Technology Plan

Educator Preparation and Development

Preparing teachers and administrators to effectively manage and facilitate learning in technology and information rich settings involves retooling the existing professional core of our educational system. The technology of the 21^st century requires that educators be prepared to assume significantly different roles teaching different types of school children with different kinds of tools.

The Texas Education Agency developed the Texas School Technology and Readiness (STaR) report around the four key areas of the Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology: Teaching and Learning, Educator Preparation and Development, Administration and Support Services, and Infrastructure for Technology. The STaR Chart is designed to help districts determine their progress toward meeting the goals of the Long-Range Plan for Technology as well as meeting the goals of the district. The STaR Chart is included in the appendix.

The Educator Preparation and Development rubric for assessing the district’s level of technology integration consists of the following focus areas:

EP 1. Content of Professional Development

EP 2. Models of Professional Development

EP 3. Capability of Educators

EP 4. Access to Professional Development

EP 5. Levels of Understanding and Patterns of Use

EP 6. Professional Development for Online Learning

Descriptors are provided within the rubric to identify the level of progress in each focus area. The levels of progress are described as:

· Early Tech

· Developing Tech

· Advanced Tech

· Target Tech

Moving Towards Target Tech in Educator Preparation and Development

The Target Tech levels of progress in Educator Preparation and Development include the following descriptors:

· Most teachers participate in or mentor others in the development of strategies for creating new learning environments that empower students to think critically to solve real0-world problems and collaborate with experts across business, industry, and higher education;

· Campuses promote anytime, anywhere learning available through a variety of delivery systems including individually guided activities, inquiry/action research, and involvement in a developmental/improvement process;

· Most teachers demonstrate all the SBEC Technology Applications Standards;

· 30 or more hours of technology professional development available per school year for all teachers;

· Most teachers create new interactive, collaborative, customized learning environments; and

· Most teachers customize online content and have taught or are teaching content units or courses online.

In support of these targets, a comprehensive technology professional development program has been implemented providing training at all levels to administrators, teachers, and staff for the implementation and integration of technology.

Implementation and Integration Strategies

Goal: Provide the training, hardware and software to enable staff to effectively utilize technology in their professional and personal lives. It is assumed that with the right equipment and training, staff will be able to perform their jobs better; hence better educated students and increased TAAS scores.

Outcome I: Technology is utilized as a management tool to continuously improve student achievement and all functions involved in the educational process.

Outcome II: Instruction in the use of technology to enhance student achievement is an integral part of professional development.

Outcome III: Educators are 100% proficient in the SBEC technology competencies.

Educator Preparation and Development Time Line

	2008-2009	2009-2010	2010-2011	2011-2012
Content of Professional Development:
Competent in technology literacy skills
Competent in integration of technology specific to content area
Competent in utilizing technology to facilitate development of higher order thinking skills.
Competent in the development of strategies for creating new learning environments that empower students to think critically to solve real-world problems
Models of Professional Development:
Focus on skills and basic integration
Focus on increasing teacher productivity and content integration
Ongoing professional development: training, observation/assessment
Anywhere/anytime, on-demand learning
Capabilities of Educators:
Teachers meet 100% of SBEC’s technology competencies
Access to Professional Development:
District-provided opportunities
Campus-level opportunities
Campus-based bi-weekly opportunities
Levels of Understanding and Patterns of Use:
Adaptation stage – teacher productivity tools
Appropriation stage – content area instruction
Invention stage – interactive, collaborative, higher-level thinking
Professional Development for Online Learning
Provide online training opportunities
Utilize FirstClass collaboration tool for student collaboration
Utilize FirstClass collaboration tool to create content

Educator Preparation and Development Strategies

TEA Recommendation for All Educators
All current educators should strive to meet the SBEC standards for all beginning educators. These standards tie directly to the Technology Applications student standards for Grades 6-8. To help meet these educator standards, professional development should support the following SBEC standards.

Technology Applications Standards I–V:

• All teachers use technology-related terms, concepts, data input strategies, and ethical practices to make informed decisions about current technologies and their applications.
• All teachers identify task requirements, apply search strategies, and use current technology to efficiently acquire, analyze, and evaluate a variety of electronic information.

· All teachers use task-appropriate tools to synthesize knowledge, create and modify solutions, and evaluate results in a way that supports the work of individuals and groups in problem-solving situations.

• All teachers communicate information in different formats and for diverse audiences.
• All teachers know how to plan, organize, deliver, and evaluate instruction for all students that incorporates the effective use of current technology for teaching and integrating the Technology Applications Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) into the curriculum

Teacher technology competencies are outlined in Appendix H.

Educator Preparation and Development Strategies

Methodology	Description
Train the trainer model.	Currently 240 CISD teachers have been or are currently enrolled in a 40-hour course in Instructional Technology taught by Master Teachers from the Intel “Teach to the Future” program. This program will continue for three years affecting 720 teachers.
Formal after school or Saturday courses.	Throughout the district, a multitude of varied technology courses are taught.
On campus workshops taught during the school day.	Workshop Instructors from the Instructional Technology department are continuously offering mini-workshops taught during teacher’s conference periods. Topics include but are not limited to FirstClass email, FirstClass conferences, FirstClass Web pages, Microsoft Office applications, Internet related interests, GT teacher credit work, ADM and TAAS related, and student gradebook programs.
“Wandering Minstrel” tech training.	Knowledgeable trainers from the Instructional Technology department visit campuses wandering about teaching micro-workshops often lasting less than a minute. CISD staff will see one of our “Wandering Minstrels,” and ask for a quick, “How do I do….” session.
Workshops taught during the day at the Technology Center or Staff Development.	Technology Center instructors teach workshops to teachers and other staff. Substitute teachers are provided when needed.
Outside consultants.	When local experts do not have the time or expertise, outside consultants are retained to provide training.
Telephone and Email mini-tutorials.	Often referred to as a “Help Desk,” technology center staff respond to tens of thousands of help requests each year
Text based instructional aides.	Books and manuals are distributed where needed
Web-based instruction.	Both locally made and commercially made asynchronous instructional resources are readily available at the click of a button.
Discussion groups.	Staff are encouraged to meet to discuss how to better use technology in the classroom.
Conferences.	The Instructional Technology budget funds many teachers attendance at conferences
Region Service Center training	CISD utilizes regional education service center workshops.
Local and out of district campus visits.	Opportunities are provided for staff to make trips to visit exemplary programs.
Training videos	Utilized for asynchronous instruction.

Educator Preparation and Development

Performance Objective 2: By the year 2010, 100% of the campuses will have the technological resources to enhance professional practice to increase productivity and enhance the learning environment.

Activity	Responsibility	Resources	Timeline	Formative Evaluation
1. Content of Professional Development: Most teachers have completed professional development in technology literacy skills, including the Internet, district information systems, and basic software applications. Most teachers have completed professional development on the integration of technology specific to their content area and to increase productivity to accomplish a variety of instruction and management tasks. Most teachers have completed professional development on the integration of technology and use of proven strategies that facilitate the development of higher order thinking skills and collaboration with experts, peers, and parents. Most teachers have completed professional development of strategies for creating new learning environments that empower students to think critically to solve real-world problems and collaborate with experts.