety, handling equipment responsibly, Netiquette practices, respectful online behavior, comprehensive search techniques and copyright laws. 7. Develop and implement a maximum 4-year computer acquisition/replacement cycle. 8. Develop and communicate formalized standards for software/hardware installation/purchasing. 9. Continue researching open source software as a value added resource. 10. Enhance communication to staff and community including implementing an extranet and enhancing teacher websites.

Resources:
1. Lower Moreland Township Technoloy plan -

2. National Education Plan 2010 -

3. (Students & Parents)

4. (Teachers & Administrators)

5. Bridge to the Future - ([]) Ed Tech Magazine article

6. 2020 Vision - ([] ) The Journal Magazine article

7. Social Media Revolution media type="youtube" key="lFZ0z5Fm-Ng?fs=1" height="385" width="640"