Technology Plan

For Enhancing Teaching and Learning in the

Rim of the World Unified School District,

1999-2004

June, 1999

Revised:  April, 2000

Jackie Summers

Lynna Stufkosky

Jane St. John

Pete Shaw

Chuck Nelson

Board of Education

John T. Aycock

Superintendent

Prepared By:

Paul C. Loesch

Assistant Superintendent

(909) 336-4110

Chris Eaton, Teacher

Lake Arrowhead Elementary School

(909) 336-0387

Acknowledgments

The Rim of the World Unified School District wishes to thank these individuals for their work in defining our technology requirements and creating this Technology Plan:

·       Vivian Crowe, Computer Lab Technician, Lake Gregory School

·       Chris Eaton, Teacher, Lake Arrowhead School

·       Debra Hopper, Teacher, Lake Gregory School

·       Sandra Southard, Computer Lab Technician, Mary Tone Education Center

In consultation with the

Rim of the World Unified School District Technology Committee

·       Jackie Summers, Board Member

·       Chuck Nelson, Board Member

·       Elaine Shaw and Maureen Irvine, Charles Hoffman Elementary School

·       Laurey Meier and Jan Ross, Lake Arrowhead Elementary School

·       Dave Esquer and Kathleen O’Bosky, Grandview Elementary School

·       Debbie Hopper, Lake Gregory Elementary School

·       Cathy Jennings, Valley of Enchantment Elementary School

·       Tom Battle, Brian Fox, and Randy Schuster, Mary Putnam Henck Intermediate

·       Terry Stanfill, Mark Malone, Mike Ross, and Jill Lawler, Rim High

·       Barbara Cathalinat, Mountain High School

·       Val Lichtman, District Librarian

·       Betty Barnes, Coordinator, Special Projects

·       Carl Byington

·       Sam Bobrowsky

and

The District’s administrators, teachers, and support staff.

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

Caveat

The Rim of the World Unified School District’s Mission and Vision

The District’s Vision for its Technology Plan

What is Technology?

The Plan’s Goals and Objectives

The District’s Technology Goals

Goal 1: Equity and Access

Goal 2: Support and Infrastructure

Goal 3: Staff and Development

Goal 4: Facilities, Connectivity, and Funding Requirement

Summary of Strategies to Meet Plan Goals

Strategies for Using Telecommunications and Information Technology

Professional Development Strategies

Assessment of Telecommunication Services

The Plan’s Objectives

Objectives for Goal 1: Equity and Access

Objectives for Goal 2: Support and Infrastructure

Objectives for Goal 3: Staff and Development

Objectives for Goal 4: Facilities, Connectivity, and Funding Requirements

Proposed Time Line for Meeting Our Objectives

Inventory and Assessment of Present Technology

Existing Telecommunications Services and Equipment

How Rim of the World Unified School District uses Telecommunications Today

Proposed Technology Configurations for Schools

Configuration 1: Library/Media Center

Configuration 2: Technology Multipurpose Area

Configuration 3: Classrooms

Pre K to Grade 3 Classrooms

Grades 4 to 12 Classrooms

Configuration 4: Teacher’s Desk

Configuration 5: Staff Productivity Center

Configuration 6: Cafeteria, Multipurpose Room, or Auditorium

Configuration 7: Administrative Center

Wide Area Network Plans

Simplified Network Recommendations

What will the Wide Area Network (WAN) do?

How will it all be connected?

What are some of the hardware pieces we will need?

How are WAN services provided?

What is currently in place?

Which telephone service where?

What is remote access?

Staffing

Guidelines for Faculty and Staff Development

Learner Development Chart 1

Learner Development Chart 2

Site and Division Technology Use Plans

Narrative of Needs and Rationale

Local Inventory and Specific Equipment and Services Requirements

Technology Plan Evaluation and Assessment

Glossary of Technology Terms

Appendix A

Appendix B

Appendix C

Appendix D

Executive Summary

This educational technology plan is designed to direct the Rim of the World Unified School District’s efforts to use technology to help students meet district ESLR’s and state curriculum standards, and to help the staff deliver instruction and services to students and parents. The plan describes:

·       A caveat regarding unresolved network security issues

·       The District’s Mission

·       The state of our technology today

·       The visions of how technology will look in the Rim of the World Unified School District, 1999-2004

·       The visions of how technology will look in the Rim of the World Unified School District, 1999-2009

·       Our vision for using educational technology as a tool for student achievement

·       Ways technology will assist administrative, business, and instructional support functions

·       Our minimum expectancies for students and staff as users of technology

·       A plan for the training the staff to integrate educational technology with effective instructional and managerial functions

·       Our requirements for hardware, software, network configurations, and applications.

Caveat

This plan is a general description of where the district should be headed in the implementation of its technology program.  It is NOT a detailed roadmap of how to get there.  Most significantly not addressed in this plan are the issues related to hooking up and providing security for a network so that it works and remains secure.  Decisions about the use of firewalls, passwords, levels of access, IP address assignment, adding and deleting software from the WAN or any one LAN, web site filtering, and other “security issues” are still to be addressed.

Before the network is connected, before anyone has access to “mission critical” files or information, the district must have developed in writing the answers to all issues related to security and access.  While the district could choose to use a consulting firm to address these issues, it could also choose to address them through its own employees.  The committee which created this plan does not have the expertise needed to create such a comprehensive security design.

This issue alone points out the critical need the district has to employ technologically adept experts to facilitate the full implementation of this plan.  Many other issues addressed in this plan further demonstrate this need.

The Rim of the World Unified School District’s Mission

The mission of the Rim of the World Unified School District is to maximize the opportunities for a quality education for all Rim School District students.  The district provides a challenging, quality, educational program in which all students have the opportunity to fully develop their skills and abilities. The District bases its mission on achieving Expected Student Learning Results in every curriculum in every grade level.  This “results based focus” accomplishes this mission by:

·       Closely collaborating with all district stakeholders, staff, parents, community, and students

·       Maintaining a focus on the future and what it takes to define that future

·       Assuring each student a safe and orderly learning environment

·       Building strong learning teams, anchored by outstanding teachers, administrators, and support personnel

·       Encouraging the development of the ethical, moral, and social skills students need to be responsible citizens who effectively participate in and contribute to a democratic society.

The mission of the Rim of the World Unified School District has traditionally focused on K-12 students as the primary learners.  The implementation of a computer network and the tools and opportunities it will provide makes the concept of lifelong learners both desirable and necessary.  In order for teachers, administrators, and the community to support the formal educational processes for the students in our classrooms, all must continue to learn and grow in both learning to use and in learning to apply the technologies available to them.  The vision expressed below reflects the need for everyone involved in education to be a part of the lifelong process of learning, both for themselves and for the people whose lives they touch.

The District’s Vision for its Technology Plan

The Rim of the World Unified School District is committed to developing lifelong learners who are capable of finding information (data), evaluating it, organizing it, and using it in order to meet challenges and solve problems not even imagined today. The skills learners acquire using the technologies and instruction the Rim staff provides will make them fully functioning contributors to the worldwide community.  “Lifelong learning” requires that all school personnel, all students, and appropriate and interested community members gain the technological competence needed to acquire, manage, understand, and apply the knowledge and skills needed to conquer new and increasingly complex problems.  Education must provide all users “marketable skills” in addition to those skills which “add meaning and joy” to their lives.

It is essential that this plan be concrete yet flexible and able to adjust to every technological advancement.  Nothing which follows is “set in cement.” If the goals that any specific component of this plan would have achieved could be better achieved through an evolving technology, the evolving technology should be adopted.

Schools are dynamic and ever-changing institutions. If our schools are to fully participate in the information age, we must plan for technology and technology must become a vital part of every school’s culture. We recognize that technology, like education itself, serves as a catalyst for change. Together, they become a formidable force for changing society for the better.

This plan is our roadmap for integrating technology into everyday classroom practice and into the organizational and management functions of the District. As we strive to educate world-class students, this plan will guide sites and divisions in implementing technology activities appropriate to their individual needs, while remaining aligned with the District plan.

This five-year plan was created in February 1999 as an update to the existing, three-year district plan. It addresses 8 schools and 5 other district locations with a total enrollment of 6,100. As technology changes and the body of knowledge surrounding effective uses of technology evolves, we will update and revise our plans. A committee representing a wide range of views and beliefs developed the plan.  Members included parents, teachers, classified staff, administrators, community members, and School Board Members. The technology planning team addressed many fundamental questions including:

•     What information-age education will best prepare students for the future?

•     Which kinds of technological skills do students need to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world?

•     In what ways can technology tools empower students and staff?

Philosophic Background:

In developing this plan, the district’s technology committee, its administrators, and its staff examined questions about the philosophic view each took toward technology:

·       Will Technology, especially computer-based technology, have little impact on our classrooms or will it fundamentally change the way in which schools are run and learning developed?

·       Is the Internet a tool that will have some use in the classroom, or is it the next “Killer App?”

·       Will the teacher continue to be the source of knowledge and learning in classrooms, or will the teacher become the guide who assists students in acquiring education?

·       Are distance learning and distributed learning possible but not necessary, or might they become the basis of much of what schools offer?

In answering these questions, we were able to form a long-range vision for what we hope could or would occur as a result of planning for the district’s infusion of technology into management and instruction.

What is Technology?

Technology is a word with many definitions. As it relates to education, technology is sometimes referred to as a thing; sometimes as a process. Sometimes we use the word when referring to learning resources people use to provide, extract, and apply information. Other times we refer to technology as a process that combines people, tools, plans, and principles in a systematic approach to accomplish a purpose. In this sense, technology supports the vision of life-long learning and offers additional ways to increase intellectual productivity by increasing access to information, enhancing learning, and solving problems. This is the concept of technology on which we based this plan.

The Plan’s Goals and Objectives

The Rim of the World Unified School District sees technology as but one of the tools needed in a complete educational program.  Increasingly, however, the importance, role, and prominence of technology as a tool are increasing rapidly.

 As a tool, it should manage the data upon which educators make decisions.  It offers the tools that improve students’ learning opportunities, access to knowledge, and dexterity in information use.  It improves communications, and it streamlines the systems and operations needed to maintain and improve the educational delivery system as a whole.

In its previous Technology Plan, Rim School District addressed its technology vision in terms of a largely “stand alone” environment in which computers were not connected to each other, sites made individual decisions about technology, and software was resident on individual computers.  The plan called for increasing numbers of computers, instituting training programs, planning for repair and maintenance, and moving toward a networked system.  It called for Internet connections to be brought to each school and made available.

Since the time of that plan, much has happened in the area of connectivity and networking.  Funds have become available for developing networks and bringing Internet connections to each classroom.  The capabilities of networks have grown and the kinds of things networks can achieve and can assist users in accomplishing have grown exponentially. 

These changes, combined with many other dynamics, make the focus of this revised plan much more on networking, interactivity, telecommunications, the Internet, and the World Wide Web.

In his article, “Educating the Net Generation,” in the February, 1999 issue of ASCD’s Educational Leadership, Donald Tapscott sites, “Shifts of Interactive Learning:”

           1.  From linear to hypermedia learning.

2.     From instruction to construction and discovery.

3.     From teacher-centered to learner-centered education.

4.     From absorbing material to learning how to navigate and learn.

5.     From school to lifelong learning.

6.     From one size-fits-all to customized learning……

7.   From the teacher as transmitter to the teacher as facilitator.[1]”

The Rim of the World Unified School District believes that these are lofty visions for a technology system.  They will require a complete re-thinking of the way in which teachers teach and learners learn.  Many of Rim’s teachers have already taken on the leadership role in addressing Tapscott’s vision and the stereotypical descriptions in his article do not reflect the general circumstances in the Rim District. Moreover, the visions Tapscott expresses are neither  possible nor necessary for all students, all grade levels, or all teachers.  But the infrastructure that makes these ideas possible for some students, for all classrooms, and for some teachers must be in place so as to make this new vision both available and possible for all students and teachers.

The district’s technology plan seeks to make these changes in the education paradigm possible while at the same time not making them necessary.

In addition to these visions of the future, the Rim of the World Unified School District envisions technology as a tool that helps all students and staff gain “MegaSkills.”

In her book MegaSkills: In School and in Life -- The Best Gift You Can Give Your Child, Dorothy Rich identifies the 10 MegaSkills that comprise “The Never-Ending Report Card.” These life-long skills, gleaned from her assessments of school report cards and job-evaluation forms, are:

•     Confidence -feeling able to do it

•     Motivation - wanting to do it

•     Effort - willing to work hard

•     Responsibility - doing what’s right

•     Initiative - taking action

•     Perseverance - completing projects

•     Caring - showing concern for others

•     Teamwork - working with others

•     Common Sense - using good judgment

•     Problem Solving - developing and implementing solutions

The District’s Technology Goals

The Technology Plan identifies four goals — for both the short and long term — to help the District fulfill its mission and instill students with the 10 MegaSkills.

Goal 1: Equity and Access

We will integrate technology into all instruction, and into District operations, in such ways as to assure that resources are well used and that the needs of all learners are addressed equitably.  The district believes its actions should reduce rather than increase the “digital divide.” While funds and opportunities often come to one school and not to another, the district must make conscious efforts to take any step possible to minimize the gap which could exist when the unequal distribution of opportunities occurs.  It will not allow any site to fall behind the progress of all sites due to the forces within the district over which it has control.

Goal 2: Support and Infrastructure

The District will provide the necessary support and infrastructure to meet technology goals and objectives.  Resources of both time and personnel will be allocated so as to assure smooth, efficient, and effective technological operations.

Goal 3: Staff Development

We will provide all Staff with opportunities to participate in training and on-going support.  Indeed, the most critical attribute in the successful implementation of any new technology is to provide the training that maximizes the usefulness of the technology.  In a world of rapid technological innovation, instant global communications, and increasingly diverse visions of technology’s capabilities and learners’ needs, training becomes the central force for implementing technological applications, innovative teaching, and improving learner performance. Moreover, because lifelong learning involves everyone, the District will also take action to make technology and training available to all of our communities’ users.

Goal 4: Facilities, Connectivity, and Funding Requirements

The District will continue to technologically enhance facilities, provide connectivity, and will commit to continue funding for the ongoing deployment and enhancement of technology throughout the district and its operations.  It will join community agencies, corporations, and other interested parties in enhancing the quality of the learning programs it offers through its technology.  This will be accomplished through the constant solicitation of partnerships with corporations and business where a case can be made regarding our mutual interests.

For example, the FCC’s charter for cable TV providers requires them to provide access to schools.  Falcon Cable, the local cable provider, has offered use of its fiber optic lines to serve the district in connecting its schools to each other and to the Internet. 

In addition to Falcon, the district enjoys support from two other internet related businesses—J. S. Net which gave teachers access to e-mail, and five-ten-sg.com which assists in posting district information on its web pages.

Pilot programs from some nationally recognized companies including Microsoft and Nike have been investigated and may offer may benefits to both the corporations involved and to the school district.

The District’s technology Committee already includes community members, and more are being invited to participate.  Its open membership structure allows community members to participate on either an occasional or regular basis.

Summary of Strategies to Meet Plan Goals:

In order to improve Rim’s educational program, meet these goals and the objectives that follow, these strategies will be used

Strategies for Using Telecommunications and Information Technology:

The District will establish a high speed WAN connecting to each of its sites, offering secure access but separating the educational from the administrative functions.  This WAN will provide a server centric environment and, when complete, will also include remote monitoring of workstations through enterprise management.

Each district site including its eight schools and three special divisions will also establish internal LAN’s which will be connected to the district WAN.  All classrooms, labs, offices, media centers and libraries will also be connected to the LAN of each site.

In addition to the site LAN, additional LAN’s will be established in libraries, media centers, and computer labs.  These LAN’s will provide specialized service generally not needed throughout a school, but unique and critical to the settings in which the LAN’s operate.

Along with the establishment of the WAN and the LAN’s the District will provide a common suite of software matched to the needs and functions of the expected users.  The suites will include general-purpose productivity software, administrative software, classroom management/teacher tool software, instructional software, and library software including circulation management and research tools for library patron use.

Internet access, through filtering and firewalls, will also be provided to most workstations.

The District will also provide district licensing of software packages and subscriptions to appropriate fee-based subscription services.  The District will also implement a program of Distance Education offerings.

Professional Development Strategies:

In as much as technology can affect virtually every portion of the district’s operation from instruction to administration and even to maintenance, professional development will be offered regularly and frequently to all district employees.

Professional development will include needs assessments of all employees to determine current familiarity with various technological tools.  Training will be matched to the identified needs of each employee.  Training programs of various types will be offered throughout the year and a wide range of techniques to promote training program availability will be used.

Training programs will be offered using a trainer of trainers model when appropriate.  Small groups of participants will also be offered training at various district computer labs.  Some training will be made available through outside contractors, but the majority of the training will be through district personnel who have demonstrated proficiency with specific applications or tools.  Additional resources may include:  CTAP, web-based learning programs, CD self-paced programs, and other commercially available tools.

Assessment of Telecommunication Services:

A district-wide assessment of telecommunication services was conducted prior to the creation of this plan.  This assessment was conducted through a professional technology consulting firm and its recommendations have been incorporated into the plan’s details which follows.

Through the life of this plan, the district will maintain a relationship with a professional consulting company which will assess district ongoing telecommunication needs on an ongoing basis, comparing district needs to “best available” technologies and assessing cost benefit ratios.

In addition to this continuous assessment of district telecommunication needs, the consultant will annually assess library services available at each school and centrally to the district in order to form recommendations for upgrades, modifications, and other improvements.

These strategies will help meet the following objectives:

The Plan’s Objectives

The objectives of our Plan help us integrate our goals with our curriculum and operations and develop appropriate activities to help us achieve each goal.

Objectives for Goal 1: Equity and Access

We will integrate technology into all instruction and District operations.

•     Objective 1.1 - Integrate voice, data, and video technologies with instructional programs and administration at all schools.

•     Objective 1.2 - Ensure equitable access for the entire school community.

•     Objective 1.3 - Ensure connectivity with existing and emerging voice, data, and video networks at a local, state, national, and international level.

§       Objective 1.4 - Opportunities for community members will be made available during non-instructional hours through Adult Education, Community College partnerships, distance learning programs, and through other means which allow the district to help build a lifelong learning community while carefully marshalling its economic and other resources.

Objectives for Goal 2: Support and Infrastructure

The District will provide the necessary support and infrastructure to meet technology goals and objectives. To this end, we umbrella into Educational Services management of Data Processing, Instructional Technology, Media Services (AudioVisual), Library Services, and the district Media Center (see Table 1 for an organization chart). The Division created the following mission statement and set four objectives toward this goal:

The mission of the Educational Services Division, as related to Technology, is to provide the District with timely and efficient delivery of technology, information, and related services that contribute to effectively educating all students. The Division will serve the District by leading and managing the best in technological applications aimed at continuously improving instructional programs and functions.

•     Objective 2.1 - The District will provide personnel for specific jobs related to technology, technological equipment, and computer networks utilizing a staffing formula and ratio consistent with those used in other districts and in the private sector.

•     Objective 2.2 - The District will support Technological Operations with on-going funding.  Both specific grants and general fund resources will be used.

•     Objective 2.3 - The Educational Services Division, working with the administrative cabinet, the district Technology Committee, and under the supervision of the office of the Superintendent will:

-     Plan and implement current and future technology to enhance the District’s knowledge and efficiency

-     Coordinate technological training, support services, and resources

-     Facilitate the implementation of technology at District sites in instruction and administration

-     Establish guidelines and coordinate hardware and software acquisitions, access, network connectivity, and staff development

-     Manage the District technology budget, in cooperation with the Business Services Division

-     Establish a program of troubleshooting, maintaining, repairing, and replacing hardware and software for users

-     Act as a resource for planning, acquiring, and evaluating site-level technology and training certificated, classified, and management users of that technology

-     Support and promote the importance of technology at all District sites.

•     Objective 2.4 - The District will provide necessary support for Technology development which includes

-     Supplying appropriate technology resources at all sites

-     Training staff, classified, certificated, and administrative personnel, to use technology to maximize productivity in daily tasks

-     Networking all areas of the District, including classrooms, offices, central administration offices, and the school community

-        Creating a district-wide, technology-enriched learning environment that empowers learners and promotes the use of technology

-        Utilizing technology to streamline and improve the quality of appropriate forms of assessment used throughout the district.  Reporting test data, student progress, program effectiveness, and using electronic means to gather, organize, and interpret data are vital and primary areas where technology most enhances evaluation and improvement of district services and responsibilities.

-     Encouraging technology competency as a job requirement for all new hires and new positions.

Objectives for Goal 3: Staff Development

The District will provide opportunities for all staff to participate in training and on-going support. We will provide staff development that is accessible, needs driven, multi-level, site-based, and community-involved.  In-house trainers, to the greatest extent possible, will facilitate training. This series of objectives will help us meet this goal:

•     Objective 3.1 - Encourage staff to determine their technology training needs and to participate in training activities.

•     Objective 3.2 - Identify and train cadres of experts to provide on-going site and District staff development, especially utilizing a “trainer of trainers” model.

•     Objective 3.3 - Develop and make available a resource list of teachers, students, and community members who can provide one-on-one coaching and support.

•     Objective 3.4 - Provide and coordinate a district-wide training calendars and schedule of release time for staff members to attend. At least one of the district’s annual Staff Development days will include training in uses of technology as related to the core curriculum as mandated by the state.

•     Objective 3.5 - Provide time for training, practice, and follow-up.

•     Objective 3.6 - Disseminate successful practices integrating technology into instructional and job-specific needs.

•     Objective 3.7 - Encourage mutual support and learning through networking opportunities and interest groups.

•     Objective 3.8 - Assist individual sites develop and implement their own technology plans to meet their specific needs.

•     Objective 3.9 - Develop internships and student apprenticeships to help implement technology.

§       Objective 3.10 – The District will plan and provide annual programs of training in technological applications to students, staff, and community

Objectives for Goal 4: Facilities, Connectivity, and Funding Requirements

The District will continue to technologically enhance facilities, provide connectivity and commit to continue funding.

•     Objective 4.1 (Facilities) - As building and renovation programs proceed, the District will provide buildings with infrastructures that support information-age technologies.

•     Objective 4.2 (Funding) - To allocate appropriate monetary resources to support the District’s technology goals, the District will:

-     Ensure available funds are directed toward meeting the implementation strategies of the Rim of the World Unified Technology Plan.

-     Develop and support an on-going technology budget to help meet the goals and objectives of this plan.

-     Ensure schools give a high priority to reallocating existing resources.

-        Seek new funding resources to support information-age technologies.

Proposed Time Line for Meeting Our Objectives

This time line forecasts when we expect to complete each of these objectives.  The specific objective numbers refer to the objectives listed above:

Goal 1:                       Equity and Access

Objective 1.1 – After completion of the ROWUSD WAN.  Implementation will begin within one year.

Objective 1.2 – Complete by end of 1999. District survey to be developed and administered annually to check equitable access, and include in District Year-end Report.

Objective 1.3 – Ongoing, to begin at completion of District WAN and school LANs. District connection report form to be developed by end of 1999.

Objective 1.4 -- In the September following  one full year of operation of the District’s WAN.

Goal 2:                       Support and Infrastructure

Objective 2.1 – Staffing plan and request to be complete by budget planning time for 1999-2000 fiscal year and updated annually thereafter.

Objective 2.2 – Ongoing: A budget category to be established for Educational Technology by fiscal ‘99-2000 and updated annually.

Objective 2.3 – Ongoing: Beginning immediately.

Objective 2.4 – Ongoing: Beginning immediately.

Goal 3:                       Staff  Development

Objective 3.1 – Staff survey to be developed, administered, and results catalogued by July 30, 1999.

Objective 3.2 – Beginning October 1999.

Objective 3.3 – Develop survey, distribute to staff, receive results, and catalogue for dissemination to sites by January 1, 2000.

Objective 3.4 – Calendar to be developed and training dates set by September 1999, and each year thereafter.

Objective 3.5 – Ongoing.

Objective 3.6 – Ongoing.  Begin and maintain a quarterly District Technology newsletter.

Objective 3.7 – See 3.6.

Objective 3.8 – Beginning September 1999.

Objective 3.9 – Plan and begin in October 1999.

Objective 3.10 - To be begun in the September following one full year of operation of the district’s WAN.

Goal 4:                       Facilities, Connectivity, and Funding Requirements

Objective 4.1 – (facilities)

                          Ongoing, to be implemented ASAP.

Objective 4.2 – (funding)

                         Funding resources to be sought (Spring/Summer ’99) with acquisition to begin ASAP.

For summary see Plan Objectives Time Line in Appendix B.
Inventory and Assessment of Present Technology

Before creating our Technology Plan, we conducted a comprehensive inventory of our existing telecommunications, computer, and networking facilities. We also include, as a foundation for the next section of our technology plan, detailed information about our existing configurations and uses of technology.

Existing Telecommunications Services and Equipment.  This inventory is maintained separately in the District Office rather than in this plan since it will be updated annually.

How Rim of the World Unified School District uses Telecommunications Today (Partial list only.  Other uses also occurring districtwide).

·       Classroom workstations for teacher use

Ø                                         Record keeping

Ø                                         Productivity (i.e., Word Processing, Data Base use, grade book                         management, lesson plan management, etc.)

Ø                                         Word processing

Ø                                         Newsletters, reports, etc.

Ø                                         E-mail

·       Classroom workstations for student use

Ø                                         Drill and practice

Ø                                         Skill introduction and building

Ø                                         Word processing stories, reports, etc.

Ø                                         Hypermedia project design and development

Ø                                         Curriculum games

Ø                                         Individualized assessments and program management

·       VCR

Ø                             Video play

Ø                             Story starters

Ø                             Student reports and presentations

·       Video Cameras and Video Taping

·       Scanners with Workstations

·       Digital cameras

·       Laser-video

·       School-wide TV/video broadcasting

·       Library Information Workstations

·       Some Internet connections for research and e-mail

·       CD-ROM

Additional uses to be included as survey results are compiled in an appendix.

Proposed Technology Configurations for Schools

Teaching and learning go beyond four walls, six periods, and the covers of a textbook. It is imperative that technology be a part of every learning environment, and infused into every curricular area. We will provide access to an array of information and instructional technology devices and instructional resources for every learner and staff member in every teaching and learning environment. We also know that technology available at the school is made even more powerful when it is also available at home.  Thus the school district shall aim at ways of building community partnerships and using other resources which allow students and staff to utilize technology at home to support school learning goals.

Within schools, there is a series of seven configurations for a school site to consider in its planning activities:

•     Library/Media Center and Learning Lab

•     Technology Multipurpose Area for access to centralized tools

•     Classrooms that facilitate learning, exploring, and experimenting

•     Teacher’s Desk for classroom management, administrative applications, and instructional planning

•     Staff Productivity Center

•     Cafeteria, Multipurpose Room, or Auditorium for audience-centered activities

•     Administrative Center

Configuration 1: Library Multi-media Center and Computer Learning Lab

This configuration serves as the hub for students, parents, and the community to access information. Here, users learn to manage technology resources. Students improve their productivity, by having a “one-stop-shop” where they plan, create, and produce materials and projects. The Center facilitates information exploration, resource gathering, and reading through these resources

•     A library/media specialist

•     Readily available on-line resources

•     Collections of instructional resources

•     Support systems for curriculum activity including data bases, periodical services, list servers, and other electronic media

•     Tools that are resident/shared checkout

•     School-wide sets of resources for checkout

Access to these resources is flexible, available for individuals, small teams, and large groups.

Specific Technologies to provide for the Library/Media Center include:

•     On-line access to the Internet

•     Automated catalog and circulation

•     Video editing bay

•     Large screen television (37” to 54”)

•     VCR and DVD Player

•     Multimedia Stations (six to fifteen, depending upon school size)

•     Color printer

•     Network resources

•     Sound system

•     Copy machine

•     Videoconferencing station

In order to have resources available to classrooms or individual students, Library/Media Center will have:

•     Probeware

•     Digital cameras (1 per 500 A.D.A.)

•     LCD panel and high-lumen projector (1 for use in library only, 1 for checkout)

•     Alternative input devices (mice; pen pad) (sets of 5)

•     Microscopy cameras (1 only per site)

•     Portable keyboards  (in sets of 35)

•     Camcorders (1 or 2 per site)

•     Connections to school LAN/WAN, video networks and telephone

•     Thin client or other “carry out” type computers (in sets of 35)

Configuration 2: Technology Multipurpose Area (Computer Lab)

This configuration supplies users with access to centralized tools. It supports curriculum activity, provides a work environment for short and long-term projects. The Technology Multipurpose Area enables us to schedule workspace that provides both small and large groups access to resident and shared tools. Specific technologies provide for a Multipurpose Area include:

•     Mobile Teacher Station with network capability

•     25” TV monitor

•     VCR

•     DVD Player

•     Barcode reader

•     CD-ROM

•     12-35 student workstations

•     Robotics equipment (optional)

•     Probeware

•     MIDI keyboards for computer generated music

•     Portable projection system

•     Printer

•     Connections to school LAN/WAN, video networks, and telephone system

It is desirable that one of the Technology Multipurpose Areas (the “Computer Labs”) of schools be near or attached to the Library Media Center.  This allows access as a learning center and as a center where groups of learners may access the resources at a library’s disposal.  Collapsible walls may be used to join the Library/Media Center to the Computer Learning Labs so as to optimize the flexibility needed in the use of these resources.

Configuration 3: Classrooms

Classrooms equipped with communications and computer technology encourage learning, exploring, and experimenting. The high-tech classroom provides a point of organization for teachers for facilitated learning, facilitated instruction, resource management, project planning, learning assessment, communications, and demonstrations. This classroom will feature:

•     Portability

•     Ability to network

•     High-speed network access

•     Connectivity to a variety of displays

•     Access 24 hours a day, from home, school, community, or fieldwork

We will equip classrooms with technology according to the learning needs and capabilities of students. Hardware configurations will not be grade level dependent, but software and other resources will vary by classroom, grade level, and course.  However, since the greatest need for the most current advancements in technologies is felt at the highest learning levels, the district will develop a plan of migrating equipment on a regular basis.  Such a plan will call for a reconsideration of how resources are disbursed for the acquisition of technology. 

The current site-based management approach to purchasing equipment is incompatible with migration of equipment from one level or school site to another.  It leads to inefficient use of resources and massive duplication of expenditures.  While server-centric computing requires much centralization of decision making, there remains much, which must be determined through a site-based approach.

In spite of a general direction to see that all classrooms have a standardized configuration of equipment, each grade level configuration has unique needs as well.  The following is a set of recommended materials for classrooms as they simultaneously work to address fulfilling the overall vision of this plan.

Pre K to Grade 3 Classrooms

Classrooms in this group will share these devices (one set-up per four classrooms):

•     Laserdisc player with barcode reader

•     Computer to TV connection (encoder device)

•     Overhead calculator

Each Pre-K to Grade 3 Classroom will include the following:

•     Student Computer Exploration/Productivity Stations (five per classroom)

•     CD-ROM and color monitor

•     Overhead and Screen

•     Color Printer

•     Listening Posts (eight)

•     Alternative input devices (touch windows, etc.)

•     Removable media storage device

•     Class set of calculators

•     Four-head VCR and 25” monitor and universal remote

•     DVD player

•     Connections to school LAN/WAN, video networks, and telephone system

Grades 4 to 12 Classrooms

Each classroom in this group will contain the same equipment as PreK to Grade 3 plus:

•     Computer to TV connection (encoder device)

•     DVD Player 

•     Barcode Reader

•     Camcorder

•     Microphone

•     Tripod

•     Cart

•     Scanner

•     Remote mouse

•     White board

•     Overhead calculator

It is recognized that achieving the above configurations is a more long term goal, and that acquiring these configurations exceeds the limits of this plan.  These configurations are included in this plan; however, because some schools will reach the desired ends of this plan well in advance of its expiration date and those schools should be provided have direction from the district as the plan and its implementation move forward.

 Configuration 4: Teacher’s Desk

This configuration supplies a resource for managing the classroom, using administrative applications, and planning instructional activities. The Teacher’s Desk is a hub of curriculum activity and a home base for learning activity that features:

•     Ample workspace for small group projects

•     Tools resident, shared and/or checked out

•     Class sets of tools

Specific technologies to place on the teacher’s desk:

•     Portable computer or a teaching computer with:

    -     Digitized video/audio in and out

    -     CD-ROM

    -        Audio with speakers

    -        DVD player

    -     Modem or Internet LAN capability

•     Personal digital assistant

•     Telephone with voice mail

•     Speaker phone

•     Appropriate software to facilitate administrative functions

•     Access to the central database of student information including enrollment and assessment data

•     Appropriate software to facilitate those instructional functions that are unique to the individual classroom and not provided through the district’s central server.

Configuration 5: Staff Productivity Center

This configuration provides the staff access to production tools to help them:

•     Plan, create, and produce learning materials

•     Communicate and network with colleagues

•     Reproduce materials

The Staff Productivity Center is centralized locally. It houses shared and resident tools and offers access as needed.

Specific technologies to consider for a Staff Productivity Center include:

•     Facsimile machine

•     High-speed copy machine

•     Scanner

•     Color monitor

•     Telephone

•     VCR

•     DVD player

•     Laserdisc player

•     Computer(s)

•     CD-ROM

•     Dial-up capability

•     Color printer

•     Laminator

•     Binding machine

•     Comfortable adult chairs

•     Poster maker

•     Connections to school LAN/WAN, video networks and telephone system

Configuration 6: Cafeteria, Multipurpose Room, or Auditorium

This configuration provides a technology-rich environment for audience-centered, school-wide activities, site-wide productions, and demonstrations. It is the primary area that needs voice-video-data capabilities and they will be provided here before being provided to other school locations. This location supports entertainment and assemblies and features:

•     Flexible seating

•     Sound system capability

•     Provision for controlled lighting

•     Large-screen projection

•     Access as needed

Specific technologies for a multipurpose area include:

•     Wall screen

•     Sound system

•     Rack amplifier, audio CD, audio tape player

•     Video and computer projection system

•     Controllable lighting

Configuration 7: Administrative Center

This configuration, especially important for K-12 schools, provides technology tools for managing and supporting the educational effort. This configuration features applications for maintaining:

•     Student records

•     Attendance records

•     Budgetary, accounting, and purchasing functions

•     Building and grounds operations

•     Curriculum development

•     Counseling resources

•     Extracurricular programs

•     E-mail capabilities

Specific technologies to be installed for a multipurpose area include:

•     Teacher’s Desk, as described in Configuration 4 (one for each administrative employee on site)

•     Connections to school and district LAN/WAN, video networks, and telephone system

•     Four-head VCR, 25” monitor, and universal remote

•     DVD player

•     Color printer

•     Removable media storage device

•     Facsimile machine

•     Scanner

•     High-speed copy machine, connected to the computer network and capable of digitized printing

As in the descriptions for various classroom configurations, it is recognized that the above configurations may take longer than the time covered by this plan.  They are offered as a target, forming a preliminary plan for advanced planning. Thus, the ten-year goals sited earlier in this plan are included to assist those who meet the five-year targets more rapidly than others.
Wide Area Network Plans

Preparing Rim of the World Unified School District for the 21st century includes making a significant economic investment to electronically connect all parts of the school community. In the 21st century, students will need information literacy skills. Staff will need guidance in supporting technology-infused environments to achieve the goal of “anyone, learning anything, anytime or anywhere.”

To create an ideal school environment where “an integrated voice, data, and video network extends to every classroom” is an exciting opportunity. However, the investment of time and dollars to do this is far beyond the financial resources of most school districts.

To fulfill connectivity goals, we have developed plans for implementing local and wide area networks. Given the appropriate technological tools, access to information, training, and support, staff, students, and community will have equitable access to the technological resources they need to solve problems creatively and efficiently. These plans are currently moving forward.

Rim of the World Unified School District is committed to providing a system that interconnects all school and satellite learning sites to each other, to the District Educational Support Center, the Media Center, Lake Gregory House, MOT, the warehouse, and to the Internet. We want students, staff, administrators, and our greater community-at-large to use new communication tools and network-based information resources to exchange ideas, concerns, and conversations. No single “blueprint” exists for network implementation. Each school and site has its own physical constraints, functional needs, existing technology base, funding constraints, and outside support/resources. Standards for LANs and WANs features and capabilities do exist, however, and the District will adhere to these specifics:

•     Flexible site topologies that will connect to the central router (located at Lake Gregory School)

•     The central router (at Lake Gregory School) will connect to the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools Office (Called the San Bernardino County Technology JPA)

•     The San Bernardino JPA will serve as the District’s Internet provider.

As of the writing of this plan, the district has currently engaged architects to design a plan for the district wide WAN and to prepare the necessary bid documents.  Currently available funds from the State Allocation Board and from Digital High School Grants will be used to begin the construction of this plan.

Also utilizing these funds, our basic model is to create a LAN within each school building or cluster of buildings with at least one network server for the LAN. We will interconnect the site LANs with the District WAN through a central router located at Lake Gregory School. The District WAN will connect to San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools Office for business purposes and to the San Bernardino County JPA for instructional purposes.

Simplified Network Recommendations

All District networks will meet these specifications:

•     Ethernet for all computer connections when possible.

•     A “star” topology, where each computer is wired directly to a “hub site” within a building.

•     Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) wiring that meets the Electronic Industries Association (EIA) Category 5 standards for high-speed data communication service.  Category 7 wiring will be considered and a performance guarantee for at least 15 years of future performance standards will be required.

As the District moves into the information age, new policy and planning issues will emerge. These issues include:

•     Administration and Management - standards for how tools are distributed, installed, and maintained.

•     Basic Network Infrastructure - the basic standards for Local Area Networks (LAN).

•     Internal Access - the ability to coordinate and provide levels of appropriate access to information.

•     Website use and management-the manner in which schools and students access the district’s web page and create and utilize their own.

•     Telecommunications policies-the rules by which technology users post email, enter chat areas, and interact with the outside world.

•     Legacy Support - connections to legacy information systems.

•     Security - access control, to preserve and protect information residing on the network.

•     Tools and Training - standards for applications and training to assure success with standardized software and hardware.

The Rim of the World Unified School District working design is built on complex layers of networking hardware and software.

What will the Wide Area Network (WAN) do?

Rim of the World Unified School District’s WAN will connect schools, the central router at Lake Gregory School, the Educational Support Center, and other sites. A variety of telephone services will connect sites. The WAN will allow District employees, students, and community to communicate internally (using e-mail) and access Internet resources. Sites will have to purchase equipment to use the network. Each site will need to assess what will work and what won’t (part of a site “technology inventory”). Support issues involving networks will require additional personnel.

How will it all be connected?

The WAN will work in this way:

•     From a classroom or office site, a computer with an Ethernet card attaches to hub.

•     A hub attaches to local area network (LAN).

•     The LAN connects to a router.

•     The router connects via fiber optic wiring to the District’s router.

•     The District’s router connects to the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools Office,

•     The San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools Office, connects to the County JPA, which provides our Internet services.

•     JPA connects to the rest of the world of connected computers.

What are some of the hardware pieces we will need?

To build the WAN, we need special electronic equipment, including:

•     Routers - media-independent devices that connect data to various WAN services. Routers use telecommunication services such as ISDN, Frame Relay, and T-1 that are offered by telecommunications services.  The District will use its router via fiber optic connections.

•     Servers-  Servers are computers dedicated to storing programs and data which is “served” to users on demand.  A centralized server will serve the sites with software which is needed at all sites. Another server will provide DVD storage which will make videos and other digitized media available to all sites.  E-mail servers will also be needed, either centrally or at local sites.  Additionally, individual sites and some locations within sites will have smaller servers which provide programs and data unique to the needs of the computers it serves.

How are WAN services provided?

Wide Area Network services are resources provided by the telecommunications service providers. Rim of the World Unified District’s plan calls for fiber optic delivery of network services to individual sites.

What is currently in place?

The District currently has eight direct connections to the County JPA running at 56k and one at T-1 speed. A few additional leased lines are also in place, but will be replaced by the district network.  A leased line is a phone line that is rented as an exclusive network connection from one location to another. High-speed data connections require a leased line.

Which telephone service where?

From all ROWUSD school sites, educational centers, and administrative/service sites, and SBCSS’s Technology JPA, we will implement  fiber. These lines will be for instructional uses and  separated from the circuit utilized for administrative purposes by firewall protections at every site and within the business operations division of the District Office.  The 128K speed currently in use at sites will be upgraded as each site’s usage justifies the added line capacity.

From the ROWUSD central data site and each school and administrative/service site, we will implement fiber signal delivery.  Fiber allows the maximum throughput of signal and maximizes the performance capabilities of the district’s network.

From the District Central demark point, probably to be located at Lake Gregory Elementary School, we will use at least one, probably three, T-1 connection(s) to the San Bernardino County Office of Education. T-1 is a leased line capable of carrying data at 1,544,000 bits per second. It is a full-time connection and a preferred method.

What is remote access?

From time to time, ROWUSD authorized users will be away from the district and still require access to the district’s network resources.  Such access must be controlled carefully.  Both firewall protection and password protection should be used when such remote access is granted.

Staffing:

A network of the type described here creates many issues related to network development, network security, network maintenance, and maintenance of individual pieces of equipment.  In order to protect the resource this network represents, staff must be provided to fill the following functions:

Technology as a Resource to Curriculum: This function provides oversight and direction to the deployment of all district technologies and the applications for which each is deployed.  This oversight and direction can be the product of one person or of many, but must be at the district’s highest administrative levels so as to have the greatest opportunity to marshal the resources needed to fulfill the vision stated in this plan.  This function determines software applications and programs, the networking needs, the Management Information Systems goals and products, and provides all centralized direction needed for the maximum utilization of all of the district’s technologies both as administrative and instructional tools.

District Network Management:  This function is responsible to oversee the implementation of the network, determine its ongoing needs, plan for security, and develop a menu of services the computer systems can provide.  This function includes oversight of all operations of the network. This function translates the direction of the function described above (Technology as a Resource to Curriculum) into the steps and procedures needed to cause the equipment, hardware, and software of the district to perform and create the desired results.  An additional part of this function is to oversee and directly supervise the maintenance and repair staff needed to keep computers, peripherals, and networking equipment functioning properly.

Repair and Maintenance: Computer and peripheral repair and installations will be performed by technicians.  They will maintain computers, networking equipment, peripherals, and other devices necessary to keep the district’s network and individual pieces of equipment functioning.

The number of Maintenance workers needed depends on the number and variety of pieces of equipment for which they are responsible, and the complexity of the operations that equipment is asked to perform.

At a minimum, there should be one full time maintenance technician for every 500 computers.

Site Based Coordination: To reduce the demands on the technical support staff described above, each site should have a contact person who is trained in troubleshooting the site’s equipment.  Such a person will be trained annually in various troubleshooting techniques.  The person at each site will be the first person contacted by the people at the site when a technologically related repair is needed.  This person will attempt the repair and will be the one person responsible for creating work orders for the district’s technical staff to fill.  This person will also install software within guidelines and restrictions established by the District Office Staff.

Technology Multipurpose Area Coordination (Site Computer Lab Tech): This function is to manage and maintain the equipment, software, and other resources used in the Technology Multipurpose Areas.  The function is responsible for scheduling all activities which occur in the Technology Multipurpose Areas and for providing and protecting the equipment used in the Area.  The function includes presenting lessons and appropriate training under the direction of a certificated teacher and may be a certificated teacher.  It will also maintain and manage the LAN needed in the Multipurpose Learning Area.

Training: Each site will be able to train its staff in the many functions of technology through an on-site training person.  This person will show others how to make various forms of technology function properly and will also provide training in best practices and appropriate uses of the technology.

Webmaster:  The District and each site must have a central authority for posting and modifying the District’s or Site’s Website, links, and other content.  Additionally, each site must develop a plan for maintaining and altering the content of the web pages the sites create.  Individual site coordinators must operate under the direction of the District Office but shall be responsible for making decisions about the use of Websites within the general direction established by District guidelines.

Guidelines for Faculty and Staff Development

Instructional technology will not enhance learning if the faculty and staff lack the skills to implement it. To this end, we will provide development opportunities for the staff in both group and individual settings. Training will be available to all personnel and will be initiated by individual sites as well as the District. Technology-based training experiences will:

•     Focus on faculty and staff needs

•     Include job-specific applications at appropriate skill levels

•     Cover only equipment available to employees at their work sites

•     Provide incentives (remuneration, equipment for classrooms, software, conference attendance, technology mini-grants, use of on-line time, etc.)

We will develop our staff’s technological skills using only quality trainers and quality materials. The training program will be jointly developed by instructional, administrative and support staff and will incorporate feedback and assessment into future opportunities.

We will provide training at times convenient to faculty and staff (off-hours, summer, release time) and build in follow-up and refresher training. As facilities allow, we will build training facilities at key work sites to facilitate on-going training. For specific training divisions and plans see Appendix B.

The charts that follow describe specific skills all learners will be able to demonstrate.

Learner Development Chart 1

Learner Development Chart 2

Site and Division Technology Use Plans

Each division and school site shall create a Technology Use Plan (TUP) aligned with the District Technology Plan. The TUP process should be an integral part of current planning processes. To develop a TUP, divisions and sites shall:

1.   Form a technology implementation committee

2.   Create and complete a TUP Evaluation Chart. The chart identifies student learning outcomes, site priorities, activities, evaluation and management strategies, resources (people, software, and hardware) and estimated costs.

3.   File your TUP with Educational Services by an annual predetermined date.

Narrative of Needs and Rationale

The technology implementation committee will develop a narrative that is no more than two, double-spaced, word-processed pages. Questions to address include:

•     What is currently available and how is it configured? (Attach inventory).

•     How is technology integrated into classroom instruction, personal productivity, and management tasks?

•     How is technology used to improve student achievement?

•     How do we wish to use technology to achieve District performance outcomes?

•     How is technology a part of other planning processes and other planning documents?

•     How does the TUP align with the District’s Plan?

Local Inventory and Specific Equipment and Services Requirements

Create and complete a TUP Evaluation Chart. Site and division responses on the chart need to link what currently exists (how technology is used to support student outcomes) with where we want to go. The chart’s purpose grows from the what “is” to the what we want it “to be.”

Technology Plan Evaluation and Assessment

We recognize the need for on-going evaluation and assessment to:

•     Determine the level of achievement of learners

•     Establish the degree to which the District is meeting the goals of the Technology Plan.

To do this, we recommend the following assessment strategies:

1.   We will certify all student and staff learners as they progress through the empowerment levels (Emerging, Proficient, and Expert, as indicated on the Learner Development Charts).

2.   The Technology Division will survey the staff to determine:

-     Were the goals of the District Technology Plan met?

-     What is in progress?

-     What has been implemented?

3.   Divisions and sites will determine:

-     Is hardware and software used effectively?

-     What has been the learner’s response?

-     What new areas need to be added?

-     What areas need to be modified?

4.   We will inventory or update our inventory of all equipment every year and determine how well we are achieving District goals and recommended configurations.

5.   Each school will complete or update its technology use plan by June 1, 1999 and each following year.

6.     Each school will compile evidence that our staff development and other training programs are appropriate to divisions and sites by October 1, 1999 and yearly thereafter.

In addition to the above, the District Technology Committee will create and implement an evaluation tool to annually determine the effectiveness of technologic equipment, staff development in technology, and the various curriculum and assessment items implemented through technological delivery systems.

Glossary of Technology Terms