LaTonya+Simmons

** Module 1 ** Creating a Computer Lab to Integrate 21st Century Tools in the Curriculum Sky View Elementary **Problem Summary** July 1, 2009, Cobb County School District rolled out its three-year technology plan for preparing students and teachers for 21st Century learning. Currently, the students of Sky View elementary are only scratching the surface of technology usage mainly because teachers do not have sufficient training, adequate time for implementation, the experience or the awareness to lead students to the desired outcome of the technology plan. Therefore, in order for the students to meet the desired goals outlined in the district plan there need to be more opportunities for students to engage in using up to date technology and collaborating tools, utilizing courses in the Cobb Virtual Academy and Georgia Virtual School, and blended learning opportunities in the classroom, as stated in the district plan. **Background of Organization** Sky View Elementary school was established in 1958 to serve the neighborhood children of Mableton, Georgia. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and is one of the smallest Title I schools in the southern region of the Cobb County School District. Sky View currently services 404 students in kindergarten through fifth grade. There are 36 certified teachers and 7 other staff members. Of the 404 students, 38% are African-American, 39% are Hispanic, 17% are Caucasian, 1% is Asian, and 5% are Multiracial. **Stakeholders and Decision-Makers** The PII Plan created for Sky View will benefit the students, teachers, parents, and administration. In addition, Sky View has a Leadership committee that is comprised of the school administrators, instructional coaches, one representative from each grade level, and one representative from each special program. This committee is created at the beginning of each school year for the purpose of making decisions that impact the well being of the school and students. The Leadership committee along with additional classroom teachers will be apart of data collection, planning, and implementation of the PII plan. **Performance Gap- Module 2 ** Technology is growing at an unprecedented rate, thus creating a great demand for on-going technological training and changes. Due to these rapid changes in technology, district has developed an extensive and detailed technology plan to keep their teachers and students abreast of the technology skills necessary to be successful in the 21st century. The district has equipped its 114 schools with the latest technology equipment and capabilities to carry out the goals outlined in the plan. However, the technology tools are not being used to their greatest potential by the teachers and students at Sky View elementary. Despite the fact that Sky View is equipped with the latest technology equipment and capabilities to meet the goals outlined in the technology plan, the teachers are the primary users of technology in the classroom. The teachers are using technology for word processing, collaboration with administrators, colleagues, and parents via email, reporting data, internet searches, and integration of Smartboard applications into lessons. The students at Sky View are receiving limited usage to the numerous collaborating technology tools. The students are primarily using computers for basic functions such as playing games online or through elected software, typing papers in Microsoft Word, or using pre-selected sites for research. **Desired Performance ** Although the technology available at Sky View is not being used to its greatest potential by the students and teachers, the implementation of a PII plan can help the school begin to close the technology performance gap. The desire is to look for solutions that would provide more opportunities for: 3. Students and teachers to use technology tools provided by the district such as databases, email, online file storage, and audio and video digital content. 4. Students and teachers to enhance their learning experience through the use of collaborating tools such as such as wikis, blogs, and social networking. 5. Students and teachers to utilize courses in the Cobb Virtual Academy and Georgia Virtual School 6. Teachers to provide blended learning opportunities in the classroom to deviate from traditional classroom environments.
 * Actual Current Performance **
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Students to engage in daily usage of technology that provides them the opportunity to problem solve using higher-order thinking skills.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Students to use technology to search and evaluate information to solve problems.

**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Cause Analysis ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Before providing a solution to the lack of technology usage among the students and teachers, an Educational Technology questionnaire was created to gather information from the teachers (Chevalier, 2007). The questionnaire was administered to 29 certified staff members with 21 submitting a completed questionnaire. After analyzing the responses from the questionnaire, 57% of the participants reported that they are aware of the district’s three year technology plan. In addition, 86% reported there is a performance gap when it comes to the technology skills and usage at their school. Sixty-two percent, stated they did not feel the student body would be equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to be successful in the 21st century. When asked to explain why, the teachers revealed the technology gap exist because: · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Curriculum requirements leave little time for classroom teachers to give direct instruction and modeling of computer skills. · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">The limited number of computers per class makes it difficult to have enough computer time for all students to acquire and practice skills. · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Teachers are integrating technology in the lessons but there are limited opportunities for the students to use the technology. · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">They were not familiar with the latest collaborating technology tools. · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">The faculty members are at different levels of technology usage and skills. · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Lack of confidence transferring technology skills to the students. **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Organizational History and Background ** **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">History ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Cobb County School District is the second largest school system in the state of Georgia. It has a total of 114 schools. There are 69 elementary schools, 25 middle schools, and 16 high schools. It has a student population of 106,000 students. Sky View Elementary is one of the 69 elementary schools in the district. The school was established in 1958 to serve the neighborhood children of Mableton, Georgia. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and is one of the smallest federally funded, Title I schools in the southern region of the Cobb County School District. Sky View was named a Title I Distinguished School for the 2009 - 2010 school terms and has met Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) for the last 9 years. Sky View currently services 395 students in kindergarten through fifth grade. There are 36 certified teachers and 7 other staff members. Of the 395 students, 37% are African-American, 36% are Hispanic, 22% are Caucasian, 1% is Asian, and 1% is Multiracial. **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Mission and Vision ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">The mission of Sky View is to provide students with a rigorous curriculum that equips them with the essential skills to become productive and successful members of society. Sky View believes their students’ will continue to excel through data driven instruction, building on prior knowledge, providing them with clear expectations, partnering with parents, and providing a safe environment conducive for learning. ** Three Intervention Strategies ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">The Cobb County School District has equipped its 114 schools with technology equipment and capabilities to carry out goals outline in its three- year technology plan. Despite the fact that Sky View is equipped with the latest technology equipment and capabilities, the technology tools are not being used to their greatest potential by the teachers and students. Below are three intervention strategies that have the greatest potential of helping the teachers and students of Sky View to increase their access and skills of the technology tools. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">the teachers are the primary users of technology in the classroom. **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Low-End Cost Strategy ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">The literacy coaches and the media center specialist will begin supporting the classroom teachers with their technology literacy needs. Sky View has two full-time certified teachers that work as literacy coaches and one full-time media center specialist. One literacy coach is for the primary grades (k-2) and the other is for the intermediate grades (3-5). The media center specialist works with grades k-5. The two coaches and the media center specialist could begin to assist the classroom teachers with technology literacy needs. This would include: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">1. Conducting professional trainings on how to incorporate the latest technology tools into lessons. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">2. Assist the classroom teachers in developing lessons that require the students to use the technology. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">3. Conduct classroom observations and provide suggestions on how to improve student technology literacy. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">To ensure the coaches receive quality training, they will attend one of the yearly FETC conferences. The FETC conference takes place yearly. It is an opportunity for teachers, administrators, media center specialist, and others to stay abreast of the latest technology trends. The cost for three participants to attend the FETC conference would be an estimated $1,300. In addition, the surrounding middle schools have established Technology Literacy Coaches. The literacy coaches and media center specialist from Sky View could collaborate with those local coaches, which would have no cost associated. Once the coaches are trained they can begin to effectively assist classroom teachers. The remainder of the funds could be used for the preparation of the professional development sessions and provide incentives to the teachers for their participation in the training sessions. **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Medium-Cost Strategy ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Re-establish the computer lab and hire a part-time technology coach. Teachers revealed on the Educational Technology questionnaire, that one of the reasons there was a technology gap was because the limited number of computers per class made it difficult to have enough time for all students to acquire and practice skills. After surveying the campus, there are two locations in the school to put the computer lab. The first location is in the media center. Currently, there is a room that is used for professional resources. Those items could be removed and placed on book shelves in the main area of the media center. Also, there are two classrooms being used by EIP teachers to pull students from other classes in small groups of 5-10. One of those classes could be moved to an empty trailer to allow for a spacious computer lab. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Equally important, last year twenty four classrooms received at least one additional computer from the previous computer lab. If each of the classrooms relinquished one computer, the computer lab would be fully furnished. Computer tables and surge protectors could be ordered at no cost from the county’s warehouse. If they are not available at the warehouse, they can be purchased at an estimated total cost of $3,000. Once the computer lab is in place, classroom teachers would have the opportunity to bring their class to the lab to conduct whole group lessons that focus on technology skills. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Finally, a part-time technology coach position will be created. The additional cost associated with this strategy will be the salary of the technology coach, which is estimated at $22,000 per year. This position will be filled by a certified teacher with a variety of technology experience. The coach will support the classroom teachers with their technology literacy needs. The responsibilities associated with this position are as followed: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">1. Assist the classroom teachers in developing lessons that require students to use and practice information literacy. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">2. Conduct classroom observations and provide suggestions on how to improve technology literacy. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">3. Model lessons for the classroom teacher and students that demonstrate specific technology skills. **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">High-Cost Strategy ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Re-establish the computer lab and hire a full-time technology teacher to operate the lab. As I have noted above in the medium cost strategy, there are two possible locations for operating the computer lab. Once the lab has been established, a full-time technology position will be created. The salary of the full-time teacher is the major cost associated with this strategy, which is estimated at $35-$40,000. One benefit to hiring a full-time technology teacher to operate the computer lab is the automatic increase of the students’ use of technology. The responsibilities associated with the position are: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">1. Mange the computer lab and possess basic knowledge about computers and software. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">2. Support the students, teachers, and administration with enhancing technology literacy. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">3. Conduct professional trainings on how to incorporate the latest technology tools into lessons. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">4. Provide students with daily opportunities to engage in collaborating tools like wikispaces, blogs, e-pals, and social networking. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">5. Assist the classroom teachers in developing lessons that require the students to use technology. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">6. Engage students in courses offered from the Cobb Virtual Academy and Georgia Virtual School. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">7. Assist teachers with strategies to enhance learning experience through the use of collaborating tools. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">8. Conduct classroom observations and provide suggestions on how to improve technology literacy. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">9. Be the point of contact for any technical issues, troubleshooting, or equipment orders. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">10. Collect and report data that demonstrates student performances.