The Educational Technology and Information Literacy Committee is pleased to announce a five-year end-user technology refresh plan. Over the next five years, Adams 14 will replace student and teacher computers, add mobile laptop carts and presentation stations at all schools, and provide schools discretionary dollars to pursue emerging student-focused technology solutions.  The plan, which dedicates ($2.9 million) of local referendum dollars over the next 5 years, aims to provide students and teachers with leading technology solutions that will result in increases in student engagement and achievement and aid the development of 21st century skills among all students.

The technology refresh plan has three key parts: (1) Integration needs assessment, (2) equipment refresh cycle, and (3) annual technical reviews and equipment inventory.  The integration needs assessment is the first step in this process (to be completed May 2006) and includes a description of each school's level of technology integration.  The equipment refresh cycle describes allocations of equipment and discretionary dollars for the next five years (Phase I).  The annual technical review ensures that all equipment is evaluated annually for quality and slotted on a hierarchical chart of quality.

Needs Assessment and Plan Development

Integration of technology in the standards-based curriculum is the most effective way to maximize the significant return on investment in technology.  Schools must engage in the process by setting goals, implementing appropriate professional development, and monitoring the effectiveness of the integration.  To begin the process ET/IL will complete a comprehensive school visit protocol to determine each school's level of integration.  By using the Profiling Education Technology (PETI) framework (Table 1) to determine school levels of integration, ET/IL can provide each school with a baseline description of technology integration and a point from which the schools can develop their school-based plans. 

ET/IL will use the PETI framework to evaluate school plans, make decisions about appropriate uses of technology in the district, and evaluate school proposals for the use of discretionary technology funds.    ET/IL expects schools to be results oriented in the implementation of technology and gain the “impact on learners” described in the PETI framework (Table 1). 

During the month of May 2006 expert reviewers from ET/IL will visit each school to determine the school's level of integration.  Each school will receive a summary report in July.  Schools are expected to use the results of the report to develop a school-based ET/IL plan (a necessary condition for continuing participation in the refresh cycle).  The school-based plans should be focused on improving integration, ensuring meaningful access to all students, developing 21st century skills, and increasing academic achievement (through integration).  Schools will develop plans that include professional development and equipment use strategies.  Our hope is that schools will be highly engaged in all aspects of the refresh process by developing their plan, then re-visiting it annually.  We believe that the significant technology resources and the discretionary dollars will motivate schools to remain engaged.

As participants in the refresh process schools are expected to be engaged in professional development.  Each school will be expected to send a team of ET/IL leaders to a two day professional development conference August 7th and 8th.  This professional development cconference will focus on effective ways to integrate the technology into the standards-based curriculum.  In addition, school leadership teams will encourage teachers to engage with a technology TOSA to co-plan and co-teach high engagement, technology-rich lessons.

Table 1

Equipment Replacement

The goal of the refresh cycle is to replace 90% of student-teacher desktop computers within five years, then to begin a five year refresh for all computers.  In addition, ET/IL has identified wireless laptop carts and mobile presentation carts as cost-effective ways to increase the probability of ubiquitous access for all users within the classroom setting.  (To see what is ear-marked for you school click the link on the left-side of this page). 

Each school is granted equipment in four dimensions: (1) laptop carts, (2) mobile presentation carts, (3) desktop computers, and (4) flexible dollars.  Schools are provided laptop carts and mobile presentation carts on a cycle meant to increase the available mobile technology in schools.  Desktop replacement is based on a school by school inventory of computers targeted for 90% replacement in five years.  Flexible dollars are distributed at a per pupil rate. 

The ET/IL technology refresh plan is intended to aid student-achievement, not aid operational computing.  One-hundred percent of the equipment designated for replacement will be directly used by students or teachers.  The computers and other technology identified in this refresh cycle is NOT to be used to replace secretary computers, principal computers, staff computers that cannot be used by students (e.g. Instructional coaches, counselors, psychologists, speech pathologists, Americorps, etc...).  Support personnel replacements should be accounted for by the building general fund.

Annual Equipment Review 

Annually equipment will be reviewed to determine whether it meets minimum district technical standard.  “Minimum district technical standard” is set annually by a review committee of educators and technicians and describes the minimum requirements for a computer to run the most common applications in an efficient manner.   

Following the annual review every computer in the district will be labeled with  a sticker that denotes its placement on a hierarchical system of computer capabilities.  Green: exceeds minimum requirements.  Yellow: meets minimum requirements, but will need replacement shortly.  Red: does not meet minimum requirements and needs to be replaced.  In addition, some computers will have different circumstances all together and be rated “black”.  These “black” computers are unique and should be evaluated using different criteria.  “Gray” computers are those that cannot be replaced under this system because they serve administrative functions, not child-centered functions (these include principal computers, secretary computers, TOSA, Americorp, etc…). 

Schools are strongly encouraged to target red computers for replacement.  School leaders and school ET/IL committee members are also encouraged to get the new equipment in the hands of the teachers that will most effectively use the technology to improve student achievement.  Schools will work with ET/IL and technology services to create a distribution plan of new and existing computers in their building.  As a part of this plan, red labeled computers cannot be re-distributed on the network.  Once these computers are removed from the network it is permanent.