bemidji area schools technology plan

Bemidji Area Schools Technology Plan

1


2013 – 2015 Revision


2

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .............................................................................................. 3

Rationale ......................................................................................................................... 3 Goals and Objectives of the Plan .................................................................................... 3 Highlights of the Plan ..................................................................................................... 4 Benefits of the Plan ......................................................................................................... 4

ASSUMPTIONS ................................................................................................................ 6 THE PLAN ........................................................................................................................ 7

I. Student Access ............................................................................................................... 7 II. Support and Training .................................................................................................. 9

III. Standards .................................................................................................................. 11 IV. Student Assessment .................................................................................................. 12 V. Community/Family Access and Support ................................................................. 13

VII. Video......................................................................................................................... 15 VIII. Communications .................................................................................................... 16

IX. Student Records System........................................................................................... 17 X. Administrative Systems ............................................................................................. 18 XI. Facilities ..................................................................................................................... 19

XII. Obsolescence Planning............................................................................................ 20

XIII. Inventory ................................................................................................................ 21 XIV. Budget ..................................................................................................................... 22

Tech Budget .............................................................................................................. 22

Appendix A – Technical Infrastructure ........................................................................ 24 LANs ................................................................................................................................. 24

WAN ................................................................................................................................. 25 Internet / Intranet............................................................................................................... 25

Telephone Systems .......................................................................................................... 27 Appendix B – Disaster Recovery ................................................................................... 28 I. District-Wide Data Protection ...................................................................................... 28 II. Core System Hardware Recovery ............................................................................... 28 Network Hardware ............................................................................................................ 29

Administrative Hardware .................................................................................................. 29

Inter/Intranet Services Hardware ...................................................................................... 29

III. Telephone Services .................................................................................................... 30 Appendix C – Acceptable Use ........................................................................................ 31 Appendix D – Technology Scope and Sequence ........................................................... 32

Technology Scope and Sequence for Grades 1 – 5 ....................................................... 32


3

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Rationale

Independent School District #31, the Bemidji Area Schools, has used personal

computers in the classroom curriculum and for administrative support functions for over

twenty years. Rapid changes in technology make it challenging to keep pace with

emerging technologies that will benefit our learners. Students are exposed to interactive

technologies such as video, computers and multimedia outside of the school setting. As

we advance into the 21st Century schools must reevaluate past and current teaching

practices. We must study and revise those practices. We need to repurpose existing

inventories, assess ways to take advantage of emerging technological tools, incorporate

them into the curriculum and, in keeping with the District Mission, prepare our learners

to succeed in our diverse and changing world.

Students attending Bemidji Schools now compete for a living with students not

only within our community or state or even our country but worldwide. This becomes

even more evident with the ubiquitous role the Internet plays in the lives of students

today. Our students must not merely be able to survive in a highly technical society-but

to excel. In order for them to do so, we must provide them with experiences that will

equip them for the future.

Familiar technologies of print, film and television have merged with the

technologies of the computer and telephone. Classrooms can now connect to valuable

instructional resources never before possible. Networks are the carriers of those

communications. Thus we need, as a District, to agree to maintain our network and the

support structure to help our students and staff access and utilize those vital resources.

Goals and Objectives of the Plan

This plan provides a system for planning, evaluating, acquiring, managing and

supporting the use of technology-based instructional and administrative hardware and

software. Its scope includes textual and audiovisual transmission media (cable, radio

waves, etc.), computers and computer-related technology, instructional information

resources, together with their required support structures. Specific objectives of the plan

are to:

Continue the ongoing District technology planning process.

Enhance student achievement through integrated use of technology.

Describe a basic level of technology-based resources for the District.

Identify short-term infrastructure and equipment needs.

Provide students and staff with increased and appropriate access to technology.

Identify staffing and training needs.

Provide a structure for future technology acquisition and implementation.

Provide methods of assessing measurable benefits from the deployment of

technology within our organization.


4

Highlights of the Plan

Addresses equitable access for students, staff and families.

Maintains a Technology department as well as local technology committees at

schools and programs to implement discretionary elements of the plan.

Improves student access to technology significantly through the installation of up-

to-date technology throughout the buildings.

Further unites all computer and technology functions throughout the District in a

network to facilitate communication and shared resources.

Provides all teachers and support staff with access to computer workstations.

Provides access to Internet for students, staff and community members.

Emphasizes and supports technology staff development and implementation of

the resources as curriculum tools.

Provides appropriate technical support to all staff.

Provides access to timely, accurate data on a central administrative database via

the District network.

Links parents and community members to the data they need.

Annually reviews, evaluates and adjusts the plan.

Benefits of the Plan

Enhances the learning environment for all learners.

Motivates students and faculty.

Provides technological and academic skill development, remediation and

enrichment at appropriate developmental levels for all learners.

Provides access to the global community from the classroom.

Increases staff productivity and efficiency allowing for more teacher/student

interaction.

Improves communication among staff, parents and the community.

Provides a comprehensive, staff-endorsed blueprint to guide technology in the

District.

Provides improved support services, efficiency and productivity.

Reduces various costs by allowing resources to be shared via networks.

Allows for the collection and disbursement of data, which allows the District

improved decision making and planning processes.


5

INTRODUCTION

This plan, updated annually, addresses the need for technology support,

acquisition, training and development, with recommendations for meeting these needs.

Administrative technology and infrastructure (networks, telecommunications and facility

concerns) are also addressed.

Implementation of the plan has required flexibility since the level and method of

funding has varied. However, most of the technology purchases have been a result of a

well-supported local referendum that was passed in 1997. Lease/purchase agreements,

federal and state programs or grants, foundation grants, business partnerships or

increased capital outlay expenditures are also considered as revenue sources for funding

the plan. The plan has been implemented over the past seventeen years and has required

ongoing evaluation and revision as well as an annual budget for maintenance, upgrading

and support.

This current plan provides guidance for PreK-12 technology decision-making.

There are now three “working” plans at each level (elementary, middle and high school)

that serve as the blueprints for technology activities in the schools. These plans are

revised yearly and detail specific purchases and implementation of hardware, software

and training for the coming year.


6

ASSUMPTIONS

1. This plan will continue to be appropriately funded.

2. The Plan will be reviewed and modified annually.

3. Based on the Bemidji Area Schools’ mission “to empower each learner to succeed in

our diverse and changing world” the District sees educational technology as being a

necessary and integral part of each learner’s success in a competitive world.

4. Technology should be used as a tool in a student’s daily learning experiences to

enhance creativity and critical thinking skills.

5. As with any recurring expense, such as textbooks or transportation, technology must

be funded on an ongoing annual basis.

6. Community Involvement

The surrounding community must have access to District technology in part

through Community Education activities.

The community will support technology in the District via volunteer efforts and

business partnerships.

7. The District is prepared to offer leadership and vision in the area of educational

technology.

8. Technology Trends

Electronic textbooks are emerging as viable alternatives to traditional print.

Cloud-based computing and virtualization are becoming commonplace in

education.

Mobile technologies are changing the ways children and teachers interact, and the

way teachers deliver their lessons.

Social media and online course management software are gaining ground as a

way for schools to extend learning beyond the classroom.

9. The District will use this plan in future facility, technology and curricular planning.

10. Needs for technology-related funding will be assessed based on this plan.

11. This plan will only be successful if critical training and support are an integral part of

it, including the resources needed to:

Coordinate classes, workshops, and inservice days.

Manage systems.

Repair and replace systems.

Review software for curriculum and add new or updated versions when necessary.

Keep up with meaningful and appropriate technology trends.


7

THE PLAN

To reflect the flexible nature of this document and to provide benchmarks for future

planning and progress toward goals, the following icons will be used to represent

progress made toward recommendations on a 3-year continuum:

Ongoing / Complete

To be completed / implemented within 1 year

To be completed / implemented within 2 years

To be completed / implemented within 3 years

I. Student Access

Need:

Provide students with access to a variety of technologies at each level.

Objectives:

Learners will have access to multiple forms of technology throughout their day.

Develop means to identify successful technology innovations and encourage their

widespread use across the curriculum.

Encourage student peer-to-peer tutoring and interaction.

Recommendations:

A. Minimum standard for student-use equipment: GUI; Processor: Intel Dual

Core; 4 gb RAM, 200 GB hard drive; color monitor; and Ethernet connection.

Technology Office will continue to review above standards annually.

B. Technology Coordinator, in cooperation with building site committees and

principals, is to assure that such standards are applied in the purchasing

process.

C. In each building, the Media Center will have both circulation and card catalog

systems that are available on the building network.

D. The goals set in prior District Technology Plans were specific to equipment

and use of space. Each level (elementary, middle and high school) will

establish a technology committee and will maintain an annual plan that details

the technology priorities for the coming school year. These plans will be

reviewed by the technology coordinator annually so ensure that they align

with the district goals.


8

E. Due to the nature of the following facilities, special accommodations will

continue to be made: Area Learning Center, Adult Basic Education, Early

Childhood Family Education, Early Intervention Center, Community

Education, Transportation, By-Law and Jr.By-Law, and the First City School.

F. As necessary and/or possible, equipment and software will be purchased

and/or re-allocated for assistive/adaptive instructional needs.

G. The Director of Business Services in conjunction with the Technology

Coordinator will determine that local area networks in all of the buildings and

a wide area network tying the buildings together are maintained.

H. The Director of Curriculum and Instruction in coordination with the

Technology Department will develop a technology skills scope and sequence

which coordinates with curriculum reviews to:

1. Identify/recommend through the District’s design process:

a. Reassessment of all curricular areas to include technology.

b. Department/grade level plans.

c. Software/hardware that supports curriculum goals.

d. Serve as vehicle for distribution of funds.

e. Annual review, assessment of implementation, revise.

2. Integrate technology goals with curriculum planning (See Appendix F)

a. In-depth research by curriculum committees “on-cycle.”

b. Include skills that can be remedial, taught, enhanced with technology.

c. Include technology skills that will be taught in order to teach other

skills and provide support for teachers to best utilize the tools to teach

these skills.

I. Encourage field-testing and experimentation with emerging technologies and

ideas that support curriculum and student achievement goals.

1. Building Tech Committee will track and evaluate experimental programs

and share assessment results with other sites.

2. Technology Manager will oversee these programs and present progress

updates to Technology Department.

J. Technology Department will work with teaching staff to explore opportunities

to utilize online media to extend the classroom beyond the school day. This

will include online textbooks, social media and modular courseware

development tools designed to provide opportunities for students to

collaborate and learn from anywhere.


9

II. Support and Training Need:

The District must continue to provide adequate training and technology support for

students and District personnel.

Objectives:

Establish a structured support and inservice plan.

Provide instructional staff with reliable access to technology.

Ensure that systems that support student instruction and student access to technology

function consistently and with few interruptions.

Recommendations:

A. Create a Technology Support department with the following personnel:

1. A Technology Coordinator responsible for the supervision and management

of the technology department and associated personnel.

2. A Computer/Communications Repair Technician responsible for servicing

computer-related hardware and communications media.

3. One Technology Integration Specialist with the responsibility for coordinating

and providing assistance and instruction for district staff. This person will be

the primary staff development resource with respect to the integration of

technology in the classroom.

4. One full time computer/network specialist at the middle school level with

responsibility for first level support and maintenance of hardware, software

and network.

5. One full time computer/network specialist at the high school level with


and network.

6. One full time computer/network specialist at the elementary level with


and network.


10

B. Licensed technology support personnel:

1. Elementary, middle and high school level Media Specialists responsible for

library administrative systems, electronic media, as well as other media center

duties.

2. One Instructor of Technology at each elementary school (half-time in

buildings with eight sections or less and full-time in all other elementary

buildings) responsible for following the technology curriculum while

instructing grades one through five, and collaborating with classroom teachers

to determine methods of integrating technology with classroom lessons.

C. Provide laptop or desktop computer system for each licensed staff member with

capabilities to include requirements as: Intel Dual Core processor; 4 gb RAM, 200

GB hard drive; color monitor; and Ethernet connection. Technology Department

will continue to review above standards annually.

D. Develop a program for check out of equipment to staff members. (Process to be

determined by individual buildings.)

E. It is recommended that the Technology Department, through the district’s policy

making process, develop programs and policies for the following:

1. Minimum standards for hardware and software selection.

2. Acceptable use of hardware, software, Internet and copyrighted materials.

3. Obsolescence.

4. Backing up data.

5. Back up equipment.

6. Repair policy for non-warranted items.

H. Establish a Technology Training Center for staff development. This facility

would be used for training by District staff and the community.


11

III. Standards Need:

Strive for hardware, software and policy consistency throughout the District.

Objective:

Establish a process to assess and standardize acquisition of hardware, software, and

technology-related curriculum materials district-wide, including courses such as

industrial technology, elementary technology classes, and allied arts.

Recommendations:

A. Director of Curriculum in coordination with Technology Department to develop a

technology skills scope and sequence which coordinates with curriculum reviews.

B. District Technology Department will establish policy or standards regarding

acceptance/rejection of donated technology items to District.

C. Establish policies for acceptable use of hardware, software and copyrighted materials.

D. The Technology Coordinator as well as the Director of Business Services will review

proposed technology purchases.

E. Technology Coordinator in conjunction with the Technology Department and the

Director of Curriculum and Instruction will regularly evaluate versions of District-

wide software, and recommend upgrades as needed.

1. Adopt Microsoft Office as the staff standard for word processing.

2. Adopt standard software for elementary tech classes.

3. Establish Standards for Web Pages throughout the District.


12

IV. Student Assessment Needs:

Find a more efficient and effective method of student assessment reporting and recording.

Develop streamlined methods of collection, storing and sharing data.

Establish benchmarks and track student growth.

Objectives:

Evaluate programs currently in progress.

Investigate additional authentic assessment alternatives and reporting systems.

Assess and evaluate students individually, by grade level, and by building and compare

this school district with results from other school districts.

Recommendations:

A. The Director of Curriculum and Instruction should investigate what is being done

state and nation-wide in the area of assessment.

B. Director of Curriculum and Instruction, and the Technology Department will assess

data currently provided by the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment, Accelerated

Reading and Math, and MAP testing to establish benchmarks and track student

achievement individually, by grade level, by building, and District-wide.


13

V. Community/Family Access and Support Need:

Find ways to engage the community and families through the use of technology.

Objective:

To identify and locate resources that may be shared among the District, businesses and

the community in general and provide information for parents and families.

Provide more effective means of communicating information to district families.

Recommendations:

A. Provide online access for families to track student progress (grades, attendance,

scheduling, etc).

B. Provide methods for families to make online payments where appropriate. (For

example, lunches, student fees, community education classes).

C. Develop a district-wide notification system capable of delivering emergency

information or announcements quickly and through a variety of media.


14

VI. Internet and Electronic Mail

Need:

Maintain/improve local and wide area networks and internet access for all district

buildings.

Staff development in applicable uses of internet resources.

Develop consistent Acceptable Use Policy.

Utilize technical resources to enhance and support professional growth.

Objective:

Provide reliable connectivity throughout the District and develop practices that allow

teachers to provide information and collaboration opportunities for students beyond the

regular school day.

Recommendations:

A. Technology Department to use wide and local area networks connected to an Internet

service provider to distribute services throughout all buildings at speeds of at least

10MBps for school buildings.

B. Staff in all buildings will receive training in Internet use, including FirstClass and

methods of using a variety of web-based resources to integrate with curriculum.

C. Maintain filtering software and incorporate the appropriate software/hardware

District-wide.

D. Maintain internal platform for messaging/communication/email.

E. Explore and develop methods to provide online instruction.

F. Explore and implement platforms to allow students access to classroom information,

resources and collaboration opportunities from anywhere internet access is available.


15

VII. Video Need:

Learners need access to video equipment, multimedia production opportunities, and

educational programming.

Objective:

Provide access to video equipment and educational programming to all learners.

Recommendations:

A. Communications Department and building principals to:

1. Establish a consistent cable plant to provide cable TV access to all classrooms.

2. Provide a means of receiving and recording video signal in each classroom.

3. Provide mobile production/broadcast equipment at the middle school, high school,

and elementary level.

4. Encourage and develop digital video production and editing by students.


16

VIII. Communications Need:

Reliable local, long distance and cellular phone service.

Standardization of phone systems district-wide.

Objective:

Have a coordinated, compatible voice communications system complete with teacher

voice mail.

Recommendations:

A. Director of Business Services will coordinate with the district communications

technician to:

1. Assess needs on a building-by-building basis to provide local telephone access to

all buildings and classrooms.

2. Develop a plan for implementation of a coordinated system.

3. Install and maintain a consistent/coordinated phone system.

4. Establish consistent and cost-effective long distance and cellular phone service.


17

IX. Student Records System

Need:

Maintain a centralized student records system to eliminate duplication of effort and the

ensuing inaccuracies involved in entering student information in multiple databases, and

improve the appearance and timeliness of student reports.

Objective:

The District will continue to maintain a student record system with a consistent interface,

MARSS compatibility, and single data repository for access throughout the District.

Recommendations:

A. District Technology Coordinator will maintain student records system and associated

components (servers, networks, and end-user workstations) necessary for the function

of the system.

B. Appropriate District personnel will receive regular support and training necessary to

perform job functions related to the student records system.

C. District leadership will continue to review and adapt current record-keeping functions

to merge with student records system (Graduation Standards, test scores, report cards,

etc).


18

X. Administrative Systems

Need:

An effective and efficient system for processing and distributing administrative

information.

Objective:

To provide an electronic means of facilitating day-to-day administrative operations.

Recommendations:

A. Director of Business Services, the Technology Department and end users to

investigate and purchase a system capable of providing the following:

1. Supply and Equipment Requisitions.

2. General Ledger.

3. Accounts Receivable and Payable.

4. Payroll.

5. Fixed Assets

6. Inventory

7. Building and Fleet Maintenance

8. Transportation Scheduling

9. Personnel management.

10. Facilities Scheduling

11. State Reporting

B. Provide access to all administrative staff. This implies connections to both local and

wide area networks.


19

XI. Facilities Need:

The technology plan needs to be incorporated into all future development in all buildings

within the District.

Objective:

Ensure that future development/renovations in the buildings accommodate technology.

Recommendations:

A. Electrical systems should be examined and upgraded as needed by Buildings and

Grounds as supervised by the Director of Business Services.

B. Director of Business Services will coordinate with architects, engineers, Buildings

and Grounds, consultants, principals, and planners when any work is undertaken in

the buildings to assure that buildings will accommodate technology as it is described

in the District Technology Plan.


20

XII. Obsolescence Planning Need:

To identify obsolete systems and continuously assess thresholds for repair and recycle.

Objective:

Set a minimum standard using a cost/benefit analysis by which repairs and replacements

can be justified.

Recommendations:

A. Technology Department in conjunction with elementary, middle school and high

school technology committees will annually review technology inventory as part of

the budgeting process and determine which items need replacement.

B. The Technology Department in conjunction with the District Safety Manager will

develop a policy of disposal/repurposing for replaced and obsolete items.


21

XIII. Inventory Needs:

Inventory keeping methods must be standardized District wide.

Technology must be clearly defined as it relates to teacher use and student learning (ie,

what is considered technology and what is not) .

Objectives:

Establish a structured inventory method for all buildings in our District.

Establish clear methods of requisitioning equipment, maintaining warrantee and

maintenance agreements and maintaining an accurate and available inventory.

Recommendations:

A. Technology, in terms of inventory and Technology Department responsibility, shall

be defined as:

1. Computers, mobile devices, printers, scanners, digital cameras, digital projectors,

presentation stations, etc. District tech committees will not be responsible for

clocks, alarms, sound systems, and other items, which do not connect directly to

our wide area network.

2. As is true with this entire plan, this definition will be reviewed annually to assure

it is in compliance with emerging technologies and the mission of the District.

B. Create a District wide template for current inventory.

C. Make said database accessible to tech and media personnel to regularly update

records.

D. All technology purchases will be channeled through the Technology Coordinator to

assure District standards are met at optimal costs.


22

XIV. Budget Need:

To provide District staff with knowledge of existing funds and a reasonable estimate of

what will be budgeted in successive years.

To define areas of spending specific to technology, i.e. building allocations for

hardware/software purchases and maintenance, WAN expenses.

Objective:

Establish line items for Technology in the existing District budget.

Recommendations:

A. The Technology Coordinator will consult with the Director or Business Services

annually to determine technology budget allocations.

B. Building Technology Committees will be informed as soon as fiscally possible of the

following school year’s budget.

C. Budget Proposal for School Years 2013-2015:

Tech Budget

Staff Expenses 390,000

Data/Telecom Services Charges 95,000

WAN Improvements and Maintenance 50,000

Building Allocations 150,000

District Technology Discretionary 45,000

1. Staff Expenses: District Technology Coordinator, 4 Computer/Network

Specialists, 1 System Specialist.

2. Data/Telecom Services Charges: Metro Ethernet, DSL service, Local

Telephone service, Long Distance, Cellular Phone service.

3. WAN Improvements and Maintenance: Network electronics upgrades, Core

system hardware/software maintenance agreements.

4. Building Allocations: Per-pupil allocations distributed to Building

Technology Committees.


23

5. District Technology Discretionary: Unforeseen District technology software

and hardware maintenance requirements.


24

Appendix A – Technical Infrastructure

Bemidji Area Schools has made great strides in establishing both Local Area Networks

(LANs) and a Wide Area Network (WAN). The original Technology Plan written in

1995 clearly detailed the need to establish and maintain such networks reasoning that

they formed the foundation upon which most other components of the Technology Plan

rely.

This appendix is intended to provide historical information relating to the essential

components of the District network infrastructure, and as a planning document for future

improvements/upgrade to the network infrastructure. It is the intention of the

Technology Department to revise this appendix on a yearly basis.

LANs

The original Technology Plan called for Local Area Networks in all District buildings. In

most cases, network installations are retrofit. Wiring closets are located in storage areas

and other non-classroom/low traffic locations. Few have air conditioning, but most have

adequate space for ventilation and are in locations that are locked.

The following table lists each building, type of network implemented, and future

improvements planned:

Building Network Type (Hardware/Backbone) Future Plans Timeframe

Central 100 mb Switched

Lincoln 100 mb Switched / 100 mb Fiber

J.W. Smith 100 mb Switched

Horace May 100 mb Switched

Northern 100 mb Switched

Paul Bunyan 100 mb Switched

Solway 100 mb Switched

Middle School 100 mb Switched

High School 100/1000 mb Switched / 1000 mb Fiber

District Office 100/1000 mb Switched

Transportation 100 mb Switched

Community Ed 100 mb Switched

First City 100 mb Switched

Warehouse 100 mb Switched

Maintenance 100 mb Switched

DEC 100 mb Switched


25

WAN

Wide Area Network connections were established for all buildings by the 1998-99 school

year. Initial Internet access was provided by a TAG grant and provided a T1 connection

at the Middle School for both video and data connectivity. An additional T1 was added

during the 1990-00 school year for data only. WAN connections now are primarily

Metro Ethernet with a couple of locations still using 10Mbit DSL. The District continues

to apply for Federal E-rate funding for these connections annually. In addition, the

Technology Department continues to seek the most cost-effective solutions for

connectivity.

The table below describes WAN connections at each building:

Building WAN Connection(s)

Central 10 MBit Metro Ethernet

Lincoln 10 MBit Metro Ethernet

J.W. Smith 10 MBit Metro Ethernet

Horace May 10 MBit Metro Ethernet

Northern 10 MBit Metro Ethernet

Paul Bunyan 1000 MBit Metro Ethernet

Solway 10 MBit Metro Ethernet

Middle School 100 MBit Metro Ethernet

High School 100 MBit Metro Ethernet

District Office 1000 MBit Metro Ethernet

Transportation 10 MBit Metro Ethernet

Community Ed 10 MBit Metro Ethernet

Riverside 10 MBit DSL

First City 10 MBit Metro Ethernet

Warehouse 10 MBit DSL

Maintenance 100 MBit Metro Ethernet

DEC 10 MBit Metro Ethernet

Internet / Intranet

As part of the findings and objectives described in the Tech Plan, the District has

established several key core components of the network infrastructure that provide

services upon which those objectives are based. These services are divided into the

following categories:

Security


26

Filtering

Email

Web Services

Miscellaneous

Security

Access to District resources is generally restricted to only web-based resources. Security

is controlled by a firewall with standard security practices like access lists and the use of

non-routable IP addresses in conjunction with Network Address Translation (NAT).

Access-list control is employed on the firewall at the edge of the network and serves to

deny access to any resource inside the network that needs to remain secure. Resources

that do not require the need for public access, including student and administrative

workstations, are given non-routable IP addresses that are translated at the edge routers

when access to Internet resources is required.

Filtering

Bemidji Area Schools complies with The Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA).

Access to the Internet is provided with the understanding that students and staff follow

the guidelines detailed in the District Acceptable Use Policy (see appendix C). In

addition, all traffic entering and leaving the district network passes through a content

filter that restricts student access to unacceptable material.

Email

The District moved from ISP-based email services to in-house email services during the

1998-99 school year. The current system provides services to employees of the District

and Board members. The Technology Department will continue to explore methods of

providing safe email services to students, but provides no such services at this time.

The District email system provides regular Internet email, shared calendars, group/private

on-line conferences, and personal web space. The system is heavily used with nearly 900

accounts and continues to grow as a tool for communication and information sharing

within the District. The District Office disseminates employment information, graduation

standards information, curriculum discussion, and leadership communication through this

system. Teachers and buildings maintain public calendars and building-wide discussion

and information conferences on the system.

Web Services

Bemidji Area Schools maintains a variety of web based information sources. While there

is no one person designated as the “web master”, several buildings maintain their own

web pages following a common template with links back to the main District web page.


27

The Technology Department is committed to providing as many resources as possible via

the web and continuously reviews possible solutions to cut back on paper usage and

provide more complete and up-to-date information electronically. The District currently

uses the web for the following:

Attendance, Grading and student information retrieval for classroom teachers

at all levels.

Regularly updated - searchable warehouse catalog available to all employees

via the web.

Community Education maintains a web site from which the community can

view course offerings and register and pay electronically for the courses they

wish to take.

Basic District information available to community (Board Members, District

phone numbers, etc.)

Family Access to student information including grades, attendance and the

ability to view lunch purchases and make payments online for school lunches.

Telephone Systems

The district currently purchases service for approximately 250 Centrex lines for local

telephone service. Each building has a digital PBX system to manage call transfers and

voice mail. The District provides telephone communications to every classroom in the

district for parent/instructor interaction.

This service is currently under contract with a local telephone cooperative. The

System Specialist, Technology Coordinator and Director of Business Services continue

assess telephone services and look for cost-effective ways of delivering local phone

service to each district building including possible conversion to hosted Voice over IP

services.

In addition to local service, the district purchases long distance services and cellular

phone services for offices that have a demonstrated need. We have consolidated all

cellular service with a single vendor using their government pricing and purchase this

service on a month-to-month basis.


28

Appendix B – Disaster Recovery

Bemidji Area Schools relies more and more on electronic services to perform many

common daily functions. To address the need for policy relating to various levels of

service interruption, the Technology Department has established a set of guidelines to

follow as a means of both preventative maintenance and emergency recovery.

To provide some means of prioritizing situations that result in a loss of service, the

Technology Office will use the following categories (from most critical to least critical):

1. District-Wide Loss of access to core District student and financial data/telephone

services.

2. Localized loss of access to core District student and/or financial data or telephone

services.

3. Loss of access to District Intranet services (email, DNS, DHCP, etc.)

4. Failure of local building database or file services.

5. Loss of access to Internet.

I. District-Wide Data Protection

All student and financial data residing on the central district database are to be backed up

in the most effective means possible. Specific backup processes change periodically

these processes will be documented by the Technology Coordinator and made available

to all technology staff. Current backup practice provides three concurrent sets of backups

located on 1. The main server, 2. A backup server and 3. A high capacity data protection

unit containing all other server backups.

Servers will be connected to an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) to prevent data loss

and service interruption in the event of short-term power outages.

All other network services considered District-Wide (file services, email, web services,

etc.) will be governed by the following practices:

Data critical to the function and setup of any system will be backed up on a daily

basis. Again, these processes will be documented by the Technology

Coordinator.

Computers providing service will be connected to a UPS to prevent data loss and

service interruption in the event of short-term power outages.

II. Core System Hardware Recovery

The Technology Department recognizes that hardware failure will occur with most

devices over the span of their expected lifetime. While there is no specific provision for

the replacement of large numbers of devices lost due to catastrophic events like fire or

severe weather (other than insurance), the Technology Department will provide for the

replacement of devices lost due to hardware failure, human error, or minor localized


29

emergencies. For the purposes of this document, Core System Hardware will include

devices in the following categories:

Network Hardware

Administrative Hardware

Inter/Intranet Services Hardware

Network Hardware

Network hardware includes routers, hubs, switches, and any other electronic device

which controls or carries data throughout the District network.

The Technology Department will maintain at least one spare for every type of device

utilized throughout the District network. In many cases the Technology Department

stocks several switches and hubs to replace failed or damaged devices. It is the goal of

the Technology Department to be able to quickly resume service to areas affected by the

loss of network hardware, although service may temporarily be at a lower level of

function.

Hardware directly connecting buildings to Metro Ethernet service are the responsibility

of the local service provider.

The District maintains a yearly service contract on the core devices providing Internet

related services to all building.

Administrative Hardware

Administrative hardware includes computers providing access to our database services

for student and financial data.

The Technology Office maintains a backup server identical to the production server for

the purpose of rapid recovery from a hardware failure. The backup server is housed at

the high school and is maintained and updated on the same schedule as the production

server.

Inter/Intranet Services Hardware

The Technology Office currently maintains sufficient equipment and service options to

accommodate any loss in core intranet or Internet services. Spare computers exist to

restore mail and web services should the current service be disrupted for any reason. File

services, DNS and DHCP are spread across several servers and can be reestablished from

a variety of locations relatively quickly.


30

III. Telephone Services

Each of our locations served by PBX, have additional C.O. lines that are not connected to

the PBX in order to maintain guaranteed communication in the event of lost house power.

Examples are the fax machines, building safety, fire and intrusion system must have

security from PBX control for reliable communications with the outside world. All new

upgrades will include caller I.D. to be consistent throughout the district.

Building enhancements are added to systems such as zone paging, building all call

paging, and night ring to contact personnel after business hours. Each District designed

system includes emergency paging inside and outside emergency communications.

The District presently maintains a service department that can respond in minutes and has

a support inventory to completely restore lost service with minimum down time. The

matrix-cabling scheme is designed to restore outside communication in minutes.


31

Appendix C – Acceptable Use

The current Acceptable Use Policy is available at:

http://www.bemidji.k12.mn.us/pdf/aup.pdf


32

Appendix D – Technology Scope and Sequence

Technology Scope and Sequence for Grades 1 – 5 Incorporating National, State and Local Technology Standards

1 2 3 4 5

Basic Skills

Identify and use correct terminology for hardware and software • • • • •

Properly insert floppy disk and CD-ROM disk into drives • • • • •

Use mouse efficiently • • • • •

Open applications • • • • •

Quit applications (using pull-down menu and Apple-Q) • • • • •

Save files to disk or hard drive/file server (using pull-down menu

and Apple-S) • • • • •

Retrieve files from disk or hard drive/file server • • • • •

Print (using pull-down menu and Apple-P) • • • • •

Use undo concept as appropriate to the program used • • • • •

Resolve a frozen computer (force quit, "warm boot," etc.) • • • •

Use print options (color, # of copies, orientation) • • • •

Read and follow onscreen computer prompts • • • •

Format a disk (if needed) • • •

Drag unneeded items to trash and empty trash • • •

Change ribbons or cartridges in a printer (may be awareness level

only) • • •

Load paper in a printer • • •

Review/use copy, cut, paste, select all, and undo in a variety of

environments (using pull-down menus and key commands) • •

Work with multiple windows •

Graphics V

Use correct vocabulary:

Make shapes (circles, squares, rectangles, etc.) • • • • •

Add a graphic from within the program, i.e. ClarisWorks library • • • •

Insert a graphic from desktop, clip art CD, etc. • • • •

Use peripheral devices (cameras, scanners, laser discs, etc.) to

collect graphics needed for projects Class Group Group

Indiv

Flip, resize, and move graphics • • • • •

Move/add/rotate/resize text objects • • • •

Use arrow keys to nudge graphics • • • •

Capture graphics, zoom in/out, cut/copy/paste (using pull down

menus and keyboard commands) • • • •

Zoom in/out to view layout of page(s) • • •

Paint capabilities:

Explore paint tools (brush, bucket, spray can, eraser, etc.) • • • • • Add special effects to images, i.e. distort, perspective •

1 2 3 4 5


33

Draw capabilities:

Explore draw tools (line, rectangle, circle/oval, etc.) • • • •

Select multiple objects • • •

Align graphics • •

Overlap objects, moving them to front or back •

Explore functional differences between paint and draw

documents:

Selecting objects or images • • •

Formatting and modifying text • • •

Editing/modifying objects or images • • •

Select environment appropriate for task •

Use graphics and tools to create products/presentations related to

curricular objectives • • • • •

Pre-keyboarding

Use thumb to press space bar • •

Locate general areas of keyboard, i.e. letters and numbers (not

typing individual characters) • •

Use return key • •

Locate and use keys: shift, delete, =, +, -(dash/minus) • •

Identify left and right hand sides of the keyboard •

Utilize proper body position at the keyboard • •

Keyboarding V

Begin formal instruction •

Demonstrate proper homerow keystroking • • •

Demonstrate proper keystroking of each letter of the alphabet and

punctuation • • •

Touchtype alphabetic keys • •

Number and symbol keys • •

Continue developing and improving speed and accuracy • •

Reinforcement of good technique in all computer activities • •

Pre-Word Processing

Input name • •

Select text and change fonts, size of text, and text styles in an

existing document • •

Use arrow keys to move around in text, i.e. for editing purposes •

Know and use line spacing features •

Dictate group stories which teacher inputs • •

Modify font, size, and style on existing captions, labels, titles, etc. •

Key 1-2 sentences (utilizing word wrap and formatting features)

fingering appropriately •

Understanding WP vocabulary (insert, delete, etc.) •

Proofread and edit sentences •

1 2 3 4 5

Word Processing V V

Manipulate the layout of document: use margins, line spacing, and

alignment. • • •


34

Use tab key to indent • • •

Introduce different formats (columns, letters, table, etc.) • •

Use spell check to identify and correct spelling errors • • •

Key stories and reports from handwritten work •

Key stories and reports, transitioning to composing at keyboard • •

Apply cut, copy, and paste to revise documents • • •

Turn on text wrap when needed with graphics • • •

Introduce writing tools of the program • •

Review/use all word processing features independently • •

Organizing, Interpreting, Reporting V

Use existing spreadsheets to collect/analyze information Class Group Indiv • •

Input data into prepared spreadsheet Group Indiv Indiv Indiv

Create spreadsheet; use for organizing information Group

Indiv Indiv Indiv

Create a spreadsheet; use simple formulas and graph the data Group Indiv

Use existing database to collect/analyze information Class Class Group

Group Indiv

• •

Input information into prepared database Class Group

Indiv Indiv

Create a database Group Indiv

Communicating, Presenting

Use created picture(s) along with recorded narration, music, etc. to

present ideas to others (i.e. KidPix or KidWorks2) •

Combine graphic and/or pre-word processing products along with

recorded narration, music, etc. to present ideas/information to

others (i.e. Kid Pix or KidWorks2)

•

Use information and elements from a variety of sources (i.e.

Internet, CD's, laserdisc, video) to create multimedia presentations

for communicating ideas to others

• • •

Send and receive email Class Class Class

Group Class Group

Class Group

Social, ethical, and human issues

Responsible use of computer hardware and software (i.e. keep

disks away from magnets, high heat, appropriate handling) • • • • •

Knowledge of AH Acceptable Use Policy - Internet section • • • •

Personal internet safety • • • •

Copyrights as related to internet graphics and information • • •

Age appropriate documentation of sources of graphics and

information used in student projects

• • •

Authorized access to information • •

Software copyright, shareware, freeware, public domain, fair use • •

Email etiquette • • •

1 2 3 4 5

Technology research tools V V

Use a CD-ROM Group

Indiv Group Indiv

Search the Media catalog to locate resources Class

Group Group Indiv

• • •

Access the internet Class Class


35

Group

Use the Internet and other on-line sources to conduct a search Group

Indiv Group Indiv

Use the Internet and conduct an advanced search Group Indiv

Use electronic encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other CDs • •

Introduce electronic atlas •

Increase efficient use of electronic encyclopedia, atlas, dictionary,

etc.

•

Class=Teacher directed class activity

Group=Teacher directed small group activity

Indiv=Teacher directed individual activity

V=Assessed for MN Profile of Learning

bemidji area schools technology plan

Documents