This document summarizes and compares the technology plans of three Florida school districts - Hillsborough County, Leon County, and Miami-Dade County. It finds that Leon County's technology plan provides the most thorough guidance for how technology should be integrated into curriculum and instruction. The plans of Hillsborough County and Miami-Dade County fail to provide clear guidance and rationale for the role of technology. The document also examines how the plans address digital citizenship and ethics, finding that Leon County and Hillsborough County plans are vague while Miami-Dade County is the only one to define the teacher's role in teaching digital citizenship.
ER Publication,
IJETR, IJMCTR,
Journals,
International Journals,
High Impact Journals,
Monthly Journal,
Good quality Journals,
Research,
Research Papers,
Research Article,
Free Journals, Open access Journals,
erpublication.org,
Engineering Journal,
Science Journals,
E-LOOX, A HYBRID LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMijseajournal
E-loox is an educational software application that has been designed specifically for students located in areas with limited Internet access. Unlike the majority of existing educational applications, E-loox is a “hybrid app”– meaning it can function both on and offline. As a hybrid app, E-loox allows students to complete assignments, access course materials, and conduct research in places where there is no Internet access. While global Internet access has expanded rapidly in the last decade, there are still more than 3.5 billion people who lack access, including approximately 60 million people in the United States. E-loox seeks to bridge the gap for the millions of students who have internet in the classroom but lack a home connection.
Education is a basic need for every human being and
digital education is the current trend and necessity for every
students or learners to be more focused in their learning. In this
paper authors worked with these current phenomena. Digital
education helps students or learners to gather knowledge in
easier and different ways than before. It also reduces the learning
time. In traditional education system we were mostly dependent
on text book or in instructor’s speech. But nowadays it is easier to
find any text book or any other learning materials by using
digital educational tools. Another charismatic change that
transformed human life is social networking. In terms of digital
education social networks contribute a good portion of education.
Among social networking services, Facebook has become most
popular for communication with familiar and unfamiliar
persons. The impact of the use of Facebook on students is very
impactful. In this paper authors conducted a survey on various
students for understanding the digitalization effect on
educational purpose. Machine learning was applied for classified
the happy and unhappy student with digitalization where focused
time spent on educational purposes. Finally authors provided an
analytical summary of digitalization effect on education based on
their survey.
Dr. Chuck Holt and Dr. Amy Burkman, NATIONAL FORUM OF EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRAT...William Kritsonis
Dr. Chuck Holt and Dr. Amy Burkman, NATIONAL FORUM OF EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION AND SUPERVISION JOURNAL, 30(3) 2013
Dr. David E. Herrington, Invited Guest Editor, NFEAS JOURNAL, 30(3) 2013
Dr. William Allan Kritsonis, Editor-in-Chief (Since 1982)
The way in which we learn is changing. An interesting report [Back in 2009] by Project Tomorrow and Blackboard K-12.identifies key findings from interviews with innovative educators who are leveraging mobile devices for learning. Their stories illustrate emerging trends, implementation considerations and strategies for implementing mobile learning initiatives.
ER Publication,
IJETR, IJMCTR,
Journals,
International Journals,
High Impact Journals,
Monthly Journal,
Good quality Journals,
Research,
Research Papers,
Research Article,
Free Journals, Open access Journals,
erpublication.org,
Engineering Journal,
Science Journals,
E-LOOX, A HYBRID LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMijseajournal
E-loox is an educational software application that has been designed specifically for students located in areas with limited Internet access. Unlike the majority of existing educational applications, E-loox is a “hybrid app”– meaning it can function both on and offline. As a hybrid app, E-loox allows students to complete assignments, access course materials, and conduct research in places where there is no Internet access. While global Internet access has expanded rapidly in the last decade, there are still more than 3.5 billion people who lack access, including approximately 60 million people in the United States. E-loox seeks to bridge the gap for the millions of students who have internet in the classroom but lack a home connection.
Education is a basic need for every human being and
digital education is the current trend and necessity for every
students or learners to be more focused in their learning. In this
paper authors worked with these current phenomena. Digital
education helps students or learners to gather knowledge in
easier and different ways than before. It also reduces the learning
time. In traditional education system we were mostly dependent
on text book or in instructor’s speech. But nowadays it is easier to
find any text book or any other learning materials by using
digital educational tools. Another charismatic change that
transformed human life is social networking. In terms of digital
education social networks contribute a good portion of education.
Among social networking services, Facebook has become most
popular for communication with familiar and unfamiliar
persons. The impact of the use of Facebook on students is very
impactful. In this paper authors conducted a survey on various
students for understanding the digitalization effect on
educational purpose. Machine learning was applied for classified
the happy and unhappy student with digitalization where focused
time spent on educational purposes. Finally authors provided an
analytical summary of digitalization effect on education based on
their survey.
Dr. Chuck Holt and Dr. Amy Burkman, NATIONAL FORUM OF EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRAT...William Kritsonis
Dr. Chuck Holt and Dr. Amy Burkman, NATIONAL FORUM OF EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION AND SUPERVISION JOURNAL, 30(3) 2013
Dr. David E. Herrington, Invited Guest Editor, NFEAS JOURNAL, 30(3) 2013
Dr. William Allan Kritsonis, Editor-in-Chief (Since 1982)
The way in which we learn is changing. An interesting report [Back in 2009] by Project Tomorrow and Blackboard K-12.identifies key findings from interviews with innovative educators who are leveraging mobile devices for learning. Their stories illustrate emerging trends, implementation considerations and strategies for implementing mobile learning initiatives.
Edtech 2.0: Tokenizing and Gamification of the Education SystemVeronica Andrino
In line with the Government's goal of promoting and enhancing Education in The Philippines, there are other factors that also need to be addressed such as managing the enrollment system every semester and year. With limited manpower in each and every University, accommodating a large number of students is a tough challenge, not to mention managing the data and funds, both sent and paid, which are still mostly manually processed. The situation in the Philippines is similar to many other countries.
Unifinity Application is an Edtech at its core where the Application is created to help the other institutions who can’t afford to pay for expensive software cost. Unifinity aims to provide the solution to Government schools which relatively host 87% of the population of the students are enrolled on a Government institution while the rest of the students are enrolled in Middle-Class schools which are Semi-Private and the rest will be in a Private Class where the population of the students belongs to the First Class.
Unifinity aims to support the Institutions and Students who can't afford to pay for their school fees by giving them access to an application that offers accessibility by using their mobile phones and they can still attend the class, study even at home, making sure that the students will never miss a single lesson submitted by the teachers and the students can still study at home without the need of downloading an application.
Unifinity aims to create the first blockchain-based decentralized application (Dapp) built to enhance security, operational efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and transparency in the entire value chain of educational institutions.
Blockchain technology can be used as a powerful tool to improve the current education system by creating a simplified process and automation of all administrative processes including the authentication of data and identity of users as well as Tokenizing the traditional grading system by utilizing the smart contract on issuing remarks using ERC777 Tokens.
Faculty attitudes towards integrating technology and innovationIJITE
Technological innovation is an important aspect of teaching and learning in the 21st century. This article
examines faculty attitudes toward technology use in the classroom at one regional public university in the
United States. Building on a faculty-led initiative to develop a Community of Practice for improving
education, this study used a mixed-method approach of a faculty-developed, electronic survey to assess this
topic. Findings from 72 faculty members revealed an overall positive stance toward technology in the
classroom and the average faculty member utilized about six technology tools in their courses. The
opportunities, barriers and future uses for technologies in the higher education classroom emerged from
the open-ended questions on the survey. One finding of particular concern is that faculty are fearful that
technology causes a loss of the humanistic perspective in education. The university is redesigning ten of its
most popular courses to increase flexibility, accessibility and student success.
A pragmatic study on e learning system for higher education in developing cou...Najeem Olawale Adelakun
The Internet has become one of the greatest inventions of mankind for learning and sharing of useful information through electronic means. For some years now, the developed nations have adopted the use of the e-learning system. Presently, the COVID-19 outbreak has given rise to the adoption of the e-learning system by many countries of the world being the most viable alternative for teaching and learning. This paper uses a pragmatic approach to evaluates the benefits and challenges associated with the e-learning system. A survey was conducted among students in a higher institution and a total of one hundred and twenty-five responses was gathered from the online questionnaire to know the likely challenges faced by students with the e-learning system and also at an online researchers’ forum. The result shows that 30.40% of students complained about weak internet connectivity from the questionnaire administered which is also the major problem in most developing nations, and for optimal performance of the e-learning system, there should be adequate provision for strong internet connectivity, standard IT infrastructure, and user-friendly e-learning platform.
Edtech 2.0: Tokenizing and Gamification of the Education SystemVeronica Andrino
In line with the Government's goal of promoting and enhancing Education in The Philippines, there are other factors that also need to be addressed such as managing the enrollment system every semester and year. With limited manpower in each and every University, accommodating a large number of students is a tough challenge, not to mention managing the data and funds, both sent and paid, which are still mostly manually processed. The situation in the Philippines is similar to many other countries.
Unifinity Application is an Edtech at its core where the Application is created to help the other institutions who can’t afford to pay for expensive software cost. Unifinity aims to provide the solution to Government schools which relatively host 87% of the population of the students are enrolled on a Government institution while the rest of the students are enrolled in Middle-Class schools which are Semi-Private and the rest will be in a Private Class where the population of the students belongs to the First Class.
Unifinity aims to support the Institutions and Students who can't afford to pay for their school fees by giving them access to an application that offers accessibility by using their mobile phones and they can still attend the class, study even at home, making sure that the students will never miss a single lesson submitted by the teachers and the students can still study at home without the need of downloading an application.
Unifinity aims to create the first blockchain-based decentralized application (Dapp) built to enhance security, operational efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and transparency in the entire value chain of educational institutions.
Blockchain technology can be used as a powerful tool to improve the current education system by creating a simplified process and automation of all administrative processes including the authentication of data and identity of users as well as Tokenizing the traditional grading system by utilizing the smart contract on issuing remarks using ERC777 Tokens.
Faculty attitudes towards integrating technology and innovationIJITE
Technological innovation is an important aspect of teaching and learning in the 21st century. This article
examines faculty attitudes toward technology use in the classroom at one regional public university in the
United States. Building on a faculty-led initiative to develop a Community of Practice for improving
education, this study used a mixed-method approach of a faculty-developed, electronic survey to assess this
topic. Findings from 72 faculty members revealed an overall positive stance toward technology in the
classroom and the average faculty member utilized about six technology tools in their courses. The
opportunities, barriers and future uses for technologies in the higher education classroom emerged from
the open-ended questions on the survey. One finding of particular concern is that faculty are fearful that
technology causes a loss of the humanistic perspective in education. The university is redesigning ten of its
most popular courses to increase flexibility, accessibility and student success.
A pragmatic study on e learning system for higher education in developing cou...Najeem Olawale Adelakun
The Internet has become one of the greatest inventions of mankind for learning and sharing of useful information through electronic means. For some years now, the developed nations have adopted the use of the e-learning system. Presently, the COVID-19 outbreak has given rise to the adoption of the e-learning system by many countries of the world being the most viable alternative for teaching and learning. This paper uses a pragmatic approach to evaluates the benefits and challenges associated with the e-learning system. A survey was conducted among students in a higher institution and a total of one hundred and twenty-five responses was gathered from the online questionnaire to know the likely challenges faced by students with the e-learning system and also at an online researchers’ forum. The result shows that 30.40% of students complained about weak internet connectivity from the questionnaire administered which is also the major problem in most developing nations, and for optimal performance of the e-learning system, there should be adequate provision for strong internet connectivity, standard IT infrastructure, and user-friendly e-learning platform.
Dr. Chuck Holt and Dr. Amy Burkman - Published National Refereed Article in N...William Kritsonis
Dr. Chuck Holt and Dr. Amy Burkman - Published National Refereed Article in NATIONAL FORUM JOURNALS
NATIONAL FORUM JOURNALS
Founded 1982
NATIONAL FORUM JOURNALS are a group of national refereed, juried, peer-reviewed, blind-reviewed professional periodicals. Any article published shall earned five affirmative votes from members of our National Board of Invited Distinguished Jurors and must be recommended for national publication by members of the National Policy Board representing all National FORUM Journals. Journal issues are distributed both nationally and world-wide.
Our website features national refereed articles that are published daily within our National FORUM Journals Online Journal Division. Over 1,000 articles are available to scholars and practitioners world-wide. Over 250,000 guests visit our website yearly. About 56,000 articles are downloaded for academic purposes at no charge. We have about an 88% rejection rate. See: www.nationalforum.com
Founded in 1982, National FORUM Journals has published the scholarly contributions of over 5,200 professors with over 2,000 articles indexed. Our journals are indexed with many global agencies including Cabell’s Directories, ERIC, EBSCO, SWETS International, Library of Congress National Serials Data Program, and the Copyright Clearance Center, Danvers, Massachusetts.
Global Website: www.nationalforum.com
By Marvin LeNoue, Tom Hall,Myron A. EighmyMarvin LeNoue .docxhumphrieskalyn
By Marvin LeNoue, Tom Hall,
Myron A. Eighmy
Marvin LeNoue is an ABD doctoral
candidate in Occupational and Adult
Education at North Dakota State
University, Fargo, ND. He is currently
serving as an instructor at the University
of Oregon American English Institute,
Eugene, OR. His research interests
include technology-enhanced education
delivery and the use of educational
social software.
(Email: [email protected])
Tom Hall has an Ed. D. in Adult and
Higher Education from the University
of South Dakota. He is currently
serving as an Assistant Professor in the
Educational Leadership Program at
North Dakota State University, Fargo,
ND. His research interests include
adult education in the 21st Century, the
impact of different generational cohorts
in today's workplace, and community
education in rural America.
(Email: thomas.e. [email protected] edu)
Myron A. Eighmy is a professor and
program coordinator for the Education
Doctoral Program at North Dakota State
University. Research interests include
alternative delivery modes, learning
communities, and graduate student
self-efficacy.
(Email: [email protected])
Adult Education and the
Social Media Revolution
The advent of Web 2.0 and the spread of social software tools havecreated new and exciting opportunities for designers of digitally-medi-
ated education programs for adults. Whether working in fully online, blended,
or face-to-face learning contexts, instructors may now access technologies that
allow students and faculty to engage in cooperative and collaborative learning
despite being separated in space and time. By supporting the use of interactive
methods and multi-media materials, social software offers educators more ways
to engage learners than any preceding educational technology. Social software
also empowers curriculum designers to more effectively accommodate many
of the core principles of adult learning than was possible with earlier e-learning
technologies. This article offers a basic introduction to some new possibilities
in the design and delivery of digitally-mediated education, and an overview of
the compatibility between the capabilities of social software and the principles
of adult education.
Digitally Mediated Learning
Self-directed learning is largely unconstrained in terms of time and
location and has traditionally been a primary affordance of distance education
(Holmberg, 1995). From its inception, distance education has been marketed
as a solution for adults whose occupational, social, and/or family commitments
limit their ability to pursue educational goals (Holmberg). In the decades since
the 1970s, demand for distance programs has increased as the globalization
of national economies creates a competitive atmosphere that drives people to
become life-long learners in order to be successful in the workplace (Merriam,
Caffarella, & Baumgartner, 2007).
For many people, the term distance education now conjures up images of
computers, the Internet, and online learnin ...
By Marvin LeNoue, Tom Hall,Myron A. EighmyMarvin LeNoue .docxclairbycraft
By Marvin LeNoue, Tom Hall,
Myron A. Eighmy
Marvin LeNoue is an ABD doctoral
candidate in Occupational and Adult
Education at North Dakota State
University, Fargo, ND. He is currently
serving as an instructor at the University
of Oregon American English Institute,
Eugene, OR. His research interests
include technology-enhanced education
delivery and the use of educational
social software.
(Email: [email protected])
Tom Hall has an Ed. D. in Adult and
Higher Education from the University
of South Dakota. He is currently
serving as an Assistant Professor in the
Educational Leadership Program at
North Dakota State University, Fargo,
ND. His research interests include
adult education in the 21st Century, the
impact of different generational cohorts
in today's workplace, and community
education in rural America.
(Email: thomas.e. [email protected] edu)
Myron A. Eighmy is a professor and
program coordinator for the Education
Doctoral Program at North Dakota State
University. Research interests include
alternative delivery modes, learning
communities, and graduate student
self-efficacy.
(Email: [email protected])
Adult Education and the
Social Media Revolution
The advent of Web 2.0 and the spread of social software tools havecreated new and exciting opportunities for designers of digitally-medi-
ated education programs for adults. Whether working in fully online, blended,
or face-to-face learning contexts, instructors may now access technologies that
allow students and faculty to engage in cooperative and collaborative learning
despite being separated in space and time. By supporting the use of interactive
methods and multi-media materials, social software offers educators more ways
to engage learners than any preceding educational technology. Social software
also empowers curriculum designers to more effectively accommodate many
of the core principles of adult learning than was possible with earlier e-learning
technologies. This article offers a basic introduction to some new possibilities
in the design and delivery of digitally-mediated education, and an overview of
the compatibility between the capabilities of social software and the principles
of adult education.
Digitally Mediated Learning
Self-directed learning is largely unconstrained in terms of time and
location and has traditionally been a primary affordance of distance education
(Holmberg, 1995). From its inception, distance education has been marketed
as a solution for adults whose occupational, social, and/or family commitments
limit their ability to pursue educational goals (Holmberg). In the decades since
the 1970s, demand for distance programs has increased as the globalization
of national economies creates a competitive atmosphere that drives people to
become life-long learners in order to be successful in the workplace (Merriam,
Caffarella, & Baumgartner, 2007).
For many people, the term distance education now conjures up images of
computers, the Internet, and online learnin.
By Marvin LeNoue, Tom Hall,Myron A. EighmyMarvin LeNoue .docxRAHUL126667
By Marvin LeNoue, Tom Hall,
Myron A. Eighmy
Marvin LeNoue is an ABD doctoral
candidate in Occupational and Adult
Education at North Dakota State
University, Fargo, ND. He is currently
serving as an instructor at the University
of Oregon American English Institute,
Eugene, OR. His research interests
include technology-enhanced education
delivery and the use of educational
social software.
(Email: [email protected])
Tom Hall has an Ed. D. in Adult and
Higher Education from the University
of South Dakota. He is currently
serving as an Assistant Professor in the
Educational Leadership Program at
North Dakota State University, Fargo,
ND. His research interests include
adult education in the 21st Century, the
impact of different generational cohorts
in today's workplace, and community
education in rural America.
(Email: thomas.e. [email protected] edu)
Myron A. Eighmy is a professor and
program coordinator for the Education
Doctoral Program at North Dakota State
University. Research interests include
alternative delivery modes, learning
communities, and graduate student
self-efficacy.
(Email: [email protected])
Adult Education and the
Social Media Revolution
The advent of Web 2.0 and the spread of social software tools havecreated new and exciting opportunities for designers of digitally-medi-
ated education programs for adults. Whether working in fully online, blended,
or face-to-face learning contexts, instructors may now access technologies that
allow students and faculty to engage in cooperative and collaborative learning
despite being separated in space and time. By supporting the use of interactive
methods and multi-media materials, social software offers educators more ways
to engage learners than any preceding educational technology. Social software
also empowers curriculum designers to more effectively accommodate many
of the core principles of adult learning than was possible with earlier e-learning
technologies. This article offers a basic introduction to some new possibilities
in the design and delivery of digitally-mediated education, and an overview of
the compatibility between the capabilities of social software and the principles
of adult education.
Digitally Mediated Learning
Self-directed learning is largely unconstrained in terms of time and
location and has traditionally been a primary affordance of distance education
(Holmberg, 1995). From its inception, distance education has been marketed
as a solution for adults whose occupational, social, and/or family commitments
limit their ability to pursue educational goals (Holmberg). In the decades since
the 1970s, demand for distance programs has increased as the globalization
of national economies creates a competitive atmosphere that drives people to
become life-long learners in order to be successful in the workplace (Merriam,
Caffarella, & Baumgartner, 2007).
For many people, the term distance education now conjures up images of
computers, the Internet, and online learnin ...
It's Time for Learning to Go Back to School: Next-Generation Approaches Enric...Cognizant
Major structural shifts in offline and online learning delivery will lead to integrated systems that enable adaptive and holistic higher-education learning environments. Digital footprints will pave way for schools and, eventually, employers to discover learners' competencies and interests and match it to their own offerings and talent needs.
Free and Open Source Software Development of IT Systems .docxhanneloremccaffery
Free and Open Source Software Development of
IT Systems
Mihaela Sabin
Computer Information Systems
University of New Hampshire
Manchester, NH 03101
603 641 4144
[email protected]
ABSTRACT
IT system development, integration, deployment, and
administration benefit significantly from free and open source
software (FOSS) tools and services. Affordability has been a
compelling reason for adopting FOSS in computing curricula and
equipping computing labs with support infrastructure. Using
FOSS systems and services, however, is just the first step in
taking advantage of how FOSS development principles and
practices can impact student learning in IT degree programs.
Above all, FOSS development of IT systems requires changes to
how students, instructors, and other contributors work
collaboratively and openly and get involved and invested in
project activities.
In this paper I examine the challenges to engage students in FOSS
development projects proposed by real clients. A six-week course
project revealed problems with adopting FOSS development and
collaboration across different activities and roles that student team
members have assumed. Despite these problems, students have
showed a genuine and strong interest in gaining more practice
with FOSS development. FOSS development teaching was further
refined in two other courses to learn about adequate teaching
strategies and the competencies that students achieve when they
participate in FOSS development of IT systems.
Categories and Subject Descriptors
K.3.2 [Computer Information Science Education]: Computer
science education, Curriculum.
General Terms
Human Factors, Experimentation, Management, Performance.
Keywords
Free and open source software, IT system development,
collaboration.
1. BACKGROUND
The Computer Information Systems (CIS) program at University
of New Hampshire in Manchester (UNHM) has built partnerships
with local nonprofits, state agencies, small businesses, and in-
house research projects to enrich curricula with authentic work
experiences and benefit community with IT solutions. In this
curricular model, 98 students worked in 26 teams on projects
proposed by eight organizations and one research faculty during
2007 to 2010 time period. Most of the projects evolved over
multiple semesters as course projects in databases, web systems,
and software engineering courses. Three projects were conducted
in internship, independent study, and summer research courses by
individual students. Only these projects have produced prototypes
that could be transferred for deployment at partnering
organizations. Two of these three projects have been adopted and
are in use at sponsoring organizations, Salvation Army in
Manchester and the Division for Juvenile Justice Services.
Integrating real-world projects in the IT curricula has widely-
recognized advantages on student learning:
1. Relevant learning. Students solve practical IT probl ...
2. RUNNINGHEADER: FloridaSchool DistrictTechnologyPlanAssessment
2
Abstract
The twenty-first century brings with it the dawn of a new era in pedagogy, with
technology at the forefront of curriculum and instruction. Technology plans for three Florida
schools districts: Hillsborough County representing the Tampa Bay area, Miami-Dade County
representing metropolitan Miami and surrounding areas, and Leon County representing the
Tallahassee area are compared and contrasted. Areas considered include curriculum and
instruction, digital citizenry, and professional development.
3. RUNNINGHEADER: FloridaSchool DistrictTechnologyPlanAssessment
3
Part I: Use of Technology for Curriculum and Instruction
As the global marketplace evolves so too must the delivery of education via technology.
A recent article in Education Week addressed the need for schools and teachers to be prepared to
meet the needs of individual students through technology. Researchers have concluded that
“blended learning is more effective than either online or face-to-face instruction on its own”
(Ash, 2012, p. S4).
Leon County Schools provides a rich and thorough goals outline in their technology
plan. The goals, aligned with ISTE National Technology Standards include (as directly related
to instruction):
“Use [of] a variety of multi-media materials to more effectively differentiate instruction
to reach students with diverse learning needs,
Planning individualized learning programs based on assessment data,
Increased student motivation to learn through the use of interactive multi-media
instructional programs that contain features and tactics designed to address factors of
engagement,
Providing opportunities for students to work collaboratively and actively,
Guiding student use of the Internet by creating and using curriculum pages on school
and district website,
Guiding student investigations by engaging them in research-based activities that may
include resources of the World Wide Web, purchased online services such as BrainPOP,
4. RUNNINGHEADER: FloridaSchool DistrictTechnologyPlanAssessment
4
ProQuest and Electric Library, and productivity software such as Keynote, Adobe Digital
School Collection, Powerpoint, eZedia and Producer,
Challenging students with an intriguing question which prods them, working in
collaborative groups, to seek information, display it, process it, and produce a
presentation of their solution, and
Working with teacher teams to write the research modules to support the district-adopted
curriculum” (Leon County Schools, 2006, p. 7).
Goals tied to curriculum and instruction within the technology plan for Miami-Dade County
Schools (MDCS) are to “prepare learners of all ages to use technology appropriately to access
information, collaborate, construct knowledge, and to prepare students to lead successful
personal and professional lives” (Miami-Dade Public Schools, 2010, p. 25). The lack of
attention to specifically how technology functions in the schools in Miami-Dade County is a
oversight that prevents teachers and students from interacting with technology in rich and
rewarding ways.
Hillsborough County Schools (HCS) outlines their technological goals for curriculum and
instruction in a series of “tactics” which intertwine professional development, communication,
and instructional goals. Tactic one uses technology to enhance and improve instruction
(Hillsborough County Public Schools, 2012, p. 6). This is done through a variety of electronic
programs that support the instructional program. Some technology-based learning programs are
listed as examples, however there is no guidance provided for teachers about how to research and
select effective technology. Also lacking from Hillsborough and Miami-Dade are guidelines for
how technology can be used to enhance students’ learning as clearly cited in Leon County’s
plan.
5. RUNNINGHEADER: FloridaSchool DistrictTechnologyPlanAssessment
5
Tactic three “is used to improve and extend learning, increase productivity, assure fiscal
accountability, improve work processes, and provide increased access to information”
(Hillsborough County Public Schools, 2012, p. 6). The plan fails to expand on this
conglomeration of ideas that are disassociated with one another. One must guess at whether
extended learning refers to students enrolled in school programs or faculty and staff learning
opportunities. Finally, tactic six uses technology to provide learning through online courses and
specifically cites Florida’s Virtual School. Missed here is an opportunity to explain the role of
technology in Hillsborough County to deliver curriculum to students in new ways. SDHC’s
technology plan, however, fails on all counts to discuss the role of technology, explaining it
away as playing “a more prominent role in the future” (Hillsborough County Public Schools,
2012, p. 6).
Both Miami-Dade and Hillsborough Counties fail to provide any rationale for the use of
technology in curriculum and instruction. Leon County’s expectations for technological
integration are well-thought out, comprehensive, and defined in a way that every educator and
administrator can understand and is easily applicable. With the transition to Common Core State
Standards and the expansion into technological education in the form of blended learning
choices, it is imperitave that district technology plans clearly outline expectations for
technological integration into classrooms.
Part II: Ethical Use of Technology
Technological progress comes with a price. Numerous implications arise from
discussions about ethical uses of technology in public schools. Not only does an import lies in
teachers’ appropriate use of technology, but also in their modeling, and setting appropriate
6. RUNNINGHEADER: FloridaSchool DistrictTechnologyPlanAssessment
6
guidelines for students’ use of existing and emerging engineering. As more students are exposed
to technological opportunities and advancement through blended learning models (Ash, 2012)
school districts must clearly outline acceptable behavior both in the classroom as well as off
school property when used for and related to academic purposes.
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) outlines six NETS which
include guidelines for students, teachers, administrators, coaches, and computer science
educators defines behaviors considered ethical and responsible for digital citizenship
(International Society for Technology in Education, 2007). Each of the schools districts
evaluated (Hillsborough, Leon, and Miami-Dade) have technology policies in place to varying
degrees, however Miami-Dade County School District is the only district to explicitly define the
role of the teacher in addressing digital citizenship (Miami-Dade Public Schools, 2010). ISTE
defines this as the students’ understanding of the human, societal, and cultural components of
technology and their ability to demonstrate ethical and legal behaviors with regards to
technology and the internet (International Society for Technology in Education, 2007).
Leon County Schools require that students and parents sign the Guidelines for
Telecommunications Use agreement before access is granted to school computers. While an
agreement such as this preserves the school district’s sanctity, it does little to foster digital
citizenship among the student body. Ethical and legal uses of technology must be taught and
applied in the classroom so that they become part of the lexicon of the school’s curriculum.
There are three areas of ethical digital citizenship that must specifically be addressed: cyber
bullying, copyright and correct use of citations, and technological cheating.
7. RUNNINGHEADER: FloridaSchool DistrictTechnologyPlanAssessment
7
School districts like the Seattle Public School District (SPSD) have begun to develop
curricula addressing issues of cyber bullying. SPSD focuses on teaching internet safety rather
than solely addressing the issues of bullying, choosing instead to focus on “debunking
misperceptions about digital behavior, building empathy and understanding, teaching online
safety skills, and equipping young people with strategies to reject digital abuse” (Holladay, 2011,
p. 7). Included in SPSD’s curriculum are standards taught by teachers, and strategies designed to
include students’ families as more than a signature on an acknowledgement agreement.
Neither Hillsborough, Miami-Dade, nor Leon counties specifically address issues of
cyber bullying in their posted technology policies. Unfortunately each districts’ policies are
vaguely written and while this ambiguity protects the school district from litigation, little is
accomplished to guide teachers in what the district considers ethical and unethical behavior.
Behaviors demonstrated by students across the US necessitate the inclusion of a bully-specific
curriculum in schools that includes a segment discussing cyber bullying practices and
consequences. Hillsborough County cites two specific safety goals under the Information and
Technology Goals and Objectives (Hillsborough County Public Schools, 2012); however, neither
refer adequately to protecting students nor employees from the effects of technological harm.
It is easy to understand how so few teachers fully understand copyright laws and that
even fewer stress the legal issues of using technology their private and academic lives. As
students are encouraged to engage with technological content in the Common Core State
Standards (CCSS) an increased number of teachers are creating assignments with technological
components, therefore the need to educate students about copyright laws should be mandated.
All three Florida school districts specifically address issues of copyright in their policies. For
8. RUNNINGHEADER: FloridaSchool DistrictTechnologyPlanAssessment
8
example, Leon county lists an unacceptable the “reporting personal communications, e-mail or
faxes, or using personally identifiable information or individually owned or copyrighted material
(this includes pictures, artwork, & products) without the author's (or parent/ guardian's) prior
consent” (Leon County Schools, 2006). Hillsborough County Schools provides faculty and the
public with a detailed policy governing the use of copy written materials for educational
purposes (Hillsborough County Public Schools, 2012). HCS also provides published forms for
teachers to send home with students, notifying parents of the viewing of copy written “PG” and
“R” audio video materials. However then, there is no effective, easy to read curriculum
educating students about the use of copy written materials in educational assignments and as
ethical digital citizens.
The final phase of responsible digital citizenry is to ensure that students understand how
to ethically engage with and use technology toward their education. Ribble (2011) as cited by
Jones emphasizes that “educators must be proactive and develop instructional strategies that
integrate all facets of appropriate digital citizenship, that is, digital ethics” (Jones, 2011, p. 142).
Jones also found in Landrau, Duren, and Arcuri (2002) that by educating students about issues
like plagarism helps to reduce it (Jones, 2011).
School districts like Leon, Hillsborough, and Miami-Dade must extend their
technological expectations beyond a statement of policy and imbed the standards into the
curriculum, teaching students how to behave as ethical digital citizens. The Miami-Dade school
district admits on its website that there is no filter than is perfectly accurate and students may be
exposed to some objectionable material. Statements like these protect the school district legally,
but in no way teach students how to respond in situations where objectionable material is
9. RUNNINGHEADER: FloridaSchool DistrictTechnologyPlanAssessment
9
unintentionally breeched. Nor do any of these policies train children in the schools to be
proactive, ethical, and responsible digital citizens.
Only when digital citizenship is included in standard curriculum will there be progress in
technological usage on public school campuses. Including digital citizenry in the curriculum
school districts guarantee that funding streams will exist and increase for teacher professional
development, appropriate evaluation of technological use in the classroom, and control over
issues like cyber bullying, copyright, and technological cheating.
Preparation for Part III: Integration of Technology into Professional Development
Speaking of professional development with regards to integration of technology within a
school district one must not only consider what technological resources are used to continually
update teachers about best practices in education, but what is also carried out to train teachers to
evaluate, select, and implement technology in the classroom.
Leon County Schools was the only district that included a detailed outline of how technology
fits into the district. LCS provides bullet points for areas including technology goals assessment,
instruction, communications, information, and productivity. The outline of expectations is easy
to understand and any administrator could turn this into an assessment document, evaluating
teachers’ implementation of the technology plan in their individual classrooms. LCS states that
“teachers will be able to demonstrate the following professional development outcomes as
appropriate to their instructional assignment and consistent with the ISTE National Technology
Standards” (Leon County Schools, 2006, p. 8). Clearly each outcome is measurable and
achievable, making the task of technology implementation in the classroom less daunting and
more effective.
10. RUNNINGHEADER: FloridaSchool DistrictTechnologyPlanAssessment
10
Neither Hillsborough nor Miami-Dade counties explain what technology implementation on
the part of teachers will look like in their district. Miami-Dade writes that “professional
development activities must:
have a clear focus on learning and learners;
target both individual and organizational change;
make small changes guided by an overarching vision; and
be ongoing and procedurally embedded to reinforce and promote learning” (Miami-
Dade Public Schools, 2010, p. 40).
In order for these goals to be fully realized, the professional development team must produce
specific and obtainable actions that teachers can accomplish. Without these benchmarks,
teachers will interpret each of the four bullet points in differing ways, leading to unsuccessful
and missed professional development opportunities.
As the rate of technological integration in education increases so too must the specificity
of school districts leadership be about their expectations of integration in the classroom.
Applying the Leon County Schools technology plan for professional development the following
integreation plan is proposed:
Professional
Development
Outcomes*
Standards* Timeline Process
Technology Goals
Assessment
Evaluate individual
student work and
class progress using
reporting options
available in software
programs.
Report student
achievement to
parents.
Accomplishing
Accomplishing
(1) A district-wide
assessment of
current methods
of reporting
grades,
attendance, and
other student data
will be conducted,
looking for areas
of improvement,
11. RUNNINGHEADER: FloridaSchool DistrictTechnologyPlanAssessment
11
Reviewportfolios of
student work and
writing saved on the
network or other files.
Prepare [printed or
electronic] assessments
of student progress
with report card
programs or
protocols.
Use resources created
on individual, district
or shared drives to
store and share
assessment data.
Begin training in
S2013. Implement
phase 1 F 2013 in HS
Accomplishing
Begin training in
S2014. Implement
phase F2014 in HS
and technological
gaps and barriers.
Students and
family members
should be able to
access all course
grades,
attendance, all
testing scores,
IEP’s and all other
student data.
(2) Technology
personnel will
work with
teachers and
administrators to
design or purchase
resources that will
allow students and
teachers to save
work on a secure
site (like the
cloud).
(3) All teachers and
administrators
will be trained on
the use of the new
technology
platform prior to
rolling it out in
HS (2014), MS
(2015) and ES
(2016).
Instruction Use a variety of multi-
media materials to
more effectively
differentiate
instruction to reach
students with diverse
learning needs.
Plan individualized
learning programs
based on assessment
data.
Increase student
Demonstrated on
lesson plans starting
F2014
Subject area leaders
(1) New professional
development
workshops during
pre-planning week
will focus on how
to write
technological
goals into lesson
plans.
(2) Starting in 2014
all teachers
expected to
account for
12. RUNNINGHEADER: FloridaSchool DistrictTechnologyPlanAssessment
12
motivation to learn
through the use of
interactive multi-media
instructional programs
that contain features
and tactics designed to
address factors of
engagement.
Provide opportunities
for students to work
collaboratively and
actively.
Guide student use of
the Internet by
creating and using
curriculum pages on
school and district
websites.
Guide student
investigations by
engaging them in
research-based
activities that may
include resources of
the World Wide Web,
purchased online
services such as
BrainPOP, ProQuest
and Electric Library,
and productivity
software such as
Keynote, Adobe
Digital School
Collection,
Powerpoint, eZedia
and Producer.
Challenge students
with an intriguing
question which prods
them, working in
collaborative groups,
to seek information,
display it, process it,
and produce a
research and propose
technology plan for
subjects by S2014.
Plans are approved by
district by end of
2014. Teachers use
new technology
F2014.
Each teacher
expected to have a
fully-implemented
and interactive
website by F2013.
Subject area leaders
research and propose
technology plan for
subjects by S2014.
Plans are approved by
district by end of
2014. Teachers use
new technology
F2014.
technology and
differentiation on
all lesson plans.
(3) A team of subject
area leaders,
curriculum
development
personal and
technology
representatives
work to propose
new software that
aligns with current
curriculum or
stands alone that
teachers can use
toward student
motivation.
(4) Develop a policy
by which
individual
teachers can
locate, procure,
and use additional
technology
resources without
district approval.
(5) Train teachers on
website
development,
programming, and
design during pre-
planning.
(6) Implement a new
policy for
checking lesson
plans for
incorporation of
technology and
essential guiding
questions.
(7) Teachers who are
deemed needing
improvement with
lesson planning
will be assigned to
13. RUNNINGHEADER: FloridaSchool DistrictTechnologyPlanAssessment
13
presentation of their
solution.
Work with teacher
teams to write the
research modules to
support the district-
adopted curriculum.
a veteran teacher
for mentoring.
Veteran teachers
should be
compensated for
mentorship.
Communications Use network access to
connect with other
educators on specific
topics through online
discussion groups and
professional list serves.
Increase
communication with
parents by phone and
email exchanges,
listsrvs, posting
information on
classroom and school
websites; interactive
parent/student portals.
Collaborate with
distant learning
partners via online
global projects and
distance learning
opportunities.
Accomplishing.
Make this a
component of teacher
evaluations starting
F2013.
Accomplishing.
Make this a
component of teacher
evaluations starting
F2013. Each teacher
expected to have a
fully-implemented
and interactive
website by F2013.
Subject area leaders
research and propose
technology plan for
subjects by S2014.
Plans are approved by
district by end of
2014. Teachers use
new technology
F2014.
(1) Establish a
district-wide
networking
system of list
serves in which
teachers can share
ideas, lesson
plans, challenges,
and more in a safe
environment.
Participation in
subject-area
groups can be a
condition for
“accomplished”
ranking on teacher
evaluations.
(2) Explore options
with other school
districts for
collaborative
skype-style
learning
opportunities.
(3) Review trends in
blended learning
and devise a plan
of action for
incorporation into
classrooms by
F2015.
Information Access current
information to
supplement teaching
resources with
electronic sources and
online services.
Subject area leaders
research and propose
technology plan for
subjects by S2014.
Plans are approved by
district by end of
2014. Teachers use
(1) Teachers
demonstrate in
lesson plans use
of technology.
Standard on
teacher
evaluations
14. RUNNINGHEADER: FloridaSchool DistrictTechnologyPlanAssessment
14
Access student
progress and
assessment data.
Access professional
journals and
information online.
Provide students with
experience to guide
their evaluation and
use of information
found online.
new technology
F2014.
Accomplishing.
To Be Determined.
Do we add this to
teacher evaluations?
Subject area leaders
research and propose
technology plan for
subjects by S2014.
Plans are approved by
district by end of
2014. Teachers use
new technology
F2014.
starting F2014.
(2) Include on teacher
evaluations their
use of student data
to drive best
practice in the
classroom.
(3) Host focus groups
and research how
other successful
school districts are
incorporating the
use of
professional
journals for
professional
development,
teacher
evaluations, etc.
(4) Curriculum and
Instruction will
create curriculum
guides for all
subject areas on
the incorporation
of technology in
the classroom
starting F 2015.
Productivity Increase teaching time
by using management
programs to streamline
grades, attendance,
lunch count, etc.
Use report card
programs, databases,
and spreadsheets to
manage student data.
Prepare high quality
teaching materials at
the desktop.
Accomplishing.
Make this a part of
teacher evaluations
starting in F2013.
Accomplishing.
Assess success of
these systems in
S2013 and make
proposal for systemic
improvements.
Subject area leaders
research and propose
technology plan for
subjects by S2014.
(1) Evaluate teachers
based on their use
of technology
platforms for
timeliness and
accuracy of
grades,
attendance,
student data, etc.
(2) Evaluate teachers
based on their
review and use of
data to drive best
practices in lesson
planning,
differentiated
instruction, etc.
15. RUNNINGHEADER: FloridaSchool DistrictTechnologyPlanAssessment
15
Plans are approved by
district by end of
2014. Teachers use
new technology
F2014.
*Professional Development Outcomes and Standards were taken from Leon County School
District’s technology plan (Leon County Schools, 2006, p. 6).
References
Ash,K. (2012, October24). Blendedlearningchoices. Education Week,pp.S4-S5.
HillsboroughCountyPublicSchools.(2012,July11). Copyright. RetrievedNovember24,2012, from
LibraryMedia Services:http://lms.mysdhc.org/handbook/Copyright#b
Holladay,J.(2011). Cyberbullying. Education Digest:EssentialReadingsCondensed forQuickReview,v76
n5 , 4-9.
International SocietyforTechnologyinEducation.(2007). nets-s-standards. RetrievedNovember24,
2012, fromInternational societyfortechnologyineducation:
http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/nets-s-standards.pdf?sfvrsn=2
Jones,D.L. (2011). Academicdishonesty:Are more studentscheating? BusinessCommunication
Quarterly,Volume74, Number2, 141-150.
LeonCountySchools.(2006, August). Community information files. RetrievedNovember24,2012, from
LeonCountySchools’StudentInternetUse/AccessPermissionFormandGuidelinesfor
TelecommunicationsUse:
http://www.leon.k12.fl.us/newlcshomefiles/community_information_files/Media%20Release%
20Form%202006.pdf