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TECHNOLOGY IMPLEMENTATION PLAN 1

Technology Implementation Plan 2013-2018 for Gaston Christian School in Gastonia, NC

Created By: Thomas Walls

EDUC 629

Fall, 2013

Liberty University

Dr. Gilbreath


Gaston Christian School Educational Technology Plan 2013-2018


Table of Contents

Vision, Mission, and Goals ……………………………………………………………………..4-7

Needs Assessment ………………………………………………………………………….....8-12

Planning Process ……………………………………………………………………………..13-24

Goals and Objectives with Local Strategies and Measures ………………………….13-19

Environment ……………………………………………………………………………..19

Engagement ……………………………………………………………………………...20

Application Tools………………………………………………………………………...21

Results …………………………………………………………………………………...24

Implementation: Timeline and Budget for Goals, Objectives and Strategies ……………….24-31

Executive Summary ………………………………………………………………………….31-

References…………………………………………………………………………………….


Technology Vision, Mission, and Goals of Gaston Christina School

Vision- The vision for IT at Gaston Christian School for the next five years (2013-2018) is to

fully integrate technology into every classroom and subject area. We also seek to have

technology use mainstreamed in classroom support areas such as administration and records.

(Greenwich Public Schools, 2009-2012, Connecticut).

Mission- At Gaston Christian School we strive to integrate technology into all subjects, and we

seek to enable all of the students at our school the equitable use of technology

(Shelby County Schools, Tennessee, 2012-2014).

Goals- Gaston Christian School will accomplish its five year technology implementation plan by

adhering to the following six goals that seek to address technology education implementation

and technology programs in five specific areas; 1. teacher and administrator needs, 2. student

needs, 3. technology equipment costs, 4. assessment of technology initiatives, 5. equipment

repair and maintenance needs, and student IT projects in grades 11 and 12 to reinforce

technology skills.

Greenwich Public Schools, 2009-2012, Connecticut).


Goal 1: Administrator and Faculty Technology Needs

Administrative Technology Needs- The goal for administration at GCS is to provide direction

and support for the educational programs at the school, and to set the tone for academic

development. Administration will get appropriate technology devices to complete their assigned

jobs (laptop PC, iPad, and iPhone). These technology devices will help admin make their jobs

more efficient and ultimately support the students at GCS, which is our primary concern.

Faculty Technology Needs- The goal for technology use by faculty is to enhance the student

learning environment. The purpose for teacher technology is to strengthening classroom lessons.

This will be accomplished by giving every full and part time classroom teacher access to a

minimum of one piece of school issued technology (laptop, iPad, or both).

Goal 2: Student Technology Needs

Technology needs for the students is what drives the technology needs for both the

administration and faculty. At GCS we strive to have equal access to technology and technology

training for all of our students. We will accomplish this goal with a 1-to-1 technology device

initiative where each student in grades 6-12 will get a school issued iPad. Students in grades K-5

will get three dedicated iPad labs with 24 iPads per lab.

Goal 3: Technology Equipment Costs and Technology Partnerships

To ensure that we can fully support the students technology needs and training At GCS we will

strive to keep up the current IT labs and replace machines as they have issues. Our annual IT

budget and IT business partnerships in our community will help us meet this goal by generating


the funds to keep up our current equipment, and grant the funds for the 1-to-1 initiative.

Goal 4: Assessment of Technology Use

Gaston Christian School will assess our technology implementation plan over the next five years

in four specific areas:

1. GCS will evaluate technology use in the classroom by requiring all teachers in grades

9-12 to submit three lesson plans that actively involve technology use for the learning

process.

2. GCS will review annually in subject departments the results of the standardized test

scores that highlight the progress of the technology programs we offer, and conduct

planning sessions to discuss ways to improve technology instruction if weaknesses

are identified.

3. GCS will offer eight technology training and logistics courses throughout the

upcoming school year to properly train the staff on aspects of technology use, and

answer specific questions/frustrations encountered with technology use in the

classroom.

4. GCS will complete an annual report for the stakeholders detailing how we have

allocated funds for technology equipment, what training we offered for our staff to

use the equipment provided, comparisons of our technology standardized testing

scores in all grades, and create an accountability graph visually depicting the growth

of technology use in all classes over the next five years. This will provide our staff


and stakeholders a quick visual to ensure positive growth from one year to the next of

our technology implementation plan.

Goal 5: Equipment Repair and Maintenance Needs

At GCS we seek to ensure that the machines we have been stewarded with are well taken care of

and best serve our user population. Our goal is to use our IT staff to ensure the proper

functioning and repair of our current technology equipment. The goal for the IT department will

also be tech support for all student devices as the 1-to-1 rollout will increase the needs for device

repairs. We will strive to support this goal by hiring more IT staff to add to the current

department.

Goal 6: student IT projects in grades 11 and 12 to reinforce technology skills

GCS will hold the students accountable to IT skills development by incorporating a technology

project in grades 11 and 12. These grade projects will be part of the student’s graduation

requirements. The 11th grade project will be to complete a 50 slide PowerPoint or Impress

presentation outlining the career choice they might want to pursue. The 12th grade project is to

complete a blog resume with an imbedded video that they can use for college entrance portfolios.

(Shelby County Schools, Tennessee, 2012-2014)


Needs Assessment

Strengths-

At Gaston Christian School we see where our technology program is well developed and blessed

by the Lord, and we seek to keep these areas strong and grow them in the upcoming five years.

There are three areas of IT strength currently at GCS and these include: three dedicated PC

desktop labs, two mobile laptop, and two mobile iPad labs, current network infrastructure, and

our dedicated IT staff. A current strength of our school’s technology instruction we seek to

continue to invest in over the next five years is our desktop computer labs, and mobile laptop and

iPad labs. These labs provide some excellent whole class instruction using and integrating

technology, and allow the student the opportunity to use the latest technology to research class

topics as well as learn computer skills. Some specific computer skills include web design and

basic programing in HTML. Another strong component of GCS’s current technology is the

building infrastructure. GCS’s main instructional building is four years old, and as such has

some of the latest up-to-date wiring and network infrastructure available. We also have space to

grow in our server room as our school population increases and user demand increases. This

also includes our current bandwidth and data transfer from rooms to the server, both areas of data

transfer can fully handle the needs for our current enrollment. The last area of strength for IT at

GCS is the IT staff. Our school has a dedicated staff of two individuals who serve the IT needs

of the school. Part of the five year technology initiative is to boost the numbers of employees for


this department and better address growing IT needs on our campus. All these elements work

together to ensure that all students and staff at GCS have equal access to IT equipment and

learning while on our campus.

Weaknesses-

Areas of identified weakness concerning IT at GCS include: being short staffed in our current IT

department, budget not being sufficient for the needs of the school for IT infrastructure, our

current WiFi capabilities are maxed out to the amount of end users we can support effectively,

the mobile labs for the students to use are difficult to maintain and often require retooling before

using in class, and currently we have no specific IT devices for special needs students. Currently

our school employs one full time IT person and one part time IT person, and while these two

individuals are very efficient at their tasks, often due to the limitations of a small staff they are

not able to fully service the end users during business hours. Emergencies are not able to be

addressed, such as if a machine goes down in the middle of a lesson they are not able to get a

replacement in place allowing for the lesson to continue effectively. The work around usually

means the teacher needs to abandon the piece of technology for that lesson losing the technology

aid and focus. A staff of three full time and two part time workers would allow the IT

department to greater serve the needs of the school in a more efficient manner. The next

identified issue that needs to be addressed is our current IT budget. The budget is currently set at

$70,000.00 annually, and while this amount greatly helps, it falls short of providing the

necessary funds to grow the IT infrastructure over the next five years. The amount is also set

which does not allow for market inflation as items do not remain static in price. The idea to

address the budget amount is to allow a 3% growth rate of the total amount annually giving us a

growing budget to address a growing end user population, and aging machinery replacement


costs. The next identified weakness for IT as GCS is the current physical WiFi setup. We

currently have WiFi access for roughly 85% of our current WiFi users, and most classrooms do

not have a direct dedicated in-room WiFi access point. This configuration places great strain on

our current WiFi access points. The five year goal is to increase the number of WiFi access

point by double the current amount, and upgrade from WiFi G standard routers to WiFi N

standard routers allowing for much better WiFi access and Internet/network speeds. Another

point of technology concerns is the maintenance of the mobile PC laptop labs. These labs are

great for flexibility and student use, but often times require the teacher to have to boot up each

PC and make sure they are ready to work, updates, and other time consuming maintenance needs

make them sometimes temperamental to work with. The 1-to-1 iPad initiative will help

eliminate the dependence of these mobile PC laptop labs in the middle and high school, best

serving the needs of the students. The last identified weakness for our school is the lack of

special needs IT equipment. We hope to examine specific pieces of equipment that other partner

schools in the area are using, and over our five year plan incorporate these devices into our

teacher training and eventually special needs curriculum. By bringing these devices into our

school greater digital equity will be available to our students with special needs.

Opportunities-

The Lord has provided many blessings for our school and community with IT. We are in

partnership with several area businesses in Gastonia, NC and Charlotte, NC. Our largest IT

partnerships include Gaston Memorial Hospital, Bank of America, and Microsoft Corporation of

Charlotte. These IT partnerships help our school to acquire up-to-date technology devices and


software for free, or a very reasonable rate. During the five year span of our technology

implementation plan we will seek to continue to develop these IT partnerships, as well as secure

a partnership with Adobe Systems of Charlotte, and IBM of Charlotte. These new partnerships

will help us to continue to have access to current technology and software for our growing

student population. Another opportunity we will seek to develop over the five years span of our

TIP will be to form a technology committee comprised of a school administrator, several teacher

faculty members, and select parents to oversee, promote, and grow the technology at GCS. This

committee will also examine budget needs as they relate to IT. This committee will also be

tasked with the responsibility of examining our current IT curriculum, and continuing to develop

strong IT courses at GCS as well as equal access issues we will encounter in the future. We

would like to also develop a partnership with the Fletcher School of Charlotte which focuses on

special needs technology curriculum. This new IT curriculum focused on special needs will help

our school best prepare for integration of special needs classes and services. To oversee the

successful implementation of the special needs IT component we will have a dedicated special

needs coordinator.

Threats-

At Gaston Christian School two of our biggest concerns that can negatively affect the quality of

education for our students in regard to technology are budget constraints and faculty turn over.

Our school is a large, but autonomous private Christian school and as such our budget is created

for the entire program. This total budget does control how much we are able to put into

technology development and implementation. Despite the generous giving of donation funds


and equipment from our business partners there is often a shortfall of funds for equipment, this

shortfall usually means that non-essential items will get cut from the budget until there is a

greater flexibility there. Next to budget concerns, there is a small issue of faculty turn over.

Though GCS is blessed to see significantly less faculty turn-over than any public or private

school in our area there is still the issue of training education faculty that will not be with the

program for longer than eight years, and administration that will be in position for less that

twelve years. Again these numbers are far better than what is observed in surrounding

educational institutions, but turn-over has the potential to harm the positive outcome in any

multi-year program. These two issues present challenges that the school will need to address in

order to make this technology implementation plan fully successful over the next five years and

benefit the students of GCS.

(Hudson Public Schools, New Jersey, 2010-2012)


The Planning Process

Goals, Standards, and Strategies

Goals NC Educational Technology Standards

Strategies

Goal 1: Administrator and Faculty Technology Needs that Support GCS Students

Administrators and faculty technology needs to be in place and strongly used to ensure that both teachers and students have the best technology available to serve the needs of the GCS community as a whole, and best prepare the students for the workplace of the future.

HS.TT.1.1- Use of technology and other technological resources for the assigned tasks of the job.

HS.TT.1.2- Use appropriate technology to access information and resources.

HS.TT.1.3- Use appropriate technology tools to organize data. Use appropriate technology tools to design products to share information.

(NCTS, 2013)

- Each teacher will be issued a school laptop and iPad for school use. These devices will be connected to the network allowing them to access vital teaching materials. This access will allow the instructional staff to integrate teaching apps for best technology practices into their instruction. These devices will also allow the teachers to construct web based assessments for greater student access.

- Administrators will receive a school issued iPad, laptop computer, and smart phone to communicate most effectively to all user groups at the school. Admin devices can also be used to screen teacher apps to ensure quality of instruction.

- Each general subject teacher will be required to submit a


minimum of two lessons per quarter that shows technology use in their classroom, and must have elements of student device usage, not simply instructor display methods. These lessons will be used to track growth in technology instruction for the duration of the TIP.

Goal 2: Student Technology Needs

Student technology needs to be robust to ensure that all the students who attend GCS will have a competitive advantage in the field of technology use, and be proficient in their daily use of technology for lessons and communication.



HS.SI.1.3- Students will use technology to research topics and complete supporting classwork.

(NCTS, 2013)

- Each student in grades 6-12 will get a school issued iPad to use for their class textbooks, conduct research in class, and complete work as assigned in their classes. This 1-to-1 technology plan will begin in the fall of 2014 in grades 6-12.

- Each student will need to complete one full year credit in technology courses during their high school career in order to graduate from GCS, as well as complete the 11th grade career project with technology integration, and the 12th grade college blog project.

- All students in the GCS middle school will need to take and complete the technology proficiency assessment in order to advance from middle school into high school. To help with


this goal the three technology teachers at GCS will offer extra study sessions for this assessment, and be compensated for their extra time.

- Students in grades K-5 will get two 24 piece mobile iPad labs to add to the one currently in the elementary school for greater access for all students to these machines.

Goal 3: Technology Equipment Costs and Technology Partnerships

GCS will prepare for the future in IT by examining our current equipment, costs of upgrades/repairs, and current technology partnerships. In the near future GCS will strengthen these partnerships and gain several more specific technology affiliations from our business community. These IT partnerships affect the quality and quantity of devices we can get for student use, and ultimately affect the student IT learning experience while attending GCS.




HS.SI.1.1- Evaluate technology resources for their usefulness to support learning objectives at the school or institution.

(NCTS, 2013)

- GCS will continue to examine the budget needs of the school’s IT program from equipment to computer training curriculum needs. We will set a budget that has the ability to grow annually by 5% so we are able to account for student growth and machine replacement costs.

- GCS is currently enrolled in several donation programs from local businesses who contribute IT machinery either to the school or at an extremely low rate. We seek to continue these IT partnerships by offering good tax incentives for their connection to the school. We will also seek to form new business partnerships with three major


technology affiliates in the greater Charlotte, NC metro area (Microsoft, IBM, and Adobe). These new technology partnerships will help our school to grow our IT equipment needs, IT budget, and ultimately enrich the student IT learning environment at GCS. We will compare each year the partnership benefit.

Goal 4: Assessment of Technology Use

We will assess the technology use at GCS to make sure we are being good stewards of the equipment God has entrusted us with. We will also ensure that we are held accountable to the assessment of the student technology curriculum materials. We will do this by examining standardized testing scores, and yearly GPAs for students completing IT courses at GCS. We will hold ourselves accountable to the stakeholders of technology on our campus by summarizing our findings and making adjustments in our teaching methods where applicable.

HS.SI.1.1- Evaluate technology resources for their usefulness to support learning objectives at the school or institution.

HS.SI.1.2- Evaluate technology use and cost to all stakeholders in the learning environment.

HS.SI.1.3- Use validated and approved testing measures and procedures to assess the computer curriculum, and on-site technology development.

(NCTS, 2013)

- We will examine the test scores from the standardized testing that is held twice a year to ensure we are hitting our benchmark scores in student technology training and instruction, 80% mastery. We will make adjustments to the curriculum as we see areas of improvement needed.

- We will assess through a survey the use of technology in each classroom during a specified amount of time. This data will help the school determine the equipment use frequency, and the type of equipment used. We will use this data to make budget decisions for future equipment purchases at the school.

- At the end of each


school year we will compile an annual report to the board of trustees that explains what the school has done with the monies allocated to grow the technology at our school. We will seek to have positive technology growth and development from each of the years identified in our technology improvement plan.

- During the summer we will send our families an IT use review where they can rate the school’s technology use and supply comments where we can improve the IT services for the students, and add training for the faculty when applicable.

Goal 5: Equipment Repair and Maintenance Needs

At GCS we will examine our current IT equipment, bandwidth usage and needs, and maintenance needs for the school to keep all IT equipment in good working order to best serve the needs of the students and faculty.



(NCTS, 2013)

- For this category we will seek to maintain the IT equipment by employing a full time staff of dedicated IT support. Currently we have one full time and one part time IT staff, and we will address the growing population of the school by hiring three more full time employees better allocating their ability to serve the entire population of the school.

- The funds for hiring


extra staff will be generated through the technology annual fund campaign, and staffing budget from the school.

- The extra staff will allow our school to have two dedicated employees who are help-desk style troubleshooters with the main responsibility of servicing end-user machines exclusively. This will help in the event of a student machine or teacher machine having issues in the middle of the school day which would negatively impact productivity and learning.

Goal 6: student IT projects in grades 11 and 12 to reinforce technology skills

GCS will hold the students accountable to IT skills development by incorporating a technology project in grades 11 and 12. These grade projects will be part of the student’s graduation requirements. The 11th grade project will be to complete a 50 slide PowerPoint or Impress presentation outlining the career choice they might want to pursue. The 12th grade project is to complete a blog resume with an imbedded video that they can use for college entrance portfolios.




(NCTS, 2013)

- In order to create a tangible system of accountability for the success of the IT implementation GCS will put in place a yearlong IT project for students in the 11th and 12th grade. These projects will be the culminating capstone of their computer technology classes.

- In the 11th grade students will be assigned a career portfolio project where they will need to create an oral presentation combined with a visual PowerPoint slideshow, or Impress slideshow.


If students want they are also able to use Prezi to complete the requirements of the presentation. The presentation needs to focus on a future career choice they are drawn to and include imbedded at least 1 imbedded video, and support audio clips.

- For the 12th grade project students will need to create an online blog as a college resume. Students can use a site such as Edublogs or Word Press to create their project. This project will be an ongoing activity throughout the student’s senior year. They will use the completed blog portfolio to apply to colleges and universities they are interested in. All blogs will need to have a minimum of five pages and thoroughly outline their accomplishments to date, they will also need to have an imbedded video included which details why they would be an asset to their future higher learning institution.


Environment

Our school environment is a pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade college preparatory

school with three main campus buildings located on 58 acres. The elementary building holds

grades pre-K-5 and is comprised of approximately 500 students. The middle school and the high

school are in the same building with grades 6-12 and are comprised of approximately 600

students (350 HS and 250 MS). The gym/auditorium is the third building on campus and sits in

the middle of the property. There are plans to build a fine arts building which will also house

administrative offices and classrooms. The physical environment at GCS is conducive to

technology instruction as all computer labs in the high/middle schools and elementary schools

are located on the first floor. This arrangement allows for students with mobility issues to access

the labs to complete assigned work, or attend technology classes. For students with extended

time accommodations, or IEPs documenting learning issues we have individual support using a

dedicated 16 desktop PC lab in our MS/HS library. The MS/HS library services technology

training for special needs students in the elementary school as well. (Jordan, 2013).

Currently there is a small library in the elementary building with 6 desktop PCs, and two

mobile smart tables. Our goal in the near future is to enlarge this library and add another 10

desktop machines and two more smart tables so that we can service the needs of special learners

in the same facility as the rest of their classes, and two more smart tables. We feel this direct

technology instruction hosted in library PC labs will foster better technology instruction best


practices, and allow these students the direct 1-to-1 learning support that will better insure their

future success. The goal is ultimately designed to best service all students at GCS.

(Gaston County School, Gastonia North Carolina, 2009-2013)

Engagement

Having adequate facilities and equipment is just a part of the overall technology

instruction goal of GCS. We seek as a faculty to train our students in technology use from

grades K-12. In grades K-8 all students are required to take computer classes as part of their

elective classes. These courses include basic computer use and operations to using specific

programs like Microsoft Office. Later in middle school the students are still required to take

yearly computer electives which include Microsoft Publisher and Adobe Creative Suite for the

introduction to web design. Once in High school the students will need to complete one full year

of computer electives in order to graduate. High school IT classes that students can choose from

include Information Technology in a Global Society, Advanced Web Design using Adobe

Dreamweaver and Adobe Fireworks, PC Hardware and Networking Infrastructure, and

Programing in HTML. ITGS and HTML classes are full year courses while the other two

courses are semester courses. If students choose they can take up to three years of computer

electives during their four year high school career. For students who wish to seek an extra year

of computer courses they may choose to take an online computer elective from our virtual school

affiliate, Seven Star Academy Online. At SSAO they have six technology courses to choose

from, and all courses offered are 16 week semester courses. (Jordan, 2013).

For students with special needs we have an enrichment program centered on technology,

where qualified students will use various pieces of technology from iPads to smart tables. These


devices are used to help them excel in their core subjects. Often through the use of these devices

students will gain a better sense of material mastery, and in a shorter timeframe than without

their use. (Simpson, 2013).

Application Tools

To support the goals of the technology implementation plan the multiple campus PC labs

and mobile labs will need to be kept in good working order. Besides the condition of the

machinery a system of reservation will need to be put in place so that teachers all have equal

access to the equipment. With this idea of reservation of equipment or PC lab room time, no one

teacher will be able to keep equipment out for longer than one week, or reserve the labs for a

period of greater than a week at a time. This method will help ensure that equity of access is in

fact possible. In addition to specific labs for students to complete technology lessons and

research each student in grades 6-12 will be issued an iPad to use as their textbooks, and binder

for notes. Students will also be able to use these devices for research and other core subject

related assignments. With the rollout of the 1-to-1 technology device initiative students will also

receive their own school issued email address which they can use to contact instructors and

submit assignments through. In the elementary school, grades K-5, the students will have three

mobile labs of 24 iPads in each lab to share and complete lessons on. Some of the iPads used to

build these labs will be the current iPad labs used in the high and middle schools.

The 1-to-1 device rollout is a good first step towards digital equality, and in the

classroom each room is equipped with a smart board that allows for whole class technology

participation. In elementary rooms there are smart tables which allow for several students to

collaborate as they work through lessons. Collaborative learning with IT helps students who are


familiar with the equipment to teach skills to students who are not as confident on the machinery.

This process of learning is more organic than what would be accomplished by straight scope and

sequence style lessons. (Gaston County School, Gastonia North Carolina, 2009-2013)

Results

The desired result for our technology implementation plan is comprised of two

components coming together as a unified goal. At GCS we want to see the current technology

classes and equipment well cared for as we are called by God to be good stewards of the gifts He

entrusts us with. In 1st Peter 4:10 the Word of the Lord tells, “Each of you should use whatever

gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms.”

(N.I.V., 1984). We would like the current IT infrastructure to serve as a backbone for future IT

development, and offset the technology costs of future IT upgrades. In addition to our current

technologies we seek to add physical machines in the labs, and move to the 1-to-1 technology

device rollout where each student in grades 6-12 will get an iPad to use for school purposes. The

end result of our technology goals are to benefit our students and create equity for technology

device usage. We realize issuing students devices will not eliminate the digital divide, but will

be a significant step in reducing the amount of students who have no computer access. We seek

to enhance student technology use and skill sets preparing all of our students to become

proficient at technology skills equipping them for success in higher education as well as being

marketable for the careers of the future. To hold these goals accountable for the technology

stakeholders at GCS the IT faculty will review current IT policy and ensure that it lines up with

current IT training practices, as well as examining the middle and end of year standardized test

results in technology to ensure we are at the 90% of mastery as a student body by the end of the


2015-2016 school year, exactly two full years into our technology implementation plan.

(Charlotte Mecklenburg County Schools, Charlotte North Carolina, 2012-2014)

In addition to the material goals for GCS the students are tasked with completing two

significant IT projects in order to graduate from GCS high school. In the 11th and 12th grades

students will complete successfully the future career project and the college blog resume project.

These two projects will serve as an accurate tangible measure of technology use for students, and

give the school a benchmark to assess the technology initiative over the next five years. Through

this project we should see successful completion rates increase each year, and the quality of

projects should increase as each year will produce better and better examples to follow. We will

seek to have a 10% improvement of overall scores for both 11th and 12th grade projects in each of

the five years of the technology implementation plan. (Charlotte Mecklenburg County Schools,

Charlotte North Carolina, 2012-2014)

Implementation

Time Table

This five year technology implementation program will begin in the fall of the 2013

school year and go through the spring of the 2018 school year. During the timeframe of this

technology implementation we will have yearly benchmarks to ensure that we are on target for

the success of the plan, and ultimately for the benefit of all the students at GCS. Our first

success assessment will take place at the end of the first full year of implementation, the spring

of 2014. During this TIP check we will examine the overall grades from the four technology

offerings in the high school, and compare them with the standardized test scores. If we see 5%


growth in both areas we will consider our goals to be on track. If our goals prove to be less we

can examine the specific area of weakness and adjust our instruction to best serve the students.

During this first year of our TIP we are also looking for the gain in physical pieces of

technology put in place for instruction and increased teacher accountability for using these

devices. With the requirement of technology driven lesson plans being submitted two per

quarter minimum will better help us track technology use across the entire school. The last area

we will be assessing during the pilot year of our TIP is how effective the 1-to-1 technology

initiative went for our students in grades 6-12. We will examine the cost and usefulness of

devices in comparison to hard backed textbooks. The yearly TIP examination will be similar in

some regards to the initial focus study, but will be producing data that we will use to validate the

entire program, and not simply ascertain if it is working in general.

During the final year of our in-place TIP we will compare the actual results and data

collected over the last four years and critically assess them with the goals of the TIP to ensure we

have successfully completed the plan. We will then use the data to present to our stakeholders to

show tangible evidence of our plans effectiveness.

Budget

These technology items are currently in place at GCS and are maintained by the school

- 108 Desktop PCs (Various labs)

- 60 laptop PCs (Various mobile labs)

- 10 network printers (Throughout GCS campus)

- 76 iPads (Various mobile labs)


- 65 smart boards (1 in each classroom)

- 45 LCD projectors

- Internet

- Software for all Microsoft devices belonging to GCS

- Software for all Apple devices belonging to GCS

Technology items that need to be purchased

- 30 desktop PCs $275.00 per machine w/ Windows 7 Pro preloaded

- 30 copies of Microsoft Office for new PCs $75.00 per machine

- 350 student iPads (320 for students, 30 for teachers) $290.00 per iPad w/ software

package.

- E-textbooks (This fee is estimated to be around $70.00 per students per year, and is part

of their tuition at GCS.)

Free technology that is currently used, or can be used

- Free apps used on the students and teacher iPads such as Pages, Drop Box, Google

Drive, and Cloud On.

- Free writer and presentation software such as Google Docs, and Prezi presenter.

Professional development costs

- iPad training for staff by Apple (8 sessions) Total for all 8 training sessions is $800.00

- iPad integration into the classroom training by in-house personnel (4 sessions) Free

Total estimated costs

Technology Cost Quantity Total


Desktop PCs $275.00 30 $8,250.00

Microsoft Office $75.00 30 $2,250.00

Student/Teacher iPads $290.00 350 $101,500.00

iPad training $800.00 8 sessions $800.00

Total Costs: $112.800.00

Professional Development Plan

In order for the GCS TIP to be a full success, and ultimately equip the students to use

technology successfully the faculty will need to be trained to effectively use technology in their

everyday instructions. One of our biggest technology initiatives that will require extensive

teacher training during this five year TIP will be the 1-to-1 iPad program. This goal will be

accomplished with several out-of-house professional development in-services, as well as several

in-house in-services. All teachers at GCS will be required to attend these technology in-services

and they will grant attendees up to 80% of the required in-services for the first two years of the

TIP. In addition to the in-service points all teachers will receive an iPad for lesson development

and training.

During the first year of the TIP GCS will provide iPad in the classroom training with

eight sessions through a local Apple education training specialist, and each session will last two

hours. The first session will be held in late August a week before school starts during the 2013

welcome back to school educator week. The second session will be held in mid-September, the

third session will be held in late October, the fourth will be held in early December, the fifth will

be held in late January, the sixth will be held in early march, the seventh will be held in Mid-


April, and the eighth and last through Apple will be held in late May right before the end of the

school year. The focus of these sessions will be extensive teacher training on iPad use and apps

that will best serve all the students at GCS.

Session One- How to use the iPad, using iPad with projectors, and loading apps on iPad.

Where does it fit: Using the iPad during instruction can be a powerful learning tool. Besides

being a great 1-to-1 device for students, the iPad can be used as a whole class instruction

presenter when paired with a projector. The iPad is versatile with many apps that are designed

for class use.

Effectiveness: The iPad is great for all levels of learners from the most advanced learners in the

class to the students who need more instruction. The iPad is also a great device for

communication and research.

PD: The teachers will receive a two hour session provided by a local Apple education specialist

who will walk through the basic methods for operating the iPad, and the advanced functions the

device can be used for in the classroom. The specialist will also show the teachers how to hook

up the device to a projector for whole class instruction. Finally in this session we will examine

the app store and how to load apps on the device. Close to the end of the sessions teachers will

be able to explore the device and practice hooking it up to an LCD projector.


Session Two- Top education apps for iPad.

Where does it fit: The Apple app store has the biggest collection of apps designed for

educational use. This collection has apps for all levels of learners. This session will explore

some of the biggest classroom apps for all grades, but with a focus on grades 6-12.

Effectiveness: iPad educational apps are great. Students by nature enjoy technology learning,

and students in the current school environment are digital natives, and have grown up using

technology mostly for entertainment. This background can be harnessed to easily incorporate the

iPad into the classroom.

PD: For this two hour session the Apple specialist will instruct the teachers on the apps that are

most applicable for student use in specific grade levels. During this session the teachers will go

to the app store through their device and load on the following apps as examples: flashcards

deluxe, phonics genius, spelling city, my class schedule, algebra touch, dexteria, and sentence

builder. The instructor will go through these apps and show the audience how they work and the

lessons that can be structured by using them. This lesson will give the participants an idea of the

apps available, and a sense of how to incorporate apps into daily lessons. Close to the end of the

session teachers will be able to participate in a Q and A session with the Apple representative.

Session Three- Creating online assessments using Google Docs.

Where does it fit: Assessments are part of any classroom learning environment. The iPad offers

students the ability to take their assessments securely from any location, without the threat of

assessment compromise. The fact that assessments can be made accessible to students online


there is a greater flexibility of time that can be used to complete assignments, and no longer is

the assessment confined to the hour or so that can be devoted to it in class.

Effectiveness: With the growing number of online courses students now have better options

when it comes to taking assessments. Busy schedules also can be a factor for students needing

more time to complete activities. Online assessments through Google Docs can provide students

the secure material accountability they need, but with a better timeframe to accomplish the task

in.

PD: In session three for the two hour timeframe the Apple specialist will show the teachers how

to use online assessments created with Google Docs. This session will show educators how to

create a basic online assessment and submit the assessment for students to access and take from

any web accessible computer. This session is designed to give the teachers a basic sense of what

course management software is, and what it offers. Though Google Docs is far from programs

like Black Board, it will give participants the basic ideas of how secure and effective online

assessment programs can be, and the flexibility it gives the students to take assessments far

beyond the typical hours of the school day. The other advantage is where you can set up

grading, and both you and the student will get instant feedback on their success. For practice

teachers will construct a test assessment and give it to one colleague to take.

Session Four- Addressing user concerns after several months of active in-class iPad use.

Where does it fit: After spending some instructional time with the devices, and experimenting

building lessons with them users might have some issues and concerns. Some who have had

great success with using the iPad in class might want suggestions to improve what they are


currently doing well. Some who have had difficulty using the device might want help with

making it a more effective teaching tool in their classrooms. Either category will be able to take

this lesson and improve on their device usage.

Effectiveness: After the first four months of iPad use in the classroom issues are bound to arise.

This session will be able to address some of the user issues and gain clarity for those having

difficulty with the devices, or strategies while using them in their classrooms. It will also allow

confident users to share their successes.

PD: During this two hour session the Apple specialist will conduct a general Q and A session

with the entire faculty. It will allow the GCS faculty the opportunity to address concerns with

using the iPad in an open forum setting. Technical issues and app issues can be effectively

addressed by the specialist. Teachers who have had success will be able to share what they have

done to create successful lessons and assist in the learning process of their peers. For

accountability teachers will need to submit one success while using iPad in the classroom and

one point of improvement, or difficulty they have encountered while using the iPad in the

classroom. This will need to be submitted one week before the session begins for advanced

preparation of the speaker.

Session Five- Creating presentations using Keynote on the iPad.

Where does it fit: Presentations are a staple of visual instruction in the modern classroom. The

iPad is a capable presentation device that delivers good quality video and audio when connected

to a projector. This session will reteach the skill of connecting the device to a projector and

creating a presentation using Keynote.


Effectiveness: Once skilled in presentation creation the teachers will be able to make rich

presentations that can quickly and effectively present information to the students for introduction

to new concepts, or reinforcement of concepts previously learned.

PD: During this two hour session all attendees will have the opportunity to see how to use the

program Keynote which is the Apple version of PowerPoint. The instructor will have the

audience work on a presentation at the same time gaining a better understanding of the user

features of the program. For practice participants will create a short five minute Keynote

presentation to test their skills. Further accountability will be for all teachers in grades 6-12 to

submit one Keynote presentation to admin over the next two weeks.

Session six- Using Google Drive and Cloud On app.

Where does it fit: Online document and file saving is critical in today’s digital world. The need

for flexibility with technology and not to be tied down to multiple pieces of equipment such as a

laptop, thumb drive, and other equipment that can fail or get lost is critical Cloud storage offers

the user a large storage volume that is accessible anywhere there is a solid internet connection.

Effectiveness: As teachers at GCS use the iPad for more functions space on the device will

become an issue. Keeping the device full of information poses a threat to losing the information

if the device gets damaged or stolen. Using powerful apps such as Cloud On coupled with

Google Docs, or Drop Box allows users to have all their documents available to them for read

and write purposes, and not be contingent on the machine.


PD: In this two hour session participants will learn the setup process for a free Google Drive

account or Drop Box account. Once they have set up their account if they do not have one of the

two prior to this lesson they will be instructed in placing standard documents, and presentations

into a cloud-based saving service. The instruction set of this lesson will also include retrieving

these documents from the users main device (iPad or PC), and how to retrieve their materials

from a generic web-connected device. By getting to documents through a web interface users

will know how to get to their documents and needed materials from a web location as the process

may be different than on a host machine (ex. The Cloud On apps syncs up information from

either DB or GD.). They will also see how not all programs will allow for document

manipulation where Cloud On allows not only viewing but writing to the document as well. For

accountability teachers will use the app Cloud On to integrate their cloud save site for creation of

one document and share the source for another teacher to access and view.

Session Seven- Research skills using the iPad.

Where does it fit: During the year students will need to research various topics in their academic

courses to complete projects and other related assignments. Because the iPad has WiFi students

will be able to use the device for internet research.

Effectiveness: The need to go online for the vast amount of research available in the academic

setting is critical. All levels of education can benefit from the shared resources on online. Most

universities have their libraries online which makes it very easy for students to get valid research

on topics.


PD: During this two hour training session educators will have opportunity to investigate the

resources that are available online for free from several major university libraries. The

instruction will be focused on how teachers can effectively direct students to perform internet

research. It will also be used to train teachers on how to avoid the pitfalls of unstructured

internet research which is usually a fruitless effort. In this session teachers will also learn how to

properly cite internet research in APA, MLA, and Chicago.

Session Eight- Addressing user concerns after a year of active in-class iPad use. (This

lesson is similar to the fourth session held in December.)

Where does it fit: After spending some instructional time with the devices, and experimenting

building lessons with them users might have some issues and concerns. Some who have had

great success with using the iPad in class might want suggestions to improve what they are

currently doing well. Some who have had difficulty using the device might want help with

making it a more effective teaching tool in their classrooms. Either category will be able to take

this lesson and improve on their device usage.

Effectiveness: After the first eight months of iPad use in the classroom issues are bound to arise.

This session will be able to address some of the user issues and gain clarity to those having

difficulty with the devices, or strategies while using them in their classrooms. It will also allow

confident users to share their successes.

PD: During this two hour session the Apple specialist will conduct a general Q and A session

with the entire faculty. It will allow the GCS faculty the opportunity to address concerns with

using the iPad in an open forum setting. Technical issues and app issues can be effectively


addressed by the specialist. Teachers who have had success will be able to share what they have

done to create successful lessons and assist in the learning process of their peers. For

accountability teachers will need to submit one success while using iPad in the classroom and

one point of improvement, or difficulty they have encountered while using the iPad in the

classroom. This will need to be submitted one week before the session begins for advanced

preparation of the speaker.

Lesson Plans

Lesson Plan 1

5th Grade Math Lesson Using the Algebra Touch App on iPad

I. Lesson topic and grade level -

In this lesson a 5th grade math class will be using the iPad lab and the Algebra Touch

app.

II. Standards of learning addressed in the lesson -

ES SI 1 Evaluate resources needed to solve a given problem.

ES.SI.1.1 Evaluate resources for reliability. (Reliability can be determined by

currency, credibility, authority, etc. depending on the curriculum topic).

ES.SI.1.2 Evaluate resources for point of view, bias, values, or intent of information.

ES.SI.1.3 Evaluate content for relevance to the assigned task.

ES TT 1 Use technology and other resources for assigned tasks.


ES.TT.1.1 Use appropriate technology tools and other resources to access information

(multi-database search engines, online primary resources, virtual interviews with

content experts).

ES.TT.1.2 Use appropriate technology tools and other resources to organize

information (e.g. online note-taking tools, collaborative wikis).

ES.TT.1.3 Use appropriate technology tools and other resources to design products to

share information with others (e.g. multimedia presentations, Web 2.0 tools, graphics,

podcasts, and audio files).

III. Objective(s) -

Through this lesson students will get reinforcement of basic algebra skills using the

Apple iPad, and the app Algebra Touch. This lesson will also allow students to gain a

better ability with using touch technology devices in their math course.

IV. Materials needed for the lesson -

For this lesson students will be using an iPad (we have a mobile iPad lab with 24

machines), and the app Algebra Touch will be downloaded to each device prior to the

lesson.

V. Technology Inclusion -

For this lesson students will be using iPads, 1 per student loaded with the app Algebra

Touch. Students will also need access to the internet on their devices for some of the

advanced functions of the app on their devices. Through using this app students will

be able to gain better basic algebra skills including; variables, basic equations, and

negatives. Through visual directions students will be able to apply information they

have acquired in class to strengthen their concepts in algebra. Through using the app


students will also be able to improve their basic algebra skills in a quiz format, and

learn new skills with a “math builder” lesson reinforcement component of the

program.

VI. Procedures –

(Prior to this lesson students will have examined the basic lesson in algebra

including integers and solving for an unknown. This intro will help students get

underway with our lesson much more efficiently.) For the anticipatory set I will

review solving for an unknown, and how to begin using the iPad and Algebra Touch

app.

For the direct instruction of the lesson I will pull up the app Algebra Touch on my

instructor iPad and projector and guide the students through the first intro lesson on

the program. This guided instruction will give the audience the needed tools to

perform the lesson as expected.

For guided practice I will have the students all complete the first lesson together

as I have the lesson pulled up on screen using my iPad and the projector. Through

this guided practice all students will have an opportunity to work through lesson one

in Algebra Touch. If students encounter operational issues we can examine them

together as a class and work through them together giving the students a better

operation sense of what to do if they encounter problems later on their own.

For independent practice I will have the students work on as many levels of the

app as they can with the reminder of class time. I anticipate most of the class will

finish through lesson 4 successfully. Students will be required to finish through


lesson 10 by the end of the week. They will be able to check out iPads during the

week and use them in class if they have free time to complete this assignment.

VII. Evaluation -

At the end of the lesson students will be able to take the “skills checkpoint” at the end

of the 20 problem lesson. With successful completion of the quiz with 90% or more

the students will be able to move on to the next lesson. Each lesson will get

progressively harder, challenging the students algebra skills. Once the students have

successfully completed 5 lessons and passed the “skills checkpoints” for these lessons

they are qualified for a prize and placing their name on the board labeled “Algebra

Masters”.

VIII. Risk Analysis -

As with any lesson where technology plays an active forefront role, issues can arise if

the device stops working or does not respond for a long duration of time. If device

failure occurs we have several iPads that we can switch out for the defective device

fairly seamlessly. If an iPad does need to be switched out the student will not be able

to pick up where they left off in the lesson, but they will be credited with the final

lesson they completed successfully. Another consideration for this lesson is the

possibility of internet issues. If the internet goes down in the middle of the lesson the

app can be used offline to keep track of student performance. Once the device is back

online again the information will be synchronized automatically.


Lesson Plan 2

Lesson for high school physical science class on famous physicists Keynote research

presentation. (This will be a week long lesson.)


Using Keynote students will create a 10-15 slide presentation (5-6 minutes) on a

famous physicist I will assign to them. Each presentation will be unique in

information as each student will have a specific scientist. This lesson will be for a 9th

grade physical science class during the introduction to physics section of the course.


HS SI 1 Evaluate resources needed to solve a given problem.

HS.SI.1.1 Evaluate resources for reliability. (Reliability can be determined by

currency, credibility, authority, etc. depending on the curriculum topic).

HS.SI.1.2 Evaluate resources for point of view, bias, values, or intent of information.

HS.SI.1.3 Evaluate content for relevance to the assigned task.

HS TT 1 Use technology and other resources for assigned tasks.

HS.TT.1.1 Use appropriate technology tools and other resources to access

information (multi-database search engines, online primary resources, virtual

interviews with content experts).

HS.TT.1.2 Use appropriate technology tools and other resources to organize



HS.TT.1.3 Use appropriate technology tools and other resources to design products to

share information with others (e.g. multimedia presentations, Web 2.0 tools, graphics,

podcasts, and audio files).

III. Objective(s) -

Through this lesson students will become more familiar with using Apple

Keynote to create a simple slideshow to display the content they discovered through

research on a famous scientist. Through this lesson students will also better develop

their research skills and information gathering skills using online resources.


For this lesson students will need to use an iPad, or Mac with Keynote in class to

begin the research for the project after being assigned their scientist. Each student

will either bring in a laptop from home, or use the iPad that is provided through the 1-

to1 iPad per student program that we use in our high school. At GCS we recommend

the students use the Logitech Bluetooth keyboard case so that their device is able to

be typed on similar to a laptop.


For this lesson the students will be using one of the following technology devices

for both research of their scientist, and creation of the Keynote presentation. The

students can use an iPad, or a Mac laptop. Because the students will be using their

own devices they may save their work to their local machines, or use a cloud-based

storage solution like Drop Box. Another saving option is to use a USB flash drive.

To support the Internet infrastructure needs of the technology used in this lesson

we have a robust fiber network with 100 mbps download and 100 mbps upload, and


can easily support these data speeds for up to 500 users which is twice the users that

we currently have in the high school. In each classroom we have dial-band WiFi N-

standard routers that can support up to 50 users, again double the users they will be

supporting in this lesson. This ensures our network equipment and bandwidth

allocation will be fully sufficient to support technology intensive lessons such as this

one. I have my teaching laptop connected to a projector to model research methods

and Keynote issues if they occur during class time. For the presentations of the

Keynotes I will have the students upload their presentations to the shared class

network drive and display each one to the class. As they play I will review and grade

the projects according to the rubric I created for the assignment.

VI. Procedures –

(Prior to this lesson students will have examined the basics to web research in

their English class, and an introduction to Keynote which is taught in their 8th grade

computer class.) For the anticipatory set of the lesson I will have a quick review of

the difference between a legitimate research website, and one that is not creditably

backed. I will show examples of both kinds of sites for better understanding. I will

also have the students open Keynote on their devices to ensure they are able to initiate

the program correctly. Next I will give the students individually the scientist they

will be responsible for. Each one is different to ensure the work is that student’s own

materials.

For the direct instruction of the lesson I will have the students use Google to

research specific facts about the life and accomplishments of the scientist they were

assigned. The information they are specifically after includes the life background


(birth, early life, family/personal, & death), education/training, specific area of

science studied, major accomplishments, scientific legacy, and cited references. The

information gathering and presentation build will take two days to complete, Monday

and Tuesday. In the direct instruction I will show the class an example Keynote so

that they will have a frame of reference while designing their slideshow. The

example will be posted on my class website that they will be able to access during the

construction of their Keynote. The example I provide will be ready only so copying

will not be an issue.

For guided practice the students will follow my example on the projector of how

to go to Google and use the search engine to find their first web resource for their

scientist. I will then show them in the website what is valuable and how to properly

site the source. This will be a review on resource citing as the students initially

learned this skill in their English class. For the guided refresher connection on how to

create a basic Keynote I will show them a 10 minute tutorial I designed on making a

Keynote. Remind students they need to find at least 3 sources minimal for this

assignment.

For the independent practice of this lesson students will use the remainder of

Monday and all of Tuesday to find good information on their scientist. If more time

is needed to gain information they can continue the search at home over the two

nights. Beginning on Wednesday in class students can begin to work on their

Keynote presentation. They will have Thursday and Friday to complete their

Presentations. If more time is needed for completion they can work over the

weekend. We will present our presentations in class on Monday. Each slideshow is


to be 10-15 slides, direct input advancing (no timings), and will be between around 5

minutes in length. Lack of adherence to these parameters will result in point

deductions. The presentations need to have slides dedicated to the following

information; a cover slide, Scientist’s life, Education, Most noted work and

accomplishments, and reference slide of sources used.

VII. Evaluation -

For this lesson the students will be assessed on a project rubric that examines the

quality of the content in their presentations. The rubric has 5 categories of

assessment and each category is rated 1-5 with 1 showing the lowest evidence in the

category and 5 showing the highest evidence in the category; Category 1 is Keynote

length as indicated by directions, Category 2 is correct slide content as indicated in

the final part of independent practice, Category 3 is evident cover slide and reference

slide, Category 4 is correct citing of sources and correct reference page with 3 sources

min., and Category 5 is general aesthetics of the presentation and effort put into the

project. This project is worth a test grades for first half of the second quarter, and

constitutes 25 percent of the quarter grade. I will display the final presentations to the

class to showcase their work and effort.


The main considerations for this assignment are that the students have a working

piece of technology they can work on for the research and building of the

presentation. I will have on hand drop cords incase students machines require they be

plugged in, and for the ones that will need to be charged in the middle of


working. I will also have on hand 4 loaner laptops that can be deployed in case

someone has forgotten to bring in their equipment, or does not have a working

machine available to them. I will also have on hand print resources so that if the

network goes down we are not stuck without the ability to conduct research. These

materials will be collected from the school library ahead of the lesson to ensure they

are in place and relevant to our topic.

Lesson Plan 3

Lesson for a middle school life science class on introducing plant and animal cells;

integrating Apple Air Play, Apple TV, and the Apple iPad.


Using several current display and interactive technologies together students in a

7th grade middle school life science class will participate in an introduction,

information lesson on plant and animal cells. The display technologies used in this

lesson are; Apple Air Play, Apple TV, Apple iPad, and digital projector with HDMI

input capabilities.


MS TT 1 Use technology and other resources for assigned tasks.

MS.TT.1.1 Use appropriate technology tools and other resources to access

information (multi-database search engines, online primary resources, virtual

interviews with content experts).

MS.TT.1.2 Use appropriate technology tools and other resources to organize



MS.TT.1.3 Use appropriate technology tools and other resources to design products

to share information with others (e.g. multimedia presentations, Web 2.0 tools,

graphics, podcasts, and audio files).

III. Objective(s) -

Through this lesson students will receive a multi-modality lesson on the

introduction to plant and animal cells, giving the students by the end of the lesson a

better understanding of the basics to plant and animal cells.


For this lesson the teacher will need the following items: the Apple Air Play app

on the teacher iPad, an Apple TV device, an HDMI cord to connect the Apple TV to

the digital projector, white board for projection, and an LCD digital classroom

projector.

For this lesson the students will need the following items: Each student will need to

have their Apple iPad to record notes from the presentation.


Here is a visual of using the pieces of equipment to present the information in this

lesson.


This lesson will require that the instructor use an Apple iPad loaded with the Apple

Air Play app. The iPad will serve as the display device that the teacher will use

during the lesson to display key information from. The iPad will be able to sync with

an Apple TV device attached to an LCD digital projector via an HDMI cable. This

will allow the projector to be centered in the room for best viewing of all students,

while the teacher is able to move about the room with their iPad engaging the students

during the lesson and monitoring their behavior and recording of information. The

teacher will be projecting a slideshow of information notes/pictures provided by the

text manufacturer to elaborate on the key points of the lesson. The teacher can

highlight and visibly bring attention to major themes in the notes for the students to

record using the note writer on their iPads. The students will need to have their

school-issued iPads with them for this lesson so they are able to record the notes as

they are presented. The last piece of technology needed for the lesson is a reliable

WiFi connection so the students are able to save the notes to their device and their

class network drive folder.

VI. Procedures –

For the anticipatory set of the lesson I will give the students several warm-up

questions that examine some of the materials that the lesson will focus on, to get them

settled in their seats with their equipment (iPads) out and ready to use, and second to

get them thinking scientifically and engaged in our lesson. After five minutes or so

answering the questions we will begin our lesson on the basics of plant and animal

cells through an interactive lecture with class notes.


For the direct instruction of the lesson I will have the students make sure their

iPads are on, and on the notes recorder ensuring they are ready to record notes and

participate in our discussion. The lecture with supporting notes has been previously

designed, so I will be the facilitator displaying the information and elaborating on the

key components of each page of notes, pictures, and videos that are imbedded in the

lecture. Using my iPad with Air Play I am able to move freely about the room, and

more actively engage the students than the traditional lecture where I would be

stationary due to limitations in portability of display equipment. The iPad with Air

Play also allows me to manipulate the on-screen display with efficiency not available

through earlier technologies such as wireless presenters. During the lecture students

are expected to record notes on their iPads and participate in question/review stops at

key points during the lecture.

For the guided practice section of the lesson the students will follow along with

my notes presentation on the basic parts and functions to the plant and animal cell.

During certain places of the notes/presentation I will have an interactive part for the

students to dialogue with me to ensure they are gaining the concepts. There are also

three imbedded videos that they will need to go onto the web on their iPads, view the

video and summarize the key points in several sentences. Once the class has viewed

the video and completed the summary sentences we will reconvene and share what

they have discovered. These activities will help break up the presentation so they are

not just hearing me share information and recording facts, but required to contribute

to their learning of the materials. Again my iPad with Air Play will allow me the


flexibly to survey the room constantly and keep better directly involved with the

class.

For the independent practice at the end of the lesson I will have the students take

the text-based summary review of the presentation. This is found in their student

account online for their textbook. They will take the assessment and then save it to

the account. I will then be able to go into the class account later to see how they did

on this assessment. They will also need to save a copy of their class notes from their

iPad to their network class folder, so I can ensure they have recorded accurate

information from today’s presentation.

VII. Evaluation -

For this lesson’s evaluation after the material presentation I will issue a concept

summary worksheet, that the students will complete using the information from my

presentation and their notes. The students will begin the worksheet right before the

end of class time so I can help with questions as they get started. The remainder of

the worksheet will be completed at home tonight for homework. Tomorrow at the

beginning of class we will go over the answers together. This lesson ties into the

concepts that will be taught throughout the next two weeks where we will have our

unit assessment on this material. The unit assessment will be a test grade for this

quarter and will be worth 30% of their quarterly grade.


Due to the technology dependent nature of this lesson the teacher needs to be

aware of potential pit falls from setting up the machinery and making sure it works

correctly to ensuring the room is designed for best user view ability. For the set up


end of the lesson the instructor needs to have all the display components in place

before the lesson begins such as the Apple TV needs to be connected to the projector

ahead of time, and the Apply Air Play app needs to be installed and tested on the

teacher iPad well before the lesson to ensure correct functioning and user efficiency.

Once a test-run of the equipment has been successfully conducted the lesson will be

ready to present. The instructor will also need to ensure their iPad is fully charged for

the presentation as well as placing drop power cords for the students to use mid-

lesson should their iPads need to be charged. The last item for consideration for this

lesson is to ahead of time check the WiFi connection and network share drive

connection for proper functioning.


Executive Summary

The Gaston Christian School technology plan for the 2013-2018 school years are in

congruence with the North Carolina state standards in technology and the International Society

for Technology in Education national standards in technology (ISTE). This plan is in alignment

with the vision, mission, and goals of Gaston Christian School. This plan is designed to improve

access to technology across the board at GCS from how our admin and staff utilize IT, to how

our students will use IT to develop critical technology skills. This plan is also focused on how

GCS will integrate a 1-to-1 iPad initiation as well as critical assessment strategies for assessing

how we hold students accountable to IT skills while attending GCS. The 1-to-1 iPad rollout and

integration of our TIP will become a reality by careful budgeting, and financial commitments

from our business partners.

The core of this technology plan is designed to include all students who attend GCS, and

allow for equal access of equipment regardless of grade level, or academic need. This plan is

designed to look at all aspects of technology use and make strategic changes to areas of

identified improvements. The goal of technology use is to ensure that our students are equipped

with the most up-to-date technology training and skills for the workplace of the future. To

ensure that this goal is met proper funding, budgeting, and technology training of faculty is

essential. Training will be provided by qualified out-of-house iPad specialists during the first

year, and a host of in-house services. We are committed to ensuring that GCS has technology

equity amongst the student body, and all learners will develop technology related skills helping

them be successful in the IT developed workplace of the future.


The technology plan at GCS is focused on six core goals that examine how the school is

utilizing technology by the administration and faculty, the students use of technology, the cost of

IT equipment and our business technology partnerships, how we assess student technology use,

IT equipment repairs, and what specific projects will be used to make sure our students have

accomplished benchmark technology assignments in the 11th and 12th grades. To accomplish

these six goals in the next five year we will need to have purposeful planning, a strategic way to

continue to attract committed business partners who will help fund IT development at GCS, and

fully utilize the current business partnerships we presently have that are committed to IT at our

school. We will use the 11th and 12th grade projects to ensure mastery of technology skills and

graduation requirements from GCS.

Crosswalk of Goals

National Technology Plan NC Technology Plan GCS Technology Plan

Learning:

Students will demonstrate creative thinking, constructknowledge, and develop innovative products andprocesses using technology.

(ISTE, 2013 Standard 1).

Students will demonstrate a sound understandingof technology concepts, systems, and operations.


Students apply digital tools to

Evaluate the IT resources that are needed to solve a given problem, and use IT to solve the identified problem.

(NCES-TS-1 Standard 1, 2013).

At GCS we will equip the students with the needed technology equipment, and the related skills to utilize the equipment to the fullest. This IT training will create a learner that is uniquely prepared to work effectively in the 21st century workplace.


gather, evaluate,and use information.(ISTE, 2013 Standard 3).Assessment:

Teachers will apply technologies and related skills to a variety of effective assessment strategies, and evaluation of student materials.


Design and create a project using technology. This project needs to be well developed using current technologies and demonstrate critical thinking skills and long-range planning.

(NCES-TS-3 Standard 3, 2013)

At GCS students will be assessed and held accountable to their learned technology skills by in-class ongoing assessment, end-of-year technology tests, and two major technology related projects in 11th and 12th grade that are required for graduation. Technology skills learned at GCS over the course of a student’s academic career will create a learner that uses skills built on other acquired skills.

Teaching:

Teachers will demonstrate an understanding of technology operations and concepts. Teachers plan and design lessons that will foster students growth and development in the area of technology skills and usage.


Teacher implemented curriculum plans will integrate technologies and strategies to maximize student learning.


Teachers will use technology to create rich lessons where the student’s will assess problems, and figure out what technology is best suited for solving the issue. Technology skills are used in a responsible ethical fashion where learners use the tools without abusing the technology.

(NCES-TS-4 Standard 4, 2013)

At GCS students will have lessons that are designed to use technology to its fullest and incorporate technology as much as possible for a given lesson. Students will also understand through instruction how technology is to be used responsibly without compromising ethical practices developed in courses at GCS.

Infrastructure:

Teachers plan and design learning environments that are effective for the best technology learning practices. Teachers will design their

Teachers will design their learning environments, and use technology in a way that maximizes the students learning of technology related

At GCS we will design our PC labs in a manner that maximizes the learning potential of our students. We will take into account the way


rooms and equipment placement to best foster technology use and learning.(ISTE, 2000 Standard 2).

skills.


the lab is set up for best ergonomics, and for best performance of the equipment we have been stewarded with. Besides the physical stationary labs we will pay similar attention to detail in our mobile computing environments to ensure the equipment is well running, and students learning time with the devices is high.

Productivity:

Students will demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, how they work, and operations use technology.


Students will understand how technology is used to assist productivity in the modern workplace. Students will also know how to ethically use technology and practice legal IT use habits.


Students will design projects using technology that will address global issues, and equip students to be effective technology users in the modern work environment.


At GCS we will construct lessons in the technology curriculum that will allow our students to acquire the needed information to succeed in their technology courses, and complete the high school projects successfully. The end result for our technology productivity is to ensure our learners are well prepared for the workplace of tomorrow.


References:

Charlotte-Mecklenburg County North Carolina Public Schools Technology Implementation Plan 2012-2014, retrieved from: www.cms.k12.nc.us/mediaroom/.../2012-2014%20Tech%20 Plan .pdf

Gaston County North Carolina Public Schools Technology Implementation Plan 2013-2016, retrieved from: http://www.gaston.k12.nc.us/TechPlan09.pdf

Greenwich County Connecticut Public Schools Technology Implementation Plan 2012-2015, retrieved from: www.greenwichschools.org/.../5-2-12_2012-15TechPlanCvr2.pdf

Hudson County New York Public Schools Technology Implementation Plan 2012-2016, retrieved from: www. hudson .k12.ma.us/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket...tabid=447 .pdf

ISTE.NETS-S Standards of learning, retrieved from: http://www.iste.org/nets

ISTE.NETS-T Standards of learning, retrieved from: http://www.iste.org/nets

NCTS Standards of Technology Learning, retrieved from: http://it.ncwiseowl.org/standards/ITES

Shelby County Tennessee Public Schools Technology Implementation Plan 2010-2015, retrieved from: www.scsk12.org/SCS/departments/TechnologyPlan10-14.pdf

http://it.ncwiseowl.org/standards/ITES

http://www.hudson.k12.ma.us/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket...tabid=447

http://www.gaston.k12.nc.us/TechPlan09.pdf

http://www.cms.k12.nc.us/mediaroom/.../2012-2014%20Tech%20Plan.pdf

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