Introduction
Our 2010-11 Tech Integration Plan is a road map that addresses the need to prepare our students to meet the challenges of learning effectively and living productively in a 21st century digital society.
The 2010-11 Technology Integration Plan is organized into four sections:
Our Technology Integration Plans are not static documents that sit on a shelf and gather dust. Nor are they a list of hardware and software to be purchased over a period of two years. ASB’s plans are living documents that grow and develop with the changing technological needs of the school. With a clear vision and belief statements, and well-articulated goals and actions with timelines for completion – this plan provides our community a forum for conversations about how ASB is
leveraging the enormous potential of technology for providing learning opportunities that will serve the needs of today’s students throughout their lifetimes.
meeting the challenge of empowering students to function effectively now and in a future marked by increasing change, evolving technologies, and the phenomenal growth of information.
Technology Integration at ASB
Why and when we use technology in our classrooms
Why use technology? Because technology plays an important and growing role in our daily lives, and as a school it is our responsibility to empower students to function effectively now and in a future where there will be increasing change, evolving technologies, and even more information.
When do we use technology? We use technology to improve teaching and learning, enhance school operations, and bring about positive educational change. Our classroom technology integration is focused on the use of technology to enrich and extend the curriculum, to enhance and accelerate the types of learning that support the development of our students’ proficiency in 21st century skills of creativity and innovation, critical thinking and problem solving, collaboration, leadership, and communication, and to increase student achievement in traditional skills. While celebrating the many examples of integration within our walls, we continue to provide clear school-wide purposes, guidance, and support to all teachers for incorporating meaningful technology experiences into the curriculum to meet the needs of all our students.
How the integration of technology aligns with our curricula and instructional goals
The use of technology is aligned with our curricular and instructional goals in four primary areas: school-wide goals (such as assessment), vertical review cycle of all content areas, assessments in all subject areas, and the scope and sequence of pure technology skills.
Building connections between 21st century learning skills and the classroom curricula is already taking place across subject areas and grade levels. Our vision is to ensure that this is equitable for all our students and best practices are embedded. Towards that end we have defined our expectations for technology integration and where and how it should happen. This vision and integration path is visible in the following:
Tech Standards for all stakeholders – for students, staff, and administrators
Educational Technology Framework
The skills in the K-12 Tech Integration Skills Matrix and 21st century skills woven into subject or content area standards and benchmarks. Specific integration into projects and lessons is documented by the teachers and tech coordinators on the ES Tech Integration Wiki - http://estig.asb-wiki.wikispaces.net and the MS/HS Tech Integration Wiki - http://mshstechintegration.asb-wiki.wikispaces.net
Grade levels and departments are identifying curriculum units in Atlas Rubicon that can be enhanced or enriched by the integration of technology to support student learning.
An annual Tech Integration goal for each division with a plan for achievement of the goal, and an assessment of its impact on instruction at the end of the year.
A Digital Citizenship wiki documents the development of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes - http://digitalcitizenship.asb-wiki.wikispaces.net
How do we know whether our technology is being effectively used in the classroom
Our technology integration goal is that all students are using technology to increase student achievement and to receive instruction, practice, and assessment in ways that support the development of proficiency in 21st century skills. Some of the actions that are supporting the achievement of this goal:
The principals and I visit K-12 classes to develop an accurate picture of how we are integrating technology. These visits serve to give us more information as we continue to integrate technology.
The Professional Growth and Evaluation process for teachers includes mastery of tech standards 16 and 17 of the teacher standards. In addition each division has identified one ISTE Teacher Standard for implementation each year.
All three divisions have a technology integration goal and a plan for achievement of the goal, and an end of the year assessment of its impact on instruction.
There is an increasing use of technology tools to improve students’ reading, writing, and computation skills, and to increase student achievement.