LES Technology Plan
Local Technology Plan Guidelines 2017-2018
Benchmark 1. Commitment to a Clear Vision and Implementation Strategies
A. The district’s technology plan contains a clearly stated and reasonable set of
goals and implementation strategies that align with the district-wide school
improvement plan. The district is committed to achieving its vision by the end of the
school year 2017-2018.
Vision
Lanesborough Elementary School will use educational technology to provide
students with the knowledge, skills and encouragement to be lifelong learners. We
will fully integrate technology to empower all members of our school community:
students, parents, teachers, administration, staff and community. We pledge our
commitment to build a community of creative, engaged learners who embrace
the challenges of a rapidly changing world. We cultivate a love of learning in a
nurturing academic environment that equips our students for life’s opportunities.
Lanesborough Elementary is committed to providing students and staff members
with the necessary technology tools and assistance to meet our technology mission
and goals. Technology is integrated throughout the entire campus. Students
and staff members use technology to learn, teach, and communicate. Our broad
objectives to support our mission through 2018 are:
1. Continue to maintain at least 3:1 student to computer ratio. This includes
desktops, laptops, and tablets.
2. Upgrade all computers to have At least a 1.0 to 2.0 GHz CPU(windows) or G4
(Macintosh)
3. All classrooms and workrooms will have high-speed internet access.
4. All areas of the campus will be served wirelessly.
5. Continue to provide training for staff in using technology to integrate into the
curriculum, communicate with the community, and increase personal productivity.
6. Increase the use of technology to communicate effectively and efficiently within
our school, with our families, and within our community.
7. Yearly technology survey to get feedback on tools, application and professional
development needs.
Mission
To realize our vision, Lanesborough Elementary School will use technology to support and involve all members of our school community.
Administrators will use technology to meet state and federal reporting regulations. They will use technology for data driven decision making and to facilitate communications and campus management.
Teachers will be given the tools and training needed to grow as professionals and to
integrate technology into all aspects of their classroom responsibilities.
Students will be given opportunities for successful learning across all ability levels and learning styles. Students will be empowered to use technology for self-directed learning, problem solving, self-expression, and communication. Students will be educated in how to be responsible, ethical, and judicious users of technology.
Parents will benefit from open lines of timely, electronic communications between home and school. Parents will continue to be involved in technology decision-making and planning. Parents will have opportunities to connect to Lanesborough Elementary School through technology.
Beliefs
At Lanesborough Elementary School, we believe it is our responsibility to:
- utilize the best tools available to help students learn
- follow state and federal guidelines when planning and implementing new technologies
- maintain and upgrade existing equipment and infrastructure as needed
- provide training for administrators, and support staff in using educational technology
- find innovative ways to fund and implement new technologies
- look for opportunities to improve technology integration
- model life-long-learning by learning to use new educational technologies
Lanesborough Elementary School has a technology team with representatives from a variety of stakeholder groups, including parents, administrators, staff members and
teachers. The technology team has the full support of the school superintendent to
implement the plan.
The district assesses tools and applications necessary to improve learning and teaching. A yearly survey along with discussions with stakeholder groups are used to gather information.
Lanesborough Elementary School recognizes that technology is an important part of
achieving its educational mission. The district has a budget for its local technology plan with line items for technology hardware and software/applications in its operational budget. Lanesborough Elementary School has used informal feedback as well as periodic surveys. Teachers and students give feedback on tools, applications, and professional development needs.
Benchmark 2: Technology Integration and Literacy
- A. Technology Integration
1. Outside Teaching Time – 100% of our teachers use technology everyday for
research, administrative duties, communication, lesson planning and teaching.
Teachers submit attendance, communicate through blogs, web pages and email,
and work with our technology teacher to create lessons using technology.
B. Technology literacy
1. 100% of our teachers are working towards technology proficiency at
Massachusetts Technology Literacy Standards and Expectations. Our goal is for all teachers to be proficient by 2018.
C. Staffing
1. LES has a 1.0 technology integration teacher. The district outsources some of its maintenance.
Benchmark 3: Technology Professional Development
LES teachers and administrators have participated in a variety of professional
development activities. All teachers have participated in technology professional
development focusing on software -Aimsweb, Read Naturally, Lexia, Microsoft Word, G-Suite, and Powerschool. With the rapid development of cloud applications and mobile computing, our professional development will transition from a workshop style to a personal learning community approach where teachers get support to learn to use new tools and applications. Technology professional development is sustained and ongoing and includes coaching, modeling best practices, district-based mentoring, study groups, and online professional development.
The district provides Technology Professional Development to all staff in:
- Data and reporting
- Web Page Communication
- Blogging
- Google Apps
- Web 2.0 and 3.0
- Applications for safely helping students connect with others
- Working with still photos and video
- Using iPads
Professional development planning includes an assessment of district and teachers’ needs. An annual locally developed survey will be administered to gauge teacher competency and to plan for future professional development. The Superintendent and Principal are committed to providing time and resources for trainings.
Benchmark 4: Accessibility of Technology
A. Hardware Access
1. By 2018, the district has an average ratio of one average-capacity, Internet-
connected computer for every three students. (The District is using DESE definition to define average-capacity computers).
2. The district provides students with emerging technologies appropriate to their grade level.
3. The district maximizes access to the general education curriculum for all students,
including students with disabilities, using universal design principles and assistive
technology devices. The technology department works closely with the special
education department to ensure maximum accessibility and to use the appropriate
adaptive and assistive tools.
B. Internet Access
1. The district provides connectivity to the Internet for all computers in all classrooms in all schools, including wireless connectivity. By 2018 we will have enterprise level wireless throughout the campus.
Free internet access outside of school is available at: Lanesborough Public Library- http://milnelibrary.org. Hours are 10:00-5:30 daily and 10:00-4:00 on Saturdays.
C. Networking (LAN/WAN)
1. The district provides internal local area network (LAN) connections.
2. The district provides servers for file sharing, storage, data back-up and content filtering.
D. Access to the Internet Outside the School Day
1. Groups of students in tutoring, clubs, and special courses have access to computers after school.
2. The district disseminates an up-to-date list of places where students and staff can access the Internet after school hours.
E. Staffing
1. The district provides staff or contracted services to ensure that its network is functioning at all times. The district contracts with network specialists to plan improvements and troubleshoot problems.
2. The district resolves technical problems within 24 hours, so that they do not cause major disruptions to communications and curriculum.
Benchmark 5: Virtual Learning and Communications
A. The district encourages the development and use of innovative strategies for delivering high-quality courses through the use of technology.
B. The district deploys IP-based connections for access to interactive web site video
learning on the local, state, regional, national, and international level.
C. Classroom applications of virtual learning include courses, collaborative projects, field trips, and discussions. The District has the ability to support all forms e-learning.
The district maintains an up-to-date website that includes information for
parents and community members.
The District has an updated web site at /. The District web site includes a variety of information
pertinent to the school and grade levels. In addition, the school uses group email systems and alert calling systems to inform parents and other members of the community of school news and events.
Benchmark 6: Safety, Security, and Data Retention
A. The district has a CIPA-compliant Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) regarding Internet and network use. The policy is updated as needed to help ensure safe and ethical use of resources by teachers and students. The district has an AUP for both students and staff that is posted on the LES homepage. The district employs a web content filter and monitors the Internet usage of students.
B. The district educates teachers and students about appropriate online behavior. Topics include cyberbullying, potential risks related to social networking sites and chat rooms, and strategies for dealing with these issues.
C. Several teachers have been trained “Train the Trainer” Cyberbullying program at the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center and have presented to district staff and parents. Required computer courses for students in the grades 4-6 have specific
curriculum related to cyberbullying and the safe, ethical use of online applications.
D. The district complies with federal and state law, and local policies for archiving
electronic communications produced by its staff and students. The district informs
staff and students that any information distributed over the district or school network
may be a public record.
The District provides archiving of email for staff. The AUP signed by staff and students indicates that their communications may become part of a public record.
