Jackson County Public Schools Technology Plan Kimberly Body and Elizabeth Perin Liberty University Education 639

Mission Statement The mission of Jackson County Public Schools is to prepare our students to be valuable and responsible citizens within our community, our country, and our world.

Vision Our vision is to develop a community that is devoted to our students and to their future (BCPS, 2011).

Goals Jackson County Public Schools’ (JCPS) Technology Plan is based on the 5 major state-mandated goals of the Educational Technology Plan for Virginia (VDOE, 2010): ▫Environment: Provide a safe, flexible, and effective learning environment for students. ▫Engagement: Engage students in meaningful curricular content through the purposeful and effective use of technology. ▫Application: Afford students with opportunities to apply technology effectively to gain knowledge, develop skills, and create and distribute artifacts that reflect their understanding. ▫Tools: Provide students with access to authentic and appropriate tools to gain knowledge, develop skills, extend capabilities, and create and disseminate artifacts that demonstrate their understandings. ▫Results: Use technology to support a culture of data-driven decision making that relies upon data to evaluate and improve teaching and learning. (pp )

Goals JCPS’ goals are as follows (see the Technology Plan for the corresponding strategies): ▫Environment: JCPS will develop a positive learning community that is dedicated to the success of each of our students. ▫Engagement: JCPS will employ highly effective teachers and will ensure that they efficiently engage our students in our rich curriculum. ▫Application: JCPS will incorporate various technologies into the curriculum, as well as provide ‘blended learning environment’ opportunities that include both traditional and technology-based instructional activities. ▫Tools: JCPS will manage our resources as effectively and efficiently as possible, in order to provide our students with as much exposure to innovative technologies as possible. ▫Results: JCPS will encourage our administrators and staff to make well- researched, well-informed technological and budgetary decisions.

Professional Development JCPS has set specific Professional Development standards to ensure that by 2017, all of JCPS teachers are highly-qualified in their subject area and have had more required and voluntary opportunities to receive technological training. JCPS will also implement Professional Growth Plans (PGPs) for all personnel, in order to encourage professional growth.

Digital Literacy JCPS has also set standards, in order to ensure that all students, teachers, and administrators are ICT literate (in accordance with the Virginia Department of Education).

Needs Assessment JCPS administered a needs assessment survey to gain input from stakeholders. Here is a summary of the recommendations of our needs assessment: ▫Additional training for teachers on innovative technology and instructional strategies. ▫Increased opportunities for teachers to implement innovative instructional strategies ▫Provide all teachers with updated computer access ▫Increased student access to innovative technologies ▫Increased student training in innovative technologies ▫Increased student technology literacy training ▫Continue to provide internet safety strategies for students

Needs Assessment: SWOT JCPS also completed a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) survey. The main 3 Strengths were as follows: ▫The high technology focus of the superintendent and the board members ▫The intentional involvement of all stakeholders ▫The heightened availability of technology to teachers and students

Needs Assessment: SWOT The main 3 Weaknesses were as follows: ▫Funding of innovative technology ▫Staff who are not all highly qualified in their subject areas ▫Staff who are ill-equipped to implement technology into the classroom

Needs Assessment: SWOT The main 3 Opportunities were as follows: ▫Providing more opportunities for staff to receive technological training ▫Providing blended learning options for students ▫Ensuring that all staff and students are ICT literate

Needs Assessment: SWOT The main 3 Threats were as follows: ▫Budget cuts and funding ▫Stakeholders lack of cooperation ▫Board approval could be denied

Needs Assessment JCPS brief description: ▫8 elementary schools ▫8 middle schools ▫8 high schools

Strategies and Timeline Specific strategies and measures have been planned out along with a timetable and the responsible part in the areas of Professional Development, Access, Student Technology Literacy, and Curriculum Development and Integration. (See the Technology Plan for specific information)

Budget Our budget accounts for the Year, Category, Quantity, Item, Cost per item, Total Cost, and funding source for ease of comprehension and accessibility.

Budget: Highlights Annual subscription- to provide the district with continuous access to what they need, in order to be successful with integrating technology into the core areas. Strategically purchased document cameras and interactive whiteboards throughout the five years so that each school would get 4 new ones per year. ▫By the end of the year: 20 document cameras and interactive whiteboards per school. However, the laptops and laptop carts will be purchased in the first implementation year as there is a need for more teacher computers (16 per school).

Evaluation and Accountability A description of our evaluation and accountability criteria is included by Instrument, Subject of Evaluation, Timeline, and Responsible Parties. The monitoring of our plan will be on-going and will allow room for flexibility.

Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) Compliance The Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) is a federal law passed by Congress that prohibits student access to offensive content via the Internet on school and library computers. CIPA has requirements for schools or libraries that receive funding from the E-rate program for Internet access or internal connection (Federal Communications Commission, 2003). In response, JCPS has: ▫Implemented an internet safety policy. ▫Given students individual log-in names. ▫Required that students and parents sign the internet safety agreement prior to their use of the internet. ▫Required students to undergo safe internet training by the media coordinator. ▫Closely monitored the internet activity of the students.

References Bedford County Public Schools. (2011). Educational Technology Plan: Retrieved from h_plan.pdf Federal Communications Commission (2003). Guide: Children’s internet protection act. Retrieved from protection-act Virginia Department of Education. (2010). Educational technology plan for Virginia Retrieved from dtech_plan/plan.pdf