Technology Action Plan

Professional Development:
I think that the first step of any professional development plan should be to survey the teachers asking them what they would like to see offered that would be of use to them. Most of the time teachers know what they need and will be on track when spending their precious time on staff development. If they give input into what is offered, there will probably be more buy in with regard to implementation of what they have learned. That being said below are three suggestions for staff development.
• Staff development to explain the Texas Star Chart –I don’t think that teachers are aware of the relevance of STaR chart data. I would propose that the staff be educated by being shown the Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020 with an emphasis placed on how the information relates to their campus. The Cypress-Fairbanks ISD Technology Plan 2008-2011 should also be shared. The timing of this staff development should be prior to the required STaR chart survey completion.
• Technology Tuesdays-The campus Media Specialist and the Technology Helping teacher currently conduct a thirty minute staff development from 8:00-8:30 each Tuesday. These sessions include sharing of relevant web sites, sharing how to integrate technology in different curriculum areas, introducing new technology related equipment, like the ELMOs that were just purchased for our building and answering any technology related questions that anyone may have.
• Cognos Training-Teachers have been introduced to Cognos, the program that the district uses to store data relating to benchmarks, curriculum based assessments, TAKS results and other pertinent information relating to students. Teachers are aware of Cognos but do not utilize it to the degree that they should.
I realize that there are many more technology staff development sessions that should be provided on campus but I think that these three should be required. Cypress-Fairbanks ISD offers many technology classes at the district level. These include: Technology Basic Skills, MS Word XP, parts 1 and 2, MS Excel XP, parts 1 and 2, MS Power Point XP and, MS Access XP, parts 1 and 2. These classes are available at different times throughout the year not only to employees but to the general public as well.
According to the Campus Summary information Farney Elementary is still developing in the areas of Teaching & Learning and Educator Preparation. The above mentioned staff development would begin the process of moving our campus toward the advanced level.

Evaluation of Action Plan

I think that the evaluation of any technology action plan must be ongoing. It is the responsibility of both the administrative team and the technology liaison to monitor how technology is being used in the classroom. This can be done by regularly reviewing teachers’ lesson plans and regularly walking through classrooms. District technology goals should be compared to school goals. Levels of progress in the areas of Teaching & Learning and Educator Preparation should be revisited once a month during the Technology Tuesday staff development sessions. How teachers use technology to analyze data will be evident during student assistance meetings, (SAM). These meetings are required meetings with the assistant principal and the principal to analyze benchmarks, curriculum based assessments and grades and are held at the end of every grading period. Teachers should also be asked to complete a survey at the end of the year that would give administration data that would be used to plan summer staff development and staff development for the next school year.