Byron_Davis_Project

= Seven Pines Elementary: Technology Use Plan =


 * __ School Profile __**

Seven Pines is a primary school, grades PK – 5 in the county of Henrico County, VA. In 2008 there were 492 students with a gender breakdown of 52% male and 48% female. The total number of classroom teachers was 31. Students per grade were as follows: Pre-K - 10 students, Kind - 78 students, Grade 1 - 86 students, Grade 2 - 94 students, Grade 3 - 60 students, Grade 4 - 82 students, and Grade 5 - 82 students. The average Teacher : Student Ratio at this school was 1:16 as compared to the state average of 1:13. The breakdown of Students by Ethnicity was as follows:
 * || Seven Pines || State ||
 * % American Indian || 1% || n/a ||
 * % Asian || n/a || 4% ||
 * % Hispanic || 1% || 8% ||
 * % Black || 26% || 27% ||
 * % White || 68% || 58% ||
 * % Unknown || 4% || 5% ||

The following is information from Seven Pines and the state, respectively.

% Eligible for Free Lunch 21%, 28% % Eligible for Reduced Lunch 7%, 7% % Migrant Students Enrolled n/a, n/a

Additional
 * || Seven Pines || State ||
 * Population (Approximate) || 11,014 people || 6,688,554 people ||
 * % (age 25+) w/College Degree || 18% || 26% ||
 * Population Average Age || 38 years old || 35 years old ||
 * Average Household size || 2.5 persons || 2.5 persons ||
 * Median Household Income || $47,038 || $50,018 ||
 * Avg. # of Rooms in Household || 6 rooms || 5.9 rooms ||
 * Median Age of Housing Structure || 37 years old || 34 years old ||


 * __The State of Affairs__**

Seven Pines staff are open to the use of technology, and administration has arranged to increase the number of Promethean boards per classroom to 13. Although some are nervous or reluctant to learn the new technology, most see it as beneficial. Each class is equipped with 5 laptop computers and there are to Computers on Wheels (COWS) available for checkout (although the logistics of checking out and returning can be complicated without breaks).


 * __Focus__**

Math scores improved drastically during the 2009 - 2010 school year, however reading scores did not, and the school did not meet AYP. Therefore, improving reading scores will be the focus of our school improvement plan.

**__Overarching Philosophy__** Our philosophies and beliefs are the underpinnings of our actions. Where we agree or disagree is vitally important because these are what determine our direction and end product. There are a number of perspectives that one can have. I tend to agree with the way Scott Berkun describes it in this blog. He does a nice job of illustrating the views and their meanings. In my views are most in alignment with Berkun's third view, although influened by the fifth:


 * 3 The point is how it’s used** (the pragmatic moral view). The point is that technology enables people to do things. How the technology is used, and the effect it has on people in the world. In this line of thought a good technology is one that enables good things to happen for people and helps them live satisfying lives and what we make should be built on the tradition of shelter, fire, electricity, refrigeration and vaccination (Patron saint: Victor Papanak, author of [|design for the real world]).


 * 5 The point to technology is its economic value.** The free market decides what good technology is, possibly giving creators resources for doing morally good things. But the the moral value of the technology itself is indeterminate or unimportant. (Patron saint: [|Gordon Gekko])

__ When Should it be Used? And How Much? __ There has been some debate as to which tools should be used in schools, and to what capacity.

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In teaching, we are building something as well. We are constructing the knowledge and skills of our students through education. Each class is different, each situation is different, and each student is different. We must not commit to only one tool and abandon the rest, or even necessarily use all the tools equally. We must assess the situation and use the most appropriate and effective tool to perform our job.

The tools assist us in doing the job, but it is the worker who truly does the work. The worker is the most important part. It is the worker that understands which tools to apply and how to apply them. The worker has the knowledge.

While the focus generally remains on the worker and his tools, the toolbox and the house are important too. The toolbox represents organization. Without a clear way to see your tools and what you have to work with, many tools will be forgotten. How could the worker do his job if his tools were scattered everywhere? How much would he forget? The house is the product. It needs to be built on a sturdy foundation, and once built, it will still need regular maintenance and checkups.

When a community wants to build something, the responsibility remains the community’s. The result comes from a joint effort, and the tools help us to get their more efficiently.

__** Instructional Use **__ Technology does not make good teaching, but good teachers use technology.

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Reading is our focus at Seven Pines Elementary. With Web 2.0 methods, students can fully interact rather than being lectured to, by reading, writing, critically thinking, and contributing to the dialogue. Students will have choices in which mediums they want to use to find their voice and present their ideas. Through staff development, teachers will be taught how to use various programs that can be used in the classroom setting that will help with reading, decoding, reading comprehension, reading strategies and test taking strategies. Our goal will be to move away from teacher centered lectures and towards student participation and interaction.

Seven Pines has consistently been adding Promethean boards to classrooms. Promethean boards are one of the main tools that the worker/teacher will use. A Promethean board is also like a toolbox in that it can hold and act as a conduit for many other tools. This presents a wonderful opportunity in that Promethean boards are more or less a platform for presentation of nearly all other programs. Many can be directly integrated, and others, that are web-based, can be linked out to. Promethean boards allow teachers to use their own personal teaching style while integrating programs and content in an interactive way that students enjoy. This will be a large focus of our plan, with teachers who have Promethean boards using them, and training those who don't for future use so they can "hit the ground running".

Seven Pines has 5 computers in every room as well as COWs (Computers On Wheels). These need to be taken advantage of. Part of our plan will be ensuring that teachers not only understand how to, but have an effective plan to utilize the resources they possess. Whether it be through centers, small groups, or some other plan they have, the computers in their rooms need to be put to use. Another part of our plan will be providing teachers with the ideas of how they can do this as well as how the various programs can best be utilized. Teachers are not unwilling to use their resources. They only need to be taught how to best use them to their benefit so that it is a comfortable part of the teaching process.

__** Student Access **__ There has been ongoing debate regarding the degree to which students should have access to new technologies. Those against student access cite misuse and distractions most commonly as concerns. Any tool can do good or harm. =**Tools:**=

What do you use them for?

It is important for us to evaluate the pros and cons and determine when and how tools should be used, and to constantly improve upon the tools we have. Current technology offers a wide variety of opportunities that should be taken advantage of in the school setting. Here are a number of examples from the mobile front:

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In order to maximize the potential for learning, we need to trust students to use technology appropriately. Consequences need to exist for students that betray that trust through misuse. Consequences should include confiscation of misused tools when appropriate.

At Seven Pines, we will plan to create low-level filtering for our students. While many feel that, as independence is given, the filtering should diminish, Seven Pines will take an opposing stance. In elementary school classrooms, where there are only five computers unless COWs are checked out for a computer-based projects, students only go to pre-designated sites with the help of their teachers. Teachers maintain the responsibilty of previewing sites before visiting them with students. In-house programs have already been deemed safe by the county. Students will have access to whatever their teachers deem appropriate.

__** Internet Safety **__ Safety is the first priority. It is important for us to educate both students and staff about safe ways to use the internet. We will have Henrico County's mandatory internet safety lessons as well as our own, and websites to refer parents to, such as Netsmartz, which has pages tailored for teachers, parents, teens, and kids. A personal favorite of mine because of how well they teach focused lessons in engaging digestible chunks is Brain Pop Jr. Here you can see the free lesson they offer for elementary school students on internet safety.

__** Professional Development **__ Good instruction happens here:

There are tons of websites like this one that are designed to help teachers use online resources and integrate technology into good teaching. One of the greatest things about the internet and Web 2.0 is our ability to share ideas and information with immediacy. The result is a synergistic effect that is allowing more helpful tools to pop up every day. Many of the newest and best can be found here. Mark Hofer and Judi Harris created a number of other suggestions for planning lessons that allow teachers to use technology in the classroom. These suggestions can be found in a PDF they wrote about [|Activity Types].

The most important component is embracing the necessary change. To use an appropriate quote offered by Dr. Richardson by Roland Barth: "The problem of all educational institutions isn't that they are no longer what they once were. The problem is that they are precisely what they once were, while the world around them is changing in revolutionary ways." media type="youtube" key="WmMhwQWYqU0" height="385" width="640"

__** Funding **__ For these efforts to be successful, funding will be required. **Technology should be a top priority in the allocation of funds**. It has the potential to improve the quality of education, the work environment, and school culture. The equipment bought can be used from year to year. Currently, all students have computers at the middle and high school level. There are plenty of programs that cover a wide array of uses and Promethean boards are becoming more and more common in the classroom. Funding would be considered more adequate if there were enough computers for each elementary class to have their own classroom set as well. Furthermore, it is costly and difficult to maintain the licenses and updates for programs, and most counties have a tendency to fall far behind in this area, leaving students to learn out-of-date programs. **A transition to free, open-source programming** for many applications would help the county to be more fiscally responsible and current.

We receive money from 3 different sections of government: local ~ 37.1% State ~ 45.6% Federal ~ 8.3%

The money we receive from these different sources tends to be at a fixed percentage that ebbs and flows with the state of the economy (The remaining 8.9 percent is from private sources, primarily for private schools).

Additionally we can receive money **from grants and from private sources**. Education is what fuels our economy and helps to create a better standard of living for all. Because society, and more specifically government, acknowledges this fact, funding in the form of grants is made available for educational projects on a competitive basis. Grants are competitive because groups are competing for the same money. However, we are fortunate to be provided the possibility of free money, and we should go through the process to try to get it. It takes time, effort, and a solid plan, but money should not be given to anyone without those components anyway, so it is really to our benefit that we are forced to find the best way to use money before we receive it.

We can **partner with local businesses and work with our PTA** to receive additional funding. Again, this is done best when the cooperating partners can see a clear plan with goals and methods of execution and feel that their money is being soundly invested in a way that will allow them to reap some sort of benefit.

Planning and funding is no one person or group’s responsibility, just as the education of our nation is no one person or group’s responsibility. We have a shared responsibility that requires contributions from many areas both of funding and ideas. In order to be successful and keep up with societies expectations, it is vitally important that we take advantage of our resources and work towards a common goal.