Assignment 7

Software Selection Policy

1.  How do your school/district policies compare to the above resources?

 Overall, I feel that my school district’s software selection policy is similar to the text and resources I reviewed for this assignment.  Durham Public Schools selects software based on what can be supported.  Here is a link to the Approved Software List for DPS.  It also lists the district level IT staff that is responsible for staff development and maintaining the software.  Technology Facilitators at each school and Information technology staff share maintenance responsiblitites.  Many things are taken into consideration when software is being approved.  Here is a detailed link to Process for Selecting Educational Materials and Resources to Achieve the District Vision.  Our district also has a software evaluation form that can be completed by teachers wanting to get software approved.  Back in 2005 a team of people from our district created this form.  I volunteered to help create this form so I had a hand in creating it.  I feel that even though it was in 2005 it is still covers everything that is need to make well-informed decisions about software. Click here for a link to the DPS SOFTWARE EVALUATION form. 

 2.  How could the policies be improved or enhanced?

I believe that Durham Public School Policies regarding software decisions is very detailed.  However, even though the policies are in place I know that not all teachers know how to go through the process of getting software approved by the district.  I feel that communication at the beginning of each school year should inform all teachers of the process.  This would improve this process for all stakeholders.

3.  What key pieces of information/helpful information is not included?

I have read through Durham Public School Process for Selecting Educational Materials and Resources to Achieve the District Vision and feel that all key pieces of information are present.

Reflection:

I believe the number 1 objective and goal should always be enhancing STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT.  DPS has done a good job in creating these policies.

Acceptable Use Policy

1.  How do your school/district policies compare to the above resources?

Click links below to view Durham Public Schools Acceptable Use Policies:

Elementary AUP: http://edutech.dpsnc.net/images/stories/2007_ElemInternetForm.pdf

Secondary AUP:  http://edutech.dpsnc.net/images/stories/2007_SecondaryInternetForm.pdf

Spanish Version:  http://edutech.dpsnc.net/images/stories/Internet_spanish.pdf

Photo Release Form:  http://edutech.dpsnc.net/images/stories/photo_name_release_form.pdf

Upon review of various resources, I feel that DPS policies are aligned with the text and other readings.  As a technology facilitator in an elementary school, the Media Coordinator and I keep these documents on file in the Media Center.  We work with the teachers, parents and students to make sure students have an AUP on file before they are allowed access to school resources.  As many of you who have done this know, it is a lot of work.  However, it is crucial to keeping our kids safe on the Internet and maintaining legality.

 2.  How could the policies be improved or enhanced?

A couple of years ago DPS did not have a Photo Release Form.  So I added my own version of the form to the bottom of the District AUP.  It was necessary to do this because some of our teachers have class websites and we wanted to make sure we had documentation before using student images.  No last names are ever used on any website.  Now that the district has a photo release form, I deleted the one I created from our school AUP. All of the documents are available online.  One improvement that could be made is to make staff and students more aware of how important these policies are.

 3.  What key pieces of information/helpful information is not included?

One thing that is missing is a form for staff.  Unfortunately, it is assumed that staff will be responsible when using technology.  The district does have a new filter in place this year called 8e6.  Last week I attended a workshop on how to block and unblock websites from a local school level.  This is the first time that we have been able to do this at a local school level.  Of course, there is a rubric that must be filled out prior to unblocking or blocking.  Click here for the rubric.

 Reflection

The most important point about an AUP is making sure that everyone understands that using technology safely and efficiently is the key to success.  All stakeholders need to know the consequences for not adhering to the AUP policies.

TECHNOLOGY PLANS

Durham Public Schools 2009-2013 Technology Plan
Oak Grove Elementary and Hillandale Elementary School Technology Plans
http://www.dpsnc.net/about-dps/26/technology-plan

Lapeer Community Schools Technology Plan
http://www.lapeerschools.org/techplan.htm


Woodside School Technology Plan
http://www.woodside.k12.ca.us/pdf/WoodsideTechPlan0609.pdf

DISCUSSION ITEMS

In my research for this assignment I feel that all three plans I evaluated were very similar. However, the scope of the district plans was much more in depth. As a technology facilitator it is difficult to find time to create an elaborate plan, but I believe Hillandale, Oak Grove and Woodside School do a great job focusing their plan on student achievement.

I feel that I learned the most from the Lapeer Community Schools Technology Plan. I found it interesting because it is very detailed. I also like the way it is in pdf format because you can search the document to very easily find specific topics of interest. The 72-page plan outlines every step of the process. I plan to implement some of the strategies they used in my local school technology plan.

As stated earlier I feel that all plans generally contained all four basic elements. The district plans were much more detailed, but each plan contained a vision statement, needs assessment, implementation, and some form of evaluation.

I feel that the table of contents from the Lapeer Community Schools is very helpful because it lists all areas that are covered in the plan. I plan to use this in the future updating of my technology plan for this class and my school.

DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES

Vision Statement:
All three plans share similar visions and goals. Obviously, Lapeer Community Schools district plan is much more depth. The vision statement for Woodside School was simple and to the point. It is “Improve the use of technology for classroom instruction, student learning, and communication with parents” which is very similar to my school (Hillandale).

Needs Assessment:
Unfortunately, the only needs assessment information I could find was for Lapeer Community Schools. If you open up the pdf link listed above and search for needs assessment you we see the various needs assessments that were performed. I found the staff needs assessments very useful because many stakeholders had input. Durham Public Schools or DPS also asked tech facilitators from the district to provide input about the tech plan. They even created a website blog where people from the district could provide expertise into the technology plan. Click here for a link to this blog. The school level plans did not have a formal needs assessment. However at my particular school we did an informal needs assessment by allowing teachers to give input the their Media Technology Advisory Committee team member to bring forward at MTAC monthly meetings.

Funding Sources:
Funding sources varied between all three plans. It is difficult to know exactly how much funding will be available from year to year. At Hillandale the main sources are PTA, Title 1, and grants. Since DPS is a fairly large district we receive state monies for hardware and software. The district focuses on the WAN and the local schools purchase hardware and software based on the individual school needs.

Technology Team Members:
Hillandale and Oak Grove each have a Media Technology Advisory Committee, which has representation from all areas of the school community. Woodside School has a similar technology team. DPS and LCS have representation from various district employees.

Staff Development:
At the core of any technology plan should be staff development. It is not enough to just have technology present, training must be provided. At Hillandale and Oak Grove we provide staff development at staff meetings. DPS and LCS both offer district staff development for employees. It is crucial to train teachers how to use the available technologies to improve student achievement and to create successful learning environments.

Evaluation:
All technology plans should be constantly evolving documents. In the world of technology things move very quickly and it is important to amend the plan as needs change. I feel all the plans discussed in this assignment have a process for evaluating and changing the document to reflect desired outcomes.