TechPlan_vision

Strategic Goals 06-09:
 * 1) Branford Public School students will demonstrate proficiency in the 21st Century skills needed to be successful in an information-based, technology driven, global society.
 * 2) The Branford Public Schools will ensure that all students are successful by building consistent and coherent Pre-K to 12 processes for curriculum development and implementation, assessment of student learning, uniform data collection and analysis, and program and personnel evaluation.
 * 3) The Branford Public Schools will continuously improve communication through interaction, involvement, and engagement with all key stakeholders in order to enhance the success of every student.

Mission Statement:

We, the members of the Branford Public School community, are committed to developing life-long learners who are capable and confident, who contribute to their community, and who succeed in a changing global society.

From 06-09:

The ability to use technology to enhance student learning to access and process information is an essential skill for functioning effectively as a citizen, worker, and consumer in today’s competitive society. BPS recognizes the need for life-long learning technology education. Through equitable access to a wide range of information and technology resources, technology use enhances all student learning and teacher instruction. By using technology as a tool for teaching, learning, measurement, analysis, and fiscal management, BPS has a continuous accountability process for program evaluation and student learning assessment.

VISION Tech Plan 09-12
 * Use ICT to support the BPS mission and strategic goals
 * Information and Communications Technology (ICT) plays two main roles in Branford Public Schools
 * Support and advance curriculum and instruction for improved student achievement
 * Support administrative tasks, data collection and dissemination, and communication and collaboration with the educational community
 * Picture of Future Learning
 * Google Apps, Social Media Classroom, Moodlerooms (plus mahara and alfresco or Google sites?)
 * ...notes..
 * Open!
 * BYOC or BYOT or BYOICT
 * LLL
 * Provide equitable access
 * Facilitate change
 * Provide approach to make continuous change for improvement systemic to BPS

MISC


 * CSDE edtech vision

TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR 2006-2009 STRENGTHS • Variety of members • Ongoing involvement of technology staff on district level planning committees • New strategic planning committee for district • New district data committee – data culture change and school improvement initiatives • Brutal honesty • Equity in education WEAKNESSES • No student representatives • May need to meet more often • Need to use web site to communicate • Need greater emphasis on formal evaluations • Over emphasis on technology tools – not enough on reasons and strategies for using the tools – “techno-lust”

TECHNOLOGY VISION RECOMMENDATIONS FOR 2006-2009 STRENGTHS • Anytime/anywhere access through Citrix servers has been available for 6 years • Student focus • Growing parent interest and involvement • Local business involvement and support • Transfer skills from technology used now for future technology applications WEAKNESSES • Telecommunications plan • Formal documentation • Formal assessment data collection • Educator overload • Funding shifts • Take advantage of available communication tools (e.g. Channel 19, out-dial, web site, e-mail, voice mail) • Recognize competitive nature of the future workforce and national trends • Level ourselves with other states

BPS TECHNOLOGY VISION ALIGNMENT TO CSDE TECHNOLOGY GOALS

BPS vision aligns with the major technology goal categories recognized by the Connecticut State Board of Education.

CURRICULUM (TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS BASED ON CURRICULUM AND ADMINISTRATIVE NEEDS): Improve student achievement through the use of technology in elementary and secondary schools with fully integrated technology into the academic curriculum. As standard practice, teachers will use technology as instructional tools within their disciplines to increase student motivation for learning, to improve student achievement in major subject areas, and to improve student skills as collaborative workers, critical thinkers and evaluators of information. Teaching supervisors will tie technology inclusion into the evaluation process. Students will acquire the skills necessary to access information through technology. To realize fully their educational benefits, educators will integrate technological resources into educational practices appropriate for their discipline. To prepare students for the work force and higher education, BPS must develop partnerships with the corporate and private sectors, including government agencies, business, industry and higher education. Administrative technology resources will go beyond the delivery of instruction to manage student information and monitor student performance.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Technologies change at a rapid rate. In anticipation of change, Branford educators must continually update their technological skills and resources. The BBOE will encourage coordination and cooperation among educators and educational systems to promote practices that are effective, efficient and equitable. The ability to use technology to access and process information is an essential skill for functioning effectively as a citizen, worker and consumer in our society. BPS recognizes the need for life long learning technology education. BPS will implement an ongoing staff development program for educators (teachers, administrators, media specialists, paraprofessionals, and support staff). Staff development will include multiple levels of literacy. All training examples will demonstrate classroom or educational management scenarios. All educators’ training will be monitored and evaluated.

CAPACITY: BPS will ensure that all K-12 educational institutions have the capacity, infrastructure, staffing and equipment to meet academic and business needs for effective and efficient operations. The district will establish an infrastructure network plan for the efficient use of peripherals and communication. The district will encourage the coordination of all technology purchases. Priority will be given to purchases that align with the network infrastructure. The Technology Department will establish security guidelines for software, hardware and data. Each Media Center will become the hub for technology inclusion and troubleshooting. The Technology Department will provide leadership and support in all areas of technology decisions: evaluation, selection, purchase, maintenance, repair, replacement, upgrade, integration, network and application. BPS will perform an annual status report on the technology plan, including monitoring and evaluation evidence. BPS will guide educational supervisors to encourage and reward teachers for technology inclusion in their disciplines. The district will establish system-wide priorities based on curriculum and administrative objectives for the purchase of hardware and software. The Technology Department will provide a minimal standard design idea for the network infrastructure, administrative systems, teacher systems, classroom nodes, labs and Media Centers. The district will integrate the use of technology into their systematic data collection and reports. It is critical that BPS take a leadership role in the use of technology and provide the opportunity and equipment that will enable all members of the community to succeed in an information-rich and technologically evolving world.

EQUITY: Students of all ability levels will use technology to enhance their individual learning activities. We must emphasize technological literacy for all students and the use of technology to enhance teacher instruction and student learning. In order to motivate all students at their greatest level, regardless of economic status, every learner must have equitable access to a wide range of information and technological resources as part of a quality education. We must ensure that all K-12 resources are available for all students, regardless of race, ethnicity, income, geographical location, or disability, so they can become technologically literate by the end of eighth grade and achieve their academic potential. As cost allows, teachers and students in both regular education and special education will have access to the technology necessary to support the curriculum. Each school will suggest ideas for using parent volunteers to assist in technology planning, maintenance and lab assistance. The district will collaborate with business /industry, social service agencies and higher education in planning technology applications for the classroom and student information systems. Whenever possible, the district will apply concepts of universal design to assure that all students can access the technology available.

EVALUATION OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY TOOLS: The district will develop a continuous process of evaluation and accountability for the use of educational technology as: a teaching/ and learning tool, a measurement and analysis tool for student achievement, and a fiscal management tool.

FINANCE: The district will develop a schema of current and future financing requirements to support the LEA’s technology plan. The district will provide the resources necessary for the acquisition, implementation and support of technology throughout the school system. The district will encourage and review all grant writing for potential technology resource funds.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS: The district will develop a telecommunications services plan that will support both instructional needs and administrative requirements. BPS will work with the Connecticut Education Network (CEN) to connect the district to the CSDE for high speed, filtered, video and data resources.