All schools today are faced with the same dilemma, how to remain current with societies’ increasing use of technology. Starting in kindergarten through college and into our work environments technology is being used more and it is becoming a necessity for all students to have technological capabilities. The changing technological advances are causing school districts to become even more creative with budgeting and financial planning. Equipping both staff and students with the tools to be technologically proficient is a challenge for any school district. Examining my district’s campus improvement initiative, we focused on increasing the use of technology throughout our district by our students and staff. A tremendous amount of time and effort has gone into the development and planning for district wide incorporation of technology. The district began with a district technology committee and sought input from students, parents, district personnel and board members about technology for the district. The planning process began several years ago and plans for use and implementation have continually changed over the years. Answering the questions of why, what, how, and when for technology in our district had to occur early in the planning and development process. Technology for schools is not a simple issue. The district’s yearly staff development plan for 2010-2011 school year focused primarily on technology throughout our district. The district’s technology upgrade ideas came about primarily from an extensive bond project. New campuses and academic wings all included up to date classroom technology. The teachers needed training to learn to use the computers, mimios, document cameras, whiteboards, and flat screen effectively in their classrooms. The district felt that a one-time or one-day training was not sufficient enough for our teachers. We included several district early release days we called “Wired for Wednesdays” designed to provide additional training for staff members that were campus based. The sessions were lead by teachers and were based on the technology level of the campus staff by dividing them into advanced, proficient, and basic levels. They included how to effectively use and incorporate the classroom technology into the lessons. We are also moving to a one-to-one laptop usage for students at the secondary level. Sixth through twelfth graders will be issued a laptop to use for the entire school year. The sixth and seventh graders will have one issued to them for use at school and eighth through twelfth will be allowed to take their laptops home everyday. A technology usage fee was determined to be necessary for all students, which will begin at the beginning of the next school year. After getting involved with the technology committee, several other questions came up and had to be addressed for proper technology implementation. Without thoroughly planning and investigating all angles of the district improvement initiative it becomes extremely difficult to adequately prepare the students, parents, staff and district for changes. Planning is the foundation of any change. The most important lesson learned is to become involved within your district in the process, you learn more than by just observing. For any initiative to be successful, there has to be a valid need and desire for change. Changing the way we teach with technology inside our schools, how we allow students to use technology for lessons and assignments, parent understanding and commitment for change, and understanding school funding are all important skills for implementing successful changes.
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