Laura Hearnsberger

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Laura Hearnsberger

• “The plan should be the result of input from educators and community members with knowledge, experience, and expectations of the role of technology in their school.”
• “The support of key administrators and influential teachers is critical to the plan's implementation and success.”
• (November, 1996)
Laura Hearnsberger

NBISD Technology Planning
Committee Makeup
• Our 28-member technology committee comprises 12 teachers.
• Only two administrators serve on the committee, a principal and a counselor, both from elementary schools.
• No district curriculum leaders or government agency representatives participate.
• (New Braunfels ISD, 2007)
Teachers
Administrators
Parents
Technologists
Librarians
Community Members
Laura Hearnsberger

NBISD Technology Planning
Committee Makeup
• Since 2-3 representatives were sent from each regular campus, and the district has eight elementary schools, but only three secondary schools, elementary level representation is disproportionately high.
• The high school’s representatives include a science teacher, a speech/nontechnology electives teacher, a broadcast teacher, but no administrators.
• (New Braunfels ISD, 2007) Elementary
High School
District Office
Middle School
Alternative School
Laura Hearnsberger

Step Two: Develop a Knowledge
Base
• Team members must understand:
– “How students learn”
– “What skills students need to succeed in the workplace”
– “How technology can be used to improve education”
– “Most promising ways of using technology to improve student achievement”
– “Condition of facilities”
– “Available technology (including cost)”
– “Professional development opportunities and requirements”
– (November, 1996)
Laura Hearnsberger

• New Braunfels ISD profile:
– ESC Region: XIII
– Number of campuses: 12
– Total student enrollment: 7,444
– Economically disadvantaged: 39.51%
– Technology Budget:
• Teaching and learning - $180,000
• Educator prep and development -
$162,000
• Leadership, administration and support
- $1,823,000
• Infrastructure for technology -
$4,260,000
– Technology expenditure per pupil:
$863.11
– 100 Percent of classrooms have direct connection to Internet
– Computer to student ratio - 1:3
– Computer to teacher ratio - 1:1
– (New Braunfels ISD, 2007)
• Notable points
– The student to computer ratio of 1:3 is misleading, since it includes computers that reside in individual teacher’s classroom labs and are unavailable to most of the students.
– 94.6 percent of the district technology budget ($6,425,000) goes toward two categories:
• Leadership, administration and support
• Infrastructure for technology
Laura Hearnsberger

• Technology resources
– Subscriptions to online resources for teachers and students, including databases and encyclopedias
– Online Latin courses for high school students
– Video streaming from Discovery
Streaming
– Class Works Gold Software
– AR and STAR reading programs
– A+ Learning Systems for credit recovery
– Successmaker, Waterford, and Read
Naturally systems in place for math and reading intervention
– Digital Knowledge Central, GAIL Group, and Britannica Online
– Digital cameras, scanners, video cameras, and digital projectors for checkout
– (New Braunfels ISD, 2007)
• Notable points
– Bullets one and nine are the same thing, phrased differently.
– Most of the items listed do not promote
21 st century learning skills or a constructivist approach to learning. AR is a program designed to monitor student reading. Students read a book then take a comprehension test for points.
– This is not a comprehensive list of technology available in the district.
Some technology items are paid for with technology budget money, but others are paid for from different parts of the budget.
Laura Hearnsberger

• Staff training
– All teachers are required to take the
Texas Teacher STaR Chart survey each year.
– Proficient teachers in the district provide training to other teachers.
– A team of teachers attend the TCEA
State Convention each year.
– All staff are required to meet certain teacher and professional computer competency proficiencies.
– Summer training opportunities are available for teachers on a variety of topics.
– A series of trainings hosted by the technology department called “TECH
Time for administrators and principals”
– (New Braunfels ISD, 2007)
• Notable points
– Bullets one and four are not training, they are evaluations.
– I have never heard a report from any teacher attending the TCEA State
Convention or been offered the opportunity to go.
Laura Hearnsberger

NBISD Tech Committee
Information Sources
• Review of the literature to identify best practice
• Inventory of school site hardware and instructional software
• LoTi survey of teachers and administrators
• STaR Chart survey
• Planning sessions with librarians, technology curriculum integration specialists, and classroom teachers
• Campus technology plans designed by campus technology committees
• Technology plans of other like districts
• Budgets for technology, including local, state, and grant funds
• Partnership for 21st Century Skills
• (New Braunfels ISD, 2007)
• Notable points
– Specific books read are not identified.
– New Braunfels High School does not have a campus technology committee.
Laura Hearnsberger

• Team members “generate a collective vision.” It should:
– “Support meaningful, engaged learning for all students.”
– “Outline the district's learning goals for placing technology in the hands of educators and students.”
– “Support the curricular goals of the school.”
• “It is imperative that the vision statement and the technology plan are developed with foresight, consensus, and long-range goal planning.”
– (November, 1996)
Laura Hearnsberger

NBISD Vision Statement, part one
The students in the New Braunfels schools deserve the best education. In order for our students to be competitive in gaining entrance to a college or university and/or competitive in the workforce, they must be prepared for their futures. Part of that preparation involves the use of technology. New Braunfels has an estimated population of 49,000 with an unemployment rate of 5.1%. Most of the jobs in this area are related to education, health and social services, retail, tourism and manufacturing.
Students in the NBISD schools will have access to information via the Internet and on-line library databases. This access allows for realtime information presented at critical times of the instructional process, and is more authentic than using only what is provided in textbooks.
Laura Hearnsberger

NBISD Vision Statement, part two
Every child in America needs 21st century knowledge and skills to succeed as effective citizens, workers and leaders in the 21st century
(Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2006). This skill set includes:
– Information and communication skills (information and media literacy skills, communication skills)
– Thinking and problem-solving (critical thinking and systems thinking, problem identification, formulation and solution, creativity and intellectual curiosity)
– Interpersonal and self-direction skills (interpersonal and collaborative skills, self-direction, accountability and adaptability, social responsibility)
– Global awareness
– Financial, economic and business literacy, and developing entrepreneurial skills to enhance workplace productivity and career options
– Civic literacy
(New Braunfels ISD, 2007)
Laura Hearnsberger

• “No plan, no matter how well conceived, will be of any value if it is not implemented at the building and classroom levels” (November,
1996).
• “The recommendations for Teaching and
Learning; Educator Preparation and
Development; Leadership, Administration and
Instructional Support; and Infrastructure for
Technology implemented together will help realize the overarching vision of the plan” (Texas
State Board, 2006).
Laura Hearnsberger

• NBISD based its technology plan categories on the Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology, and calls them goals.
• Each goal includes 3-5 objectives and its budget.
• Each objective has 3-6 strategies, including
“timeline,” “person responsible,” and “evidence.”
• (New Braunfels ISD, 2007)
Laura Hearnsberger

• Goal 1: Enhance teaching and learning through the use of technology
– Objective 1: Learners will have access to and use relevant instructional resources and services. Budget: $90,000
– Objective 2: Learners will use information and communication technologies to collaborate, construct knowledge, and provide solutions to relevant problems. Budget: $30,000
– Objective 3: Learners will conduct high-quality research in all content areas as it relates to relevant situations. Budget:
$40,000
– Objective 4: Learners will effectively communicate knowledge and understanding in a variety of formats. Budget: $20,000
• (New Braunfels ISD, 2007)
Laura Hearnsberger

• Goal 2: Educator Preparation, Leadership, and
Development
– Objective 1: Educators will be able to insure the integration of appropriate technology and technology application TEKS throughout the core curriculum. Budget: $17,000
– Objective 2: Develop new learning environments that utilize technology to where the learning is collaborative, interactive, and customized. Budget: $10,000
– Objective 3: New Braunfels ISD will continue the Technology
Proficiencies Program with incentives for Phases III and IV.
Budget: $120,000
– Objective 4: Provide teachers with continuing education and professional growth opportunities. Budget: $15,000
• (New Braunfels ISD, 2007)
Laura Hearnsberger

• Goal 3: Leadership, Administration and Support Services
– Objective 1: Develop, budget, implement, and monitor a dynamic technology plan to meet the needs of a changing work force and global economy. Budget: $1,778,000
– Objective 2: Create innovative, flexible, and responsive environments to maximize teaching, learning, and community involvement. Budget:
$3,000
– Objective 3: Provide sustained, relevant and timely adult learning opportunities in a variety of delivery formats. Budget: $35,000
– Objective 4: Expect appropriate technology use throughout the teaching and learning process. Budget: $5,000
– Objective 5: District staff and community will be informed about district technology issues and progress. Budget: $2,000
• (New Braunfels ISD, 2007)
Laura Hearnsberger

• Goal 4: Infrastructure for Technology
– Objective 1: Equip classrooms, libraries, and offices with the necessary technology to meet the needs of the staff and students of NBISD. Budget: $3,400,000
– Objective 2: Provide support for hardware infrastructure and technical resources to implement and maintain district endeavors dependent on technology. Budget: $20,000
– Objective 3: Ensure all new schools are equipped with all technology necessary to fulfill NBISD instructional goals. Budget: $840,000
• (New Braunfels ISD, 2007)
Laura Hearnsberger

• “To manage the implementation of technology into the school, decision makers may create specific duties, regulations, and policies that are counter to the collaborative nature of the technology plan or the ever-changing nature of technology.” To avoid this, it is important that:
– “The technology plan is periodically reviewed and updated.”
– “Evaluation plans are in place to ensure the technology plan generates the desired outcomes.”
• (November, 1996).
Laura Hearnsberger

• New Braunfels ISD’s STaR Chart results
• LoTi survey
• Records of staff member participation in technology training
• Lesson plans
• Community access to technology resources and information
• Attendance at open community labs as well as technology related adult education classes
• Summative assessments of teachers, principals, and students
• Yearly inventory
• Support and maintenance records
• (New Braunfels ISD, 2007)
Laura Hearnsberger

• A school district technology plan:
– “Is based on the shared vision of educators, parents, community members, and business leaders who have technological expertise.”
– “Ensures that technology strengthens existing curricula and supports meaningful, engaged learning for all students.”
– “Specifies how the technology will be paid for and how its use will be supported.”
• (November, 1996)
Laura Hearnsberger

My Evaluation of the NBISD
Technology Plan
• In
Schlecty defines the relationships among the parts of a strategic plan:
– Beliefs - conditions of willingness to act
– Vision - what the school would look like if the beliefs were realized
– Mission - a bundle of goals, that will need to be unbundled for action to proceed
– Goals - something to be accomplished
– Action - steps taken toward accomplishing the goal
• (Schlechty, 1997)
Laura Hearnsberger

From Beliefs to Action: An Example
Beliefs

Vision

Mission

Goals

Action
Man can fly
Humankind as interplanetary space traveler
To go to the moon
To build a lunar module
Subcontract with Grumman
(Schlechty, 1997)
Laura Hearnsberger

My Evaluation of the NBISD
Technology Plan
Beliefs

Vision

Mission

Goals

Action
(Schlechty, 1997)
In the NBISD technology plan, all of these parts are disparate and fail to build upon one another.
Laura Hearnsberger

My Evaluation of the NBISD
Technology Plan
Beliefs

Vision

Mission

Goals

Action
(Schlechty, 1997)
The vision statement does not paint a picture of schools in the future; it just cites a need for technology and the belief that
“the students in the New Braunfels schools deserve the best education… they must be prepared for their futures (New Braunfels
ISD, 2007).
Laura Hearnsberger

My Evaluation of the NBISD
Technology Plan
Beliefs

Vision

Mission

Goals

Action
(Schlechty, 1997)
The mission—“New Braunfels schools must align classroom environments with real world environments focusing on 21 st century skills” (New Braunfels ISD, 2007)— sounds good, but the goals and actions created do not reflect it.
Laura Hearnsberger

My Evaluation of the NBISD
Technology Plan
Beliefs

Vision

Mission

Goals

Action
• There is little accountability in place.
– “Evidence” of implementation and “Person(s) responsible” are designated in the plan, but there are no procedures in place to rectify the plan’s going off course.
– The data described in the plan are gathered, but there is no system for aggregation or analysis.
(Schlechty, 1997)
Laura Hearnsberger

My Evaluation of the NBISD
Technology Plan
Area Target 2009 Score Change Classification
Teaching & Learning
Educator Preparation
Admin & Support
21-24
21-24
21-24
14
12
13
-1
-2
-1
Developing
Developing
Developing
Infrastructure 21-24 16 -3 Advanced
• These STaR Chart results for school year 2008-2009 demonstrate the ineffectiveness of our technology plan, which was put in place in 2007 (Texas Education
Agency, 2009). We have lost points in each category, the same categories used for our technology plan.
Laura Hearnsberger

• We should include more interested stakeholders into the planning process, to ensure that the committee is not just meeting a state requirement, but actually creating a document to guide technology integration.
• Administrators from every level should be a part of the process.
• Curriculum coordinators should be involved in the planning.
• We should plan more professional development focusing on technology integration. The entire nation is lacking in this area
(Burns, 2002), and it can't improve until education leaders make it a known, funded priority by offering a variety of learner-centered professional development.
Laura Hearnsberger

Burns, M. (2002). From compliance to commitment: technology as a catalyst for communities of learning. Phi Delta Kappan, 84(4), 295-303.
New Braunfels ISD, Technology Planning Committee. (2007, updated in 2009).
New Braunfels ISD technology plan for e-rate year 12: 2007-2010 . New
Braunfels, TX.
November, A. (1996). Critical issue: developing a school or district technology plan . Retrieved from http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/technlgy/te300.htm
Schlechty, P.C. (1997). Inventing better schools: an action plan for educational reform.
San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Inc..
Texas Education Agency, (2009). http://starchart2.esc12.net/
(2006).
Texas star chart Retrieved from
Texas State Board of Education, Educational Technology Advisory Committee.
Long-range plan for technology, 2006-2020 Austin, TX. Retrieved from http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/technology/etac/LRPToct06.pdf
Laura Hearnsberger