Technology Plan

Infrastructure for Technology

The technology infrastructure allows students and teachers to make use of the resources and tools that are basic and necessary for educating students today and in the future. The infrastructure is a critical element of support for all four areas of teaching and learning, educator preparation and development, and administration.

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 Infrastructure for Technology rubric for assessing the district’s level of technology integration consists of the following focus areas:

INF 1. Students per Computer

INF 2. Internet Access Connectivity/Speed

INF 3. Other Classroom Technology

INF 4. Technical Support

INF 5. Local Area Network / Wide Area Network

INF 6. Distance Learning Capacity

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 Infrastructure for Technology

The Target Tech levels of progress in Infrastructure for Technology include the following descriptors:

· All students have 1 to 1 access to Internet-connected multimedia computers when needed;

· Direct connectivity to the Internet available in all classrooms with adequate bandwidth;

· Fully equipped classrooms with readily available technology to enhance student instruction;

· At least one technical staff to 350 or less computers;

· All rooms connected to a robust LAN/WAN that allows for easy access to multiple district-wide resources for students, teachers, and administrators, such as video streaming, desktop videoconferencing, online assessment, and data access; and

· Simultaneous access to online learning with rich media, such as streaming video, podcasts, applets, and animation and sufficient bandwidth and storage to customize online instruction.

In support of these targets, substantial efforts are being made to provide the technological resources to support improved student learning, increased productivity, and more efficient operations.

Implementation and Integration Strategies

Goal: Provide appropriate technology to support all functions in the educational process.

Outcome I: Students and teachers have equitable access to technology at all levels to enhance instructional quality and student cognitive ability.

Outcome II: Instructional courseware is supplemented through distance learning and networking technologies.

Outcome III: Fileservers and district-wide networking resources enhance student instruction.

Outcome IV: The district’s WAN and LAN are continuously upgraded to support increased requirements.

Infrastructure for Technology Implementation Time Line

	2008-2009	2009-20010	2010-2011	2011-2012
Students per Computer
3 to 1
2 to 1 (WOW carts)
Replace equipment on a 5-year cycle
Internet Access Connectivity/Speed
All classrooms connected at 100Mb min	Completed
Increase Internet access to 100Mb	Completed
Increase Internet access to 150Mb
Other Classroom Technology
Dedicated teacher computers	Completed
Fully equiped classrooms with all technology that is available to enhance student instruction
Technical Support
Sufficient staff to support the installed computer equipment base
Implement strategies and procedures to efficiently manage computer equipment (Altirs, VMWare, SIF, etc.)
LAN/WAN
Upgrade WAN bandwidth (fiber)	Completed
Upgrade LAN building switches (3-year cycle)
Distance Learning Capacity
Provide the infrastructure for simultaneous access to online learning with rich media

Infrastructure for Technology

Performance Objective 5: By the year 2010, a reliable technology infrastructure will be in place to support all functions involved in the education process..

Activity	Responsibility	Resources	Timeline	Formative Evaluation
1. Students per Computer: A. 3 or fewer students per Internet-connected computer; replacement cycle every five years. B. On-demand access for every student; replacement cycle every three years.	Asst. Supt. for Tech., Inst. Tech. Coord.,	Level III, Bond, Operational, Tech Allotment	Complete 2008	Campus STaR Chart (INF 1), Installed equipment
2. Internet Access Connectivity / Speed: Direct connectivity to the Internet in 100% of the classrooms; adequate bandwidth within the campuses. 100Mb connectivity to all classrooms within the campus.	Asst. Supt. for Tech., Network Manager	Level III Bond, Operational	Complete Complete	Campus STaR Chart (INF 2), Installed equipment
3. Other Classroom Technology One educator per computer; dedicated and assigned use of commonly used technologies in each classroom; shared use of specialized technologies. Fully equipped classrooms with all the technology that is available to enhance student instruction readily available including all the above as well as the use of new and emerging technologies.	Asst. Supt. for Tech., Inst. Tech. Coord., Principals	Level III Bond, Operational	Complete 2010	Campus STaR Chart (INF 3), Installed equipment
4. Technical Support A. Sufficient staff to support the installed computer equipment base B. Implement strategies and procedures to efficiently manage computer equipment (Altirs, VMWare, SIF, etc.)	Asst. Supt. for Tech	Level III Operational		Campus STaR Chart (INF 4), Personnel
5. LAN/WAN: Switched 100Mb network to all classrooms; adequate bandwidth between campuses. Gig Ethernet connectivity between all campuses.	Network Manager	Level III, Bond, Operational	Complete Complete	Campus STaR Chart (INF 5), Installed equipment