Appendix 4 : Curriculum/Technology Integration

4.1 The MCCSC will develop and implement an ongoing collaborative process with business representatives, parents, teachers, and students to integrate technology as a tool within all curricular areas. The purposes will be:

4.1.1 To enhance student learning:
• increase student independence and responsibility as learners
• develop student communication skills
• develop student research and information processing skills
• improve student knowledge and skills in appropriate content areas
• develop student critical thinking and problem solving skills
• provide opportunities for students to work with technological tools they are likely to encounter as adults

4.1.2 To increase teacher efficiency and/or effectiveness:

• provide technological resources necessary for creating challenging, student-centered classrooms
• provide tools to facilitate effective communication with students, parents and colleagues
• provide technological resources to help teachers manage information
• provide technological resources for teachers to access broader sources of information about content and instructional methodologies

4.2.1 The Monroe County Community School Corporation will develop a acceptable use policy for students, staff and community which encompasses state policy and guidelines and which addresses appropriate use of and access to the Internet, the WAN , LAN, computers, and other technology resources.
Completed January 31, 1996:
Policy / Guidelines 2521 -- Student Access to Networked Resources

4.3 The Office of Curriculum/Assessment/Instruction will coordinate a standing committee of teachers, administrators and community members which will review current curriculum and instructional strategies related to technology integration and annually (early in the second semester) communicate developments and recommendations to the Superintendent and to individual schools.

Ongoing:
Draft Descriptors of Technology Skills were distributed to buildings in preparation for committee development of Technology and Information Skills curriculum.
Completed April 16, 1999:
Technology/Information Skills Curriculum, K-12 Proficiencies and Objectives.
MCCSC will coordinate with Library and Media Specialists to integrate Technology Skills Curriculum into a developing Information Skills Curriculum.

4.4 The Office of Curriculum/Assessment/Instruction and the Office of Information Services will coordinate a committee of teachers, administrators, and community members which will review issues relating to the technology resources of instructional staff and annually (early in the second semester) communicate developments and recommendations to the Superintendent and to individual schools.

4.4.1 Teacher efficiency and/or effectiveness will be increased:
• Teachers will have technological resources necessary for creating challenging, student-centered classrooms.
  Ongoing:
  Equipment Report. MCCSC has an installed base of 3,000 (approximate) NT 4.0 Workstation computers networked to 29 NT Server 4.0, Novell 4.0, UNIX and Linux servers in both Local Area and Wide Area Network configurations. Arrangement and distribution varies from school-to-school, classroom-to-classroom. Each school plans and purchases to address local curriculum and instructional objectives.
  
  • The MCCSC will explore feasibility of lap top computers for teachers.
    Ongoing:
    The current difference in cost between portable and desktop equipment mitigates accomplishing this objective.
    
  • The MCCSC will clarify or modify policy to allow teachers to use school computers at home
    Clarified:
    Allowed with supervisor's permission. The equipment needs to be returned in the same configuration and ready to operate on the MCCSC network. Any modifications to connectivity, any software or hardware added or removed, are the responsibility of the staff member, not the MCCSC.
    
  
  
• Teachers will have tools to facilitate effective communication with students, parents and colleagues.
  Ongoing:
  IS and CAI have e-mail and web accounts for every staff member. Staff members can request classroom or activity e-mail and web accounts on an ongoing or specific (limited) basis. The current number of accounts is 1851 (allowing for resignations, retirements, active accounts are probably close to 1700).
  
• Teachers will have technological resources to manage information.
• Teachers will have technological resources to access broader sources of information about content and instructional methodologies
  • The MCCSC will prepare a list of technology users in the schools (names, areas of expertise, phone numbers).
    Ongoing:
    Iinformation Services [IS] and Curriculum/Assessment/Instruction [CAI] are working with buidling administrators and technology coordinators. These lists are providing mentors and instructors for corporate- and building-level staff development.
    
  • The MCCSC will develop an e-mail address list of technology users for bulk mailings, and individual contacts.
    Ongoing:
    See above. Completed May 5, 2000
    
  • The MCCSC will publish a periodic e-mail news letter highlighting interesting examples of using technology to implement the curriculum.
    Ongoing:
    IS and CAI use e-mail (and weekly and monthly staff and coordinator meetings to distribute this information.
    
  • The MCCSC will develop electronic forums focusing on how technology can address the curriculum.
    See above. Ongoing:
    
  • The MCCSC and/or individual schools will sponsor technology demonstrations with teachers as demonstrators and observers.
  • The MCCSC and/or individual schools will sponsor technology application fairs, focusing on the curriculum and how to enhance instruction using technology.

Appendix 5 : Maintenance/Upgrade/Replace

Maintenance/Upgrade/Replace has identified the close relationships and continued feedback loops between the Maintenance/Upgrade/Replace and the Technology Selection teams -- the selection of appropriate and financially equitable equipment (product decisions, technology decisions, and system development decisions to be made by the Technology Selection team) -- and between the Maintenance/Upgrade/Replace and the Pro fessional Development teams -- the ongoing support and development of the continual changes in the use of technology.

5.1 The MCCSC will have the infrastructure to support technology and the use of technology.

5.1.1 The MCCSC will define and implement programs necessary to provide appropriate and equitable:
• Installation of new technology
• Maintenance and upgrading of existing technology
• Support for use of technology
• Technology replacement strategy

5.1.2 MCCSC will allocate a portion of its technology funds to maintenance, support and upgrade costs.

5.1.3 The MCCSC Office of Information Services will provide maintenance support for technology resources, including:

• an on-site technician in each building at least once-a-week,
• on-call technical support.

5.3 The MCCSC will explore the possibility of creating a school - community / student - senior citizen partnership for first level technical support.

5.3.1 Investigate opportunities for creating student expertise and other student resources, possibly in cooperation with IVY Tech State College and Indiana University for practicum coursework.

5.3.2 Investigate rewards/awards for support students.

5.4 The MCCSC offices of Curriculum, Assessment and Instruction (Instructional Technology) and of Information Systems will collaborate to increase "troubleshooting" and first level technical skills.

5.4.1 Train at least one more "technically comfortable" staff user each year.

5.5 The Monroe County Community School Corporation will appoint an on-site teacher coordinator to oversee technology resources, establish a chain for reporting problems and scheduling repairs, and for coordinating replacement and equipment purchase s.

5.5.1 Examine the role and responsibility of the current position of "computer coordinator." Ongoing: Computer Coordinator sub-committee to report in November

5.6 The MCCSC will develop replacement plans as a collaborative effort with Curriculum/Technology Integration, Technology Selection, Finance, and Maintenance/Upgrade/Replace teams.

5.6.1 Necessity to look at current technology

5.6.2 Keep in mind the continual need for uniformity, standards development, and interoperability issues

Maintenance/Upgrade/Replace has further identified issues for further discussion and examination: security systems, implementation of "if...then" scenarios, and ratio scenarios (number of systems per classroom, number of systems per lab).

Appendix 6 : Technology Selection

Each network computer will be equipped with a standard and predictable user
interface and appropriate management, communications and application software.
Action Plan: Appendix 1 -- Organization

• review current integrated technology practices and standards of the corporation and the individual schools;
• establish, based on this review and upon best available and appropriate information and advice, a minimum technology standard;
• serve as a resource to schools and individuals planning any investment in technology;
• consist of teachers and administrators with technical expertise and recent experience, appropriate community volunteers, and the Instructional Technology Coordinator.

6.1.1 The Office of Information Services will notify building principals, computer coordinators, and media specialists of the technology selection process.
• Instructional Technology and Information Services will construct a questionaire to identify individuals and areas of expertise .
• The questionaire will be distributed and collected though the buildings and tabulated byfunction.
• The instructional building administrative offices and the network servers will be provided with at least one 800 lpm printer -- dot matrix, ink jet or laser.

6.4.3 MCCSC will develop and implement purchase standards and connection protocols for other peripheral devices, including, but not limited to the following:

• flat-bed and/or hand-held scanners
• digital cameras
• compact-disk (CD) ROM
• sound adapters and speakers
• video and television adapters

6.4.4 MCCSC will continue to use and support equipment which falls below these standards, as long as the equipment functions adequately. To reduce the demands on support and network management resources, as well as enhance the functional level of e quipment available for use, MCCSC will have as a priority to decommission and replace this equipment.

• The "Standard B" workstation (PC 8086, 80286, 80386, et al.) will be connected to the LAN and will support at least three functions:
  • administrative -- grades and attendance
  • applications -- word processing, database, spreadsheets, and subject-specific software
  • communications -- e-mail, text access to the LAN, WAN and Internet
• A "Standard C" workstation (Apple IIe, IIgs, IIc; Tandy-Radio Shack models I, II, 4, 4P; Commodore models) will not be connected to the LAN but will support at least the following function:
  • applications -- word processing, data base, spreadsheets, subject area software
• Dot-matrix printers -- other than high-speed, high quality for data processing.

6.4.5 The MCCSC will work with community video cable providers to assure a building-level access point for each MCCSC building.

• Each appropriate classroom or instructional center will be equipped with a programmable television monitor connected to the community cable system.
• MCCSC will develop and implement purchase standards and connection protocols for video and audio devices, including, but not limited to the following:
  • video monitor
  • video cassette player/recorder
  • video cassette camera
  • video-disk player
  • sound systems and speakers
• Multimedia packages or carts will contain additional resources, standards for which will be established by the committee.
• Television and video will be connected, as appropriate, to the classroom computer station.
• The MCCSC will investigate expanding video reception and distribution capabilities to include satelite, wireless cable, two-way interactive, and other technologies, such as data network video, as may be appropriate to the mission of the corporation. < /UL>

  6.4.6 MCCSC will install a new voice communications system based, if possible, on a corporate-wide standard.

  • The system will include an increase in the number of in-coming and out-going circuits.
  • The system will incorporate capacity for voice-mail, homework hotlines and intercom functions.
  • The system will allow for the installation of a telephone in each appropriate classroom, office or work area.

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