technology program evaluation ces

Technology Program Evaluation 1

Technology Program Evaluation

Chattahoochee Elementary School

Kevin Scheiwe

Spring 2014


Executive Summary

Chattahoochee Elementary School, located in Gwinnett County, has continued to thrive

with healthy support from its prosperous district. Chattahoochee’s technology center has a wide

range of responsibilities and good financial support, allowing Chattahoochee Elementary to keep

up with the ever changing demands of technology in the classroom. With limited staffing by the

district, the responsibilities of the technology center and Local School Technology Coordinator

make it very difficult for the school to utilize all their resources to the fullest potential. At its

current state, Chattahoochee’s technology center is setup to handle the basic day-to-day

operations, but with a great foundation in technology and an abundance of resources, the

technology center at Chattahoochee has room for improvement.

Organizational Chart

This chart was derived from interviews and discussions with the Principal and Local

School Technology Coordinator (LSTC) at Chattahoochee Elementary School (CES).


Methods

Information for this evaluation was gathered using interviews, observations and email

discussions with the Principal, LSTC, Bookkeeper and school website

(www.chattahoocheees.org) at Chattahoochee Elementary School (CES). Job descriptions were

gathered from Gwinnett County’s website. See appendix for descriptions.

Center Context and Goals

MissionThe technology center mission is a part of the school/county mission. The mission of

CES is to pursue excellence in academic knowledge, skills, and behavior for each student,

resulting in measured improvement against local, national, and world-class standards.

Goal The goal of the CES technology center is to meet the continuing and changing demand

for essential information through technological systems and processes that support effective

performance and desired results.

Priorities

Access to technology

Support for individual technology use

Technology is for day-to-day instruction

Make technology integration visible

Implementation of the E-Class initiative

History

Based on interviews and discussions with the current staff, the schools technology history

can be described below. Any technology updates and or changes prior to the events below could

not be tracked.


2001-2011 – CES employed a full-time Local School Technology Coordinator (LSTC)

and a full-time Technology Support Technician (TST), along with a Media Specialist and

Media Clerk.

2008 – School-wide retrofit. Included in retrofit: LCD projectors in every classroom,

new laptops for all teachers, document cameras and flip cameras, Wi-Fi hotspots, two

mobile labs (which includes 16 laptops each), and updates to the school’s four computer

labs.

2010 – PTA purchased Mimios for all classrooms.

2011 – CES went to one full-time LSTC, and one half-time TST (per district cuts).

2012 – EClass initiative: CES received wireless routers in every classroom to support

BYOD.

2013 – CES used funds received from printer cartridge recycling program to purchase

school-wide security camera system.

2013 – Technology team received grants to purchase eight student tablets.

2014 – PTA purchased 30 laptop/tablets.

2015 – Next scheduled school/district retrofit.

Personal

Current positions include:

Full-time Local School Technology Coordinator (LSTC) – oversees all duties described

in technology center organizational chart.

Half-time Technology Support Technician (TST) – TST is shared between CES and

another elementary school. Most of the TST’s job entails the maintenance of school

hardware and the oversight of TSR’s (technology support requests). TST’s are


contracted by the district, report to the district level. They are a part of the technology

team, but have a minimal role in the school’s technology center.

Full-time Media Specialist (MS) – oversees media program and media center, which

provides media resources and facilities to staff and students. Also, MS supervises the

Media Clerk (MC) and is required to teach a Media Special to several grade levels.

Full-time Media Clerk (MC) – assists the MS, tracks/monitors and aids in the library and

other media resources.

Other stakeholders include the PTA, teachers, administration, SASI Clerk and

Bookkeeper.

Budget

Funds origination AmountDistrict/county $8,000Local School – student fees $2,000Technology fund raising $1,000

It is estimated that the LSTC receives approximately $8000 from the county fund. These

funds pay for several school-wide programs or software, including: BrainPop, Education City,

WritetoLearn, and ClassWerks. Locally, the LSTC receives approximately $2000 from

technology fees (charged to each student), and raises approximately $1000 (homework passes),

which is used to purchase toner cartridges, laptop batters and other associated maintenance

items.

Technology Center Activities

A. Write to Learn Lab/Technology Special – The LSTC teaches three special classes each

day to third, fourth and fifth graders. The main duty is oversight of the students, who

work in the computer lab, using the WritetoLearn software.


B. Oversight of the ClassWorks lab – Various paraprofessionals monitor the ClassWorks

lab, which is academic software used mainly in specials classes. The LSTC ultimately

facilitates this lab.

C. Provide Professional Learning to staff – Professional learning opportunities are done

mainly on a needs basis. These learning opportunities range from anything on the

employee portal, to showing teachers how to utilize the BYOD in their classroom. It

ultimately is whatever is needed by the staff.

D. At the end of each nine weeks, the LSTC has to oversee the exporting of grades and

printing of report cards.

E. Coordinate the Technology Vertical Team – The LSTC must lead, plan and organize the

team, which meets once a week. The Technology Team is in charge of putting together

the school-wide technology plan and the oversight of “Technology Night” for parents and

students.

F. Oversight of the EClass initiative - informing/training staff of new elements to ECLass.

G. Basic technology support – aid and assist in the response to TSR’s (technology support

requests), and other technology issues and troubleshooting.

H. Online testing – oversee all online testing by students

I. Surveys – coordinate any school-wide surveys

J. BYOD – maintain list of approved students/devices to participate in the BYOD initiative.

K. Closed-circuit announcements – facilitated by the technology team, but ultimately lead,

produced and completed by students.


Evaluation

The technology center at Chatthoochee Elementary has a broad range of responsibilities

that vary in specific duties to open-ended responsibilities. Through the evaluation process, it was

determined that the majority of the technology center responsibilities were managed by the Local

School Technology Coordinator, making the LSTC and the technology center essentially the

same thing. Most of the responsibilities on the organizational chart, although wide-ranging,

seemed appropriate and attainable. Despite seeing TST support cut a few years ago, it seems that

overall, technology as a whole continues to prosper at CES. With a good infrastructure, the

school is equipped to keep-up with the ever changing direction and use of technology in the

classroom.

The main goal of the technology center was to keep up with the changing demand of

technology in an effort to support student performance and desired results. Based on the history

and funding of the program, the school seems to continue to evolve and acquire new technology

to support instruction, in turn making the goal easily attainable. The one downside was the large

gap or time frame the district was providing a school-wide retrofit. With the last retrofit in 2008

and the next one scheduled in 2015; it seems the technology center is fortunate to have the

funding as well as the PTA resources to continue to support its goal. Because of the aging

equipment (laptops, printers, etc.), maintenance costs are continuing to rise. One consequence of

the (whole school) Wi-Fi access is teachers are using laptop batteries much more frequently, in

turn significantly raising costs for replacement batteries. While district funding seems adequate,

it is obvious that the stakeholders have invested in the longevity of the program through the

school-wide initiatives like Mimios, software and programs for the computer labs.


It is still unclear what other resources the EClass initiative will bring to the local schools.

But, having the infrastructure, like school-wide Wi-Fi, and already have taken large strides in the

BYOD imitative, it’s obvious the school and district are focused on the digital age learning

environment. On the contrary, like most districts and schools, cuts in the last five years have

resulted in less staff, putting more responsibility on key members, like the LSTC. Because the

LSTC is required to teach special area classes, opportunities to provide support to teachers and

students are very limited. With the LSTC tied down for a large portion of the day with

scheduled classes, many of the tasks in the organizational chart get very little attention. Items

like professional learning, providing technology support, and overseeing EClass initiatives are

not being addressed frequently enough. With all the new technology the school continues to

integrate, more support for staff and students is needed to fully take advantage of all the

resources the school has.

Although the WritetoLearn program being initiated in the technology special is a good

asset for students, the design of the program requires little oversight and instruction, allowing

students to work independently. Considering the value the LSTC brings to the school,

monitoring the WritetoLearn lab does not seem to be the best use of time for the LSTC. Through

my visits in the high school and middle school technology centers, I found that only elementary

schools utilize the LSTC in this capacity. It is my recommendation that the leadership at

Chattahoochee utilize other staff to oversee the WritetoLearn labs, allowing the LSTC to better

use her time to address staff support and technology initiatives. Another consideration for

improvement is the report card responsibility. Because of the time sensitivity of progress

reports, all other technology responsibilities are put on hold for four to five days, each 9-weeks,

in order for the LSTC to oversee the report card process for over 1200 students. Adding staff


assistance to this process would reduce time requirement and allow the LSTC to continue other

responsibilities on a more regular basis.

Overall, the Chattahoochee technology center and LSTC are in a fortunate position to

have so many resources and the ability to be cutting edge on the technology front. On the other

hand, with limited staff support, these resources are not being utilized appropriately. The top

three job duties of the LSTC, as described by the Gwinnett County job description, are to provide

technology leadership, provide technology integration in teaching and learning, and to support

digital age learning. Most of the responsibilities of the Chattahoochee technology center and

LSTC support these duties, but with a little reorganization of staffing, the school would better

utilize technology to support effective performance and desired results in the classroom.


Appendix A

LSTC Job Description

LOCAL SCHOOL TECHNOLOGY COORDINATOR J o b D e s c r i p t i o n

JOB INFORMATION

Division: SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT AND OPERATIONS

Job Code: 060041

Dept/Office: Local School Original Adoption Date:

July 1994

Job Title: Local School Technology Coordinator

Latest Revision Date: May 2013

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTUREReports to:

Local School Administrator

Local School Technology Coordinator

EMPLOYMENT TERMSFLSA Exempt; Contracted

JOB QUALIFICATIONSLicenses/CertificationsValid T-4 Georgia teaching certification or S-5 Instructional Technology certification or S-5 Media certification required.EducationBachelor's degree in related field required. Master's degree in related field preferred.SkillsStrong background in the use of technology to support teaching and learning; excellent technology skills in instructional and productivity software; strong communication skills and the ability to work well with others; ability to problem solve, lead, and multitask; and ability to teach/deliver complex technology systems to end users with varied computer competencies.Work ExperienceThree years experience integrating technology in instruction in a K-12 environment required.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITYProvide leadership and support in the use of technology in teaching and learning.

ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES

1. Provide technology leadership and oversee the planning of technology initiatives.a. Collaborate with leadership and technology team to develop and implement a shared vision for the comprehensive integration of technology in support of the Local School Plan for Improvement (LSPI). b. Contribute to the planning, development, communication, implementation, and evaluation of technology infused strategic plans that support the shared vision. c. Facilitate the implementation of technology standards at the local school level. d. Implement strategies for initiating and sustaining technology innovations and manage the change process in the school. e. Collaborate with other local school technology team members to ensure comprehensive support of technology initiatives.

2. Provide technology integration in teaching and learning. a. Coach and model the design and implementation of technology–enhanced learning experiences for teachers that addresses the Academic Knowledge and Skills (AKS). b. Demonstrate an understanding of research based, learner centered instructional strategies including Quality-Plus Teaching Strategies. c. Differentiate instruction including adjusting content, product, process, and learning environment based on student readiness, learning styles, interests, and goals.d. Work with students to assume professional roles, research real world problems, collaborate with others, and produce meaningful, useful products. e. Coach and model the design and implementation of technology–enhanced learning experiences for teachers that emphasizes creativity and higher order thinking skills and processes.


3. Support digital age learning environments. a. Work with school leadership to ensure equitable access and full utilization of technology for teaching and learning. b. Support the use of online and blended learning, digital content, and collaborative learning networks.c. Maintain and manage a variety of digital tools and resources.d. Collaborate with teachers and administrators to select and evaluate digital tools and resources.e. Troubleshoot software problems.

4. Provide professional development. a. Conduct needs assessments to inform the content and delivery of technology related professional learning.b. Design, develop, and implement technology rich professional learning programs that promote digital-age best practices in teaching, learning, and assessment. c. Provide learning opportunities in a variety of formats including formal classes, informal hands-on sessions, and job embedded staff development. d. Deliver training on district technology initiatives to appropriate staff.

5. Demonstrate content knowledge and professional growth.a. Engage in continual learning to deepen content and pedagogical knowledge in technology integration and current and emerging technologies. b. Develop and improve knowledge through professional development, conferences, workshops, publications, and networking of colleagues. c. Evaluate and reflect on professional practice to improve and strengthen the ability to effectively model and facilitate technology–enhanced learning experiences.

6. Promote digital citizenship. a. Model and promote strategies for achieving equitable access to digital tools and resources and technology related best practices for all students and teachers. b. Model and facilitate safe, healthy, legal, and ethical uses of digital information and technologies. c. Model and promote the use of digital-age communication and collaboration tools to interact locally and globally with students, peers, parents, and the larger community.

7. Perform other duties as assigned.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

This position requires extended periods of computer use. The lifting of computer equipment and peripherals are often required of this position. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit for extended periods of time. Employee is also required to talk, hear, stand, and walk. The employee may be required to use hands to finger, handle, feel, and/or reach. Employee is occasionally required to stoop, kneel, or crouch. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.


Appendix B

Observation Record

NAME: T. ParrishDATE & TIME:

February, 13th 2014/12:05-12:45

OBSERVER: Kevin ScheiweSITE/CLASS:

CES Computer Lab B - WritetoLearn

Observations/Events/Records:

One class of fourth grade students came to WritetoLearn (WTL) lab for their specials class. Each student was at their own computer. Ms. Parrish showed the class how to log into WTL, but most students remember how. Once logged in, students either began a new essay or continued their last one they worked on in the lab. I asked a couple students when the last time they worked on the essay and everyone said at the last time they the WTL special has (8 days prior).There were a few login issues, forgotten passwords, but once the students got working, Ms. Parrish just walked around and monitored the students. Occasionally there was a question and most of the time Ms. Parrish responded that she couldn’t help them as it was part of the essay they had to figure out. Towards the end of the class, Ms. Parrish confided in me that, sometimes she’ll work on some other tasks once the students get going, as she feels her time is wasted just standing around, given the independent nature of the WTL software. Ms. Parrish and I discussed her schedule: She has to teach a 4th and 5th grade special everyday (12-12:45, & 1:40-2:25). She also has to be “available” during the Kindergarten specials, but the Kg Parapros come into the lab with their class to manage their students. Although if there are any technical issues, Ms. Parrish has to handle it.


Appendix C

Interview Protocol FormFaculty Interview Protocol

Institutions: ___Chattahoochee Elementary School___________________

Interviewee (Title and Name): __Jeff Lee - Principal____________________

Interviewer: _____Kevin Scheiwe___________________________________

Surveyed:

_____ A: Interview Background

__x__ B: Institutional Perspective

_____ C: Assessment

__x__ D: Department and Discipline

_____ E: Teaching and Learning

_____ F: Demographics (no specific questions)

Other Topics Discussed:___Budget____________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Documents Obtained: _____GCPS Job Description_______________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Post Interview Comments or Leads:

______Permission to get budget figures for Tech. Center from Bookkeeper_____

Interview:

Q: What would you classify as the school’s technology center?


Q: What personnel or staff are part of the technology center?

Q: What is the background or history of the center?

Q: What are the activities or responsibilities of the technology center?

Q: Who are the other stakeholders of the technology center?

Q: What are the goals/missions/priorities of the center?

Interview Protocol FormFaculty Interview Protocol

Institutions: ___Chattahoochee Elementary School___________________

Interviewee (Title and Name): __Tracy Parrish - LSTC____________________

Interviewer: _____Kevin Scheiwe___________________________________

Surveyed:

__x__ A: Interview Background

__x__ B: Institutional Perspective

_____ C: Assessment

__x__ D: Department and Discipline

__x__ E: Teaching and Learning

_____ F: Demographics (no specific questions)

Other Topics Discussed:___Center activities, positives and negatives of job__________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Documents Obtained: _____N/A_____________ _______________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Post Interview Comments or Leads:


Interview:

Q: What is the history of technology at Chattahoochee ES?

Q: What are the daily responsibilities of the technology center?

Q: What is your budget?

Q: What are your goals and mission?

Q: What equipment does the technology center have?

Q: What activities or programs does the center oversee?

Q: What other positions or stakeholders are invested in the technology center?

Q: What does the center do well?

Q: What things or activities can the technology center improve on?