Divya NagpalEDLD 5306

E-rate Technology

Plan: Galveston Independent

School District

Agenda

• About E-rate• Eligibility • GISD's technology plan• Compliance • Responsibilities• Accountability• Accessibility• Budget• Evaluation• Summary

E-Rate is a discount program that schools and libraries can receive for

their telecommunication services. Eligible schools and libraries can

receive discounts of 20-90 percent on telecommunication services, network access and internal connections and maintenance necessary for deploying

technology.

E-Rate

A school must meet the statutory definition of an

elementary or secondary school found in the

Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.

Must not operate as a for-profit business.

Must not have an endowment exceeding $50 million.

Both public and non-public elementary and secondary

schools that meet these criteria are eligible to receive

discounts on telecommunication and networking

services.

Eligibility

GISD's technology plan

GISD technology plan includes: •Specific standards that address goals, strategies, needs, resources, and evaluation.

•Professional development strategies to ensure that staff know how to use these new technologies.

•Assessment of telecommunication services, software, hardware, and network services required to improve student learning.

•Evaluation and monitoring of the progress toward specific goals in a timely fashion

Compliance

The plan should meet the visions and recommendations provided by the Campus Technology Committee.

Insights shared by administrators and teachers, reviews of available literature, meetings with district representatives.

Teachers have to turn in a document showing that all students have been trained on internet safety protocols.

Responsibilities

• For effective use of technology in the classroom, GISD stresses the importance of ongoing and sustained staff development in the integration of technology into the curriculum for teachers, principals, administrators, and school library media personnel.

• To enrich curriculum, TEKS to be used as guidelines for providing instruction.

• Students gain technology-based knowledge and skills after integrating them in their curriculum.

Accountability

• A comprehensive assessment utilizing teacher and student surveys.

• Teacher STaR Chart evaluates the current status of technology use in the campus and determines the future needs.

• Items analyzed included: infrastructure, hardware, software, curriculum, student achievement, technology resources, staff development, and technical support.

Accessibility

GISD's plan for 2011 can be accessed on GISD network server only. server1/GISDinfo/Technology/techplan

2005 -2008 is available for public at the following link. http://www.gisd.org/education/dept/dept.php?sectionid=2070&

Budget

Evaluation

• Timely assessment for measuring Teacher Technology Skills and Proficiency.

• Staff development courses designed to address Teacher Proficiency Skills needs.

• Software Standards are being developed so that there is uniformity across the district for students regardless of the campus attended.

• Teachers will have been granted access to the additional classroom technology depending on the needs of the students.

• The success of the program is measured by viewing the User Request system statistics on total requests, timeliness of response, user satisfaction, training sessions conducted, and success in using software programs.

Summary

Technology is a major force in 21st century world; accordingly, students must be prepared to utilize technological skills in education, business, and industry. It is vital that GISD continue to accept the responsibility to educate students and staffin the use of technology and provide access to the tools both for the educational process and the efficient management of the instruction.