technology program analysis

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Technology Program Evaluation 1

Running head: TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM

Technology Program Evaluation: Clayton County Public Schools Department of Technology

Benjamin Harris


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The Context

Technology is a necessary component in modern life and is evident in the increased focus

of the integration of technology in education. The researcher is the Coordinator of Instructional

Technology and is part of a team that supports a school district in its professional development.

The school district supports an area on the urban fringe of a large city. The district serves

approximately 53,000 students. The Department of Technology supports the district through

technology support and staff development. Digital Learning Specialists also support school

administrators and site facilitators in technology planning for the school year. Technology

integration in the classroom is supported and encouraged in the district, but there remains some

confusion and reluctance that hinders its ability to be ubiquitous. The Visions 2020 government

education t echnology plan states Advanced technologies under development by U.S.

businesses, universities, and government could create rich and compelling learning opportunities

that meet all learners needs, and provide education and training when and where they ar e

needed, while boosting the productivity of learning and lowering its costs (Ed.gov, 2004) . With

the expenditure of resources going into the billions of dollars, it is essential that faculty and staff

make sound choices in technologys role at his or he r school.

The Area of Focus Statement

The purpose of this research is to find out how professional development in the area of

instructional technology can be used most effectively to support and assess student learning.

The Statement of the Problem


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The researcher proposes to identify how the instructional technology department can provide

technology training that will allow greater staff involvement in technology and increase student

learning.

The Subproblems

The first subproblem is to determine the areas of need in the system that will necessitate more

technology professional development.

The next subproblem will analyze how to increase the motivation of staff members to accept and

use technology in the classroom.

The Hypotheses

The first hypothesis is that with the increased emphasis on online assessments, the schools will

have a greater need in preparing students for blended concepts.

The next hypothesis is that technology will become more accepted among teachers and staff once

training is specialized towards their needs.

The Delimitations

The study will not attempt to focus on the need of specific software or hardware training, but the

learning needs of students and the efficiency needs of teachers.

The Definition of Terms


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Hardware Hardware is computer equipment that you can physically touch. Examples of

hardware are monitors, printers, scanners, etc..

Software Software is computer programs that complete operations and coordinate actions of

hardware. Examples of software are Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop, etc.

Assumptions

The faculty and staff have adequate access to various types of hardware and software at their

location.

The faculty and staff is capable of mastering basic skills in technology that should have been a

requirement for hire in their particular positions.

The faculty and staff will be completely honest about desires and concerns in the area of

technology.

The Importance of the Study

The Instructional Technology Department plays a major role in staff training, but is

these resources in time and capital equivalent to success in the classroom? Millions of dollars

are used by this school system to provide teachers with laptops, students with computer labs, and

classroom audio visual equipment in the schools. Teachers are required to teach lessons that

show effective technology integration. The question is how can effective technology

integration be defined? The purpose of this research is to provide educators tools to increase

learning outcomes through the effective integration of technology. The researcher aims to figure

out how can such technology be used most effectively to support and assess student learning?


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Extensive research has been accomplished in this area by CARET, the Center for Applied

Research in Educational Technology and the Milken Exchange on Education Technology.

Instructional technology specialists will need to have a better focus and direction in staff

professional development to affect classroom instruction and greatly enhance the assessment and

learning support of students. With large economic resources at stake, technology tools should

have immediate impact on student achievement .

Needs Assessment

Taking a close look at the current technology organizational structure revealed three

symbiotically related strands: Information, Instructional, and Support Services. The information

strand focuses on the student information system and related data, the instructional strand

focuses on staff training, and the support services focuses on the technical support and repair of

available equipment. There exists a need to align the purchasing of equipment with these strands

in mind. Currently technology purchases can be made by outside departments such as Title I

without the consultation of any of the three strands. This creates a problem when the technology

department is asked to support the newly purchased software or devices because it may not

seamlessly coexist with the current available infrastructure. The purchasing leaders did not

possess any technical backgrounds; therefore, the fiscal decisions were made based upon their

own interpretations of classroom needs instead of research and collaboration with technology

staff.

Secondly, the systems in place by CCPS each form separate functions and have no data

interoperability. There is Thinkgate, an instructional information system, Edmodo, a learning

management system, and Infinite Campus, a student information system. None of these systems

talk to each other to streamline support for students and teachers. This is very frustrating for


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teachers, central office staff, parents, and even students when information is needed to inform

immediate decisions.

Action Steps

The Department of Technology should partner with the Title I department to discuss purchasing

decisions and collaborate to ensure that the instructional technology department can effectively

support schools and staff.

The Department of Technology should ensure that the new Instructional Improvement System is

able to integrate effectively with Infinite Campus. Also, it is important to monitor ways to better

integrate Edmodo into the CCPS infrastructure. The Edmodo district subdomain is a good start.

The next step is to explore ways that Edmodo can integrate into the districts active directory

system.


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References

(2004). Visions 2020.2: Student views on transforming education and training through advanced

technologies. Retrieved April 27, 2008, from Ed.gov Web site:

http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/os/technology/plan/2004/site/documents/visions_20

202.pdf
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/os/technology/plan/2004/site/documents/visions_20202.pdfhttp://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/os/technology/plan/2004/site/documents/visions_20202.pdfhttp://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/os/technology/plan/2004/site/documents/visions_20202.pdfhttp://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/os/technology/plan/2004/site/documents/visions_20202.pdfhttp://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/os/technology/plan/2004/site/documents/visions_20202.pdf

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