3. GISD Technology Plan Following eight basic goals the GISD Technology plan for 2010 – 2013 covers a great variety of technology issues and forecasted adoptions. Each goal is clearly detailed by its correspondent objectives and strategies for implementation based on substantiated evidence of previous success.
4. Students Voice “Education really needs an upgrade.” (No Future Left Behind, 2007) “I can’t create my future with the tools from your past.” (No Future Left Behind, 2007) “School should be more like a game. If we get it wrong, just try again.” (No Future Left Behind, 2007)
5. GOAL 1 Increase effectiveness and productivity of administrators, faculty, and staff by automating existing manual processes and procedures.
6. Goal 1 Objectives Automate processes for District Human Resources and Business offices Automate district curriculum.
8. Goal 2 Objectives Global access to student information. Electronic access to online learning. Continue to plan for and integrate technology into the curriculum. Provide continuing professional development for GISD educators in the use of technology both in instruction and in classroom management.
9. Goal 2 Objectives -continued… Provide online instructional resources in order to offer Credit Recovery, Initial Credit and Dual Credit opportunities to secondary students. Continue to provide technology systems and support for Adult Literacy programs in District.
10. GOAL 3 Enable broader access to District Technology Resources within the district and GISD community.
11. Goal 3 Objectives Construct the appropriate infrastructure that will provide users and patrons with immediate GISD information, data, and resources. Strengthen existing program that enables parents to access district computers after school hours.
12. GOAL 4 Provide additional and new technology tools for educators, students, and staff to enhance effective classroom learning.
13. Goal 4 Objectives Provide projection devices/visual presenters. Provide a District-wide video communication system to the classroom. Provide test and curriculum data to appropriate users.
14. Goal 4 Objectives - continued… Develop new student learning strategies that include wireless labs, electronic textbooks, technology classrooms for students, new hardware, and new software to address student needs. Provide Instructional Coaches at the campus level.
15. GOAL 5 Enhance the home/school connection by providing communication between school, classroom, parents and community.
16. Goal 5 Objectives Provide a District-wide inter-connected phone system. Pilot a program to broadcast school information to the community via the local cable TV system. Improve communication to GISD parents and patrons through enhancement of GISD's web presence.
17. GOAL 6 Increase time on task for students and all district personnel by providing efficient networking and convenient remote access.
18. Goal 6 Objectives Increase speed and capacity of the network. Mobile device interface capability Centralize and increase data storage. Provide student remote access through Portal services for both K-12. Provide interactive communication capability for teachers and administrators.
19. GOAL 7 Provide all users with effective, reliable, and secure technology solutions.
20. Goal 7 Objectives Improve technology reliability. Improve technology security. Improve technology support. Ensure Technology Alignment with District Leadership.
21. GOAL 8 Maintain and enhance users’ efficiency by keeping technology systems (equipment and software) up to date.
22. Goal 8 Objectives Acquire and implement new District integrated business/HR system. Develop a Bond Tracking system throughout Oracle. On-going replacement of out-of-date or out-of-warranty hardware and software.
23. Leadership and Support The Executive Administrator of Technology, reporting to the Superintendent, manages the Technology department. This department includes an Educational Technology Group, an Information Technology Group and a Managed Area Network Group, each headed by a Director.
24. Community Partnerships Business Education Scholastic Team (BEST) • Campus Improvement Teams (CIT) Community Education School-to-Careers Initiative
25. Budget The total amount budgeted for the current three-year plan is $65,830,000, most of which comes from local funds (bond and maintenance and operations.)
26. The Future “Stakeholders in Garland ISD will have real-time, on-demand access to information. This information can be student related, curriculum, finance, demographic, etc. The information will be provided in real-time, on-demand. This will empower our stakeholders to see what they need to see, when they need to see it, and in the format they want to see it.” (Garland ISD Technology Plan, 2010)
27. References Garland Independent School District. (2010). Garland ISD Technology Plan 2010-2013. Garland, TX: Garland ISD Technology Planning Committee. No Future Left Behind, (2007).Video written and produced by the students of Suffern Middle School, Larry Bordowitz. Retrieved on May 15, 2011 from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kra_z9vMnHo&feature=feedwll&list=WL
28. References - continued… Cator, K. (2010) Director of Educational Technology, National Education Plan. Retrieved on May 15th, 2011 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAEKHQWyYpU National Educational Technology Plan (NETP) 2009 Second Life Public Forum, Final Report
Editor's Notes
Technology Vision StatementThe Vision of the Garland Independent School District is to implement technology that has a positive impact on instruction throughout the district.
The Garland ISD Technology Plan Follows eight basic goals that cover a great variety of technology issues and forecasted adoptions.
I can’t create my future from the tools of your past.No Future Left Behind, video written and produced by the students of Suffern Middle School, Larry Bordowitz. Retrieved on May 15, 2011 from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kra_z9vMnHo&feature=feedwll&list=WL
Improve the Employee Class Registration Site to allow online class registration. Evidence: Success of GISD electronic bulletin board, online trainingregistrations system, and travel forms.Create systems to enhance capture and reporting of data. Evidence: Successful launch of applications to data reporting.Implement automated indexing of Cold Storage for transcripts, report cards, payroll records, IEPs and ARDs.Improve and automate the Student Activity funds process.Enable teachers to monitor student performance through a more automated benchmark testing process.
Provide Intranet/Internet student information for authorized GISD users.Provide Internet access to student information for authorized parent/guardians. Began Spring 2010… All parents/guardians and students currently have internet access to grades, teacher lesson plans and cafeteria menus. Future project under consideration: provide online access for parents/guardians & students to a student’s 4- year high school plan.Provide learning opportunities utilizing teleconferencing, Internet, video, distance learning, cable TV and other electronic media.Each month the Technology Department offers from 15- 30 hours of training in the following areas: MS Word I & II, MS PowerPoint I & II, MS Access I & II, MS Excel I & II, GroupWise I & II, Gradebook, Integrated Learning Systems (SuccessMaker & Plato), Interclass, Technical Support Training, Mapper, Technology Integration, Qwizdom, and Oracle.
Provide rigorous online instruction offering initial credit and credit recovery to at risk students. Evidence: At risk students will be enabled to complete their high school education. The district will have a lower drop out rate and less over-age students in the traditional school settings. 2009-2010 Move our current credit recovery curriculum to an online environment providing students from the Garland ISD with an online creditrecovery solution.“We need kids to learn is how to be a learner.” “We need to make sure that our students should have 21st Century Expertise.”Cator, K. (2010) Director of Educational Technology, National Education Plan. Retrieved on May 15th, 2011 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAEKHQWyYpU Keep current instructional software and hardware systems up to date in the District-Sponsored Adult/ESL/GED Evening Courses (which uses programs such as Plato Web Learning Network and Rosetta Stone to assist adult learners.)
Develop metadata system that eliminates redundant data entry.Campuses: Southgate ES, Routh Roach ES, Garland HS, South Garland HS, Garland Evening School
Create a decision making team to develop an implementation plan and prioritize the allocation and deployment of projection devices. Technology has installed 2,767 projectors and document systems as of January 2010. In 2010, Technology will be installing an additional 1,034 projection systems that will include an RM Easiteach tablet to aid in classroom instruction. Issues: Need to add personnel to the Video Department because of the increased volume of work. Provide digital TV Broadcast video via the computer from Direct TV to every classroom. The ability to view Broadcast TV via the computer in everyclassroom by fall of 2009. (Needs revision, status in progress)Provide teachers, counselors and administrators with online state and local test data. Requires implementation of recommendations provided in the March 2004 Board approved network study. Way to collect data that teachers document on what has been done with the student for Response To Intervention or RtIUpgrade online curriculum lesson planner to Moodle for teachers, students and parent/guardian access.2010/ 2012 Move current online curriculum content to the new moodle platform and pilot user access.2012/2014 - Update and expand the online curriculum (moodle).
Assign a sub-committee responsible for the future direction of computer-aided instruction (CAI) and Integrated Learning Systems (ILS) within Garland ISD.Provide additional classroom technology to enhance the Fine Arts program, together with appropriate professional development for Fine Arts educators in use of new tools. Comments: All Fine Arts areas will receive equipment, software and training to integrate with instruction.Evaluate and pilot projects that would enable teachers and students to utilize online communication tools to enhance learning. Evidence: Students and teachers using podcasting, blogging, websites, etc to enhance learning.Increase the number of Elementary Instructional Coaches at the campus level and technology specialists at the secondary level. Comments: Instructional Coaches support the classroom efforts in integrating technology to improve learning in the core curriculum areas.
Implement an educational portal which allows, teachers students and parents access to pertinent instructional information such as, grades, homework activities, online classes etc.3084 phones have been installed in every classroom throughout the district.Provide unified messaging system to all GISD classrooms, offices and administrative areas.Broadcasting school programming to the community. Evidence: District programming available to the public via the local cable TV system. GISDtvProvide solution for teachers to communicate via the web with parents and students. By 2010-Enhance teacher awareness of Gradebook features, blogs, wikis and campus websites.
Interconnect all GISD locations with fiber optic technology. Twelve strands of fiber to each building and CWDM fiber technology for redundancy.Comments: This is the critical component for completion of GISD long-range technology goals. Status - 2008- Completed in May.Design myGISD and Intranet Profile for mobile devices. Find solution for myGISD portal use by students.Provide easy to use video conferencing to enhance communications and deliver on line staff development and student instruction.Build a dark fiber Metropolitan Area Network/Wide Area Network (MAN/WAN) spanning 100 square miles across the cities of Sachse, Garland, and Rowlett interconnecting all 80 buildings of the Garland ISD.National plan advocates connectivity across the country.In May of 2008, all campuses and administrative buildings were connected and have full access to digital video content along with uninterrupteddata and video programming content.Provide uninterruptible electrical power to the Data Center and Network Operations Center (NOC). Network OperationsCenter will maintain operational functionality during a power outage. Generator power will be tested on a weekly basis (every Wednesday for 30minutes) at the Technology Building.Implement various security agents across the district to prevent spamming, provide intrusion detection, implement anti-virus agents, and prevent denial of service attacks at the Internet, Intranet, desktop and server levels.Analyze on-going project status, time lines, priorities, budgets, and software usage statistics for technology implementations throughout the district.Identify evaluation procedure for new software applications that include tracking capability and interoperability.
Implement a new Oracle Business/HR system. A system meeting the requirements of the business department.On-going Oracle business system maintenance and upgrades.Implement an on-going Technology 5 to 7 year “end-of-life” funding and replacement cycle for all computers, classroom projectors, Cisco network infrastructure, servers and related technology throughout the district.Comments: GISD currently uses bond funding and left over end of year monies to replace computers, servers, Cisco equipment, projectors and related technology. There is no way to plan for end-of life technology replacement.Utilizing the replacement policy of keeping all software revisions current and up-to-date. GISD will define a time line & strategy to upgrade Novell operating system and Groupwise email software, and related instructional software.Replace approximately 2000 computers per year by receiving an annual portion of 2 cents of the annual tax rate for the Garland ISD tax revenue dedicated to technology hardware replacement including computers, printers and projectors.
This department, employing approximately 200 staff members, includes an Educational Technology Group, an Information Technology Group and a Managed Area Network Group, each headed by a Director. Of the 200 member staff, 72 Campus Technology Assistants are campus-based.
Through a variety of programs, the local community is an active participant in the life of the district and its mission of excellence. These community partnerships include:• Business Education Scholastic Team (BEST) – a partnership between the district and local businesses, which offersmentoring.• Campus Improvement Teams – community members, along with teachers, administrators, and parents, work to developunique plans to increase academic achievement and to improve the school environment.• Community Education – the district offers classes ranging from water safety to swing dancing to technology-skilldevelopment.• School-to-Careers Initiative – a partnership between the district and local business and industries to ensure that students are able to explore a variety of career options.
The total amount budgeted for the current three-year plan is $65,830,000, most of which comes from local funds (bond andmaintenance and operations.) This is a significant investment by the District and indicates our strong support for educational technology.
These stakeholders include parents, students, teachers, administrators, citizens, and the business community.
These stakeholders include parents, students, teachers, administrators, citizens, and the business community.
National Educational Technology Plan (NETP) 2009 Second Life Public Forum, Final Report
