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Technology Plan

2007-2011

 

 

 

Table of Contents

 

 

Development of the Plan.................................................................................. 1

 

A). Planning and needs Assessment................................................................. 2

      Technology Committee.............................................................................. 2

      Demographics........................................................................................... 2

      Partnerships.............................................................................................. 3

      Needs Assessment.................................................................................... 5

      Assessment Process.................................................................................. 6

 

B). Visions, Objectives and Strategies.............................................................. 7

      District Mission Statement......................................................................... 7

      Technology Mission Statement................................................................... 7

      Technology Vision Statement..................................................................... 7

      Goals/Objectives....................................................................................... 8

      Strategies.................................................................................................. 8

 

C). Policies and Procedures........................................................................... 10

 

D). Technology Infrastructure........................................................................ 12

 

E). Role of the school Media Center.............................................................. 14

 

F). Staff Development and Training................................................................ 16

 

G). Budgets................................................................................................... 17

 

H). Implementation Plan................................................................................ 19

 

I). Evaluation Plan......................................................................................... 20

     Evaluation of Last Plan............................................................................. 21

 

 

Attachments

 

Technology Committee’s Planning Timeline..................................................... A

Acceptable Use Policy.................................................................................... B

Diagram of school’s WAN............................................................................. C

Diagram of LCTN’s LAN.............................................................................. D

“Taglit” survey results..................................................................................... E

Technology Coordinator’s Job Description...................................................... F

2005-2006 Budget......................................................................................... G

2006-2007 Budget......................................................................................... H

Development of this Technology Plan

 

An open committee of K-12 staff, parents, community members and board members of the Buffalo Lake-Hector Schools have developed the following technology plan. To prepare for the plan the members of the committee have visited several school web sites, attended technology seminars, and consulted several technology resources.

 

It is the goal of this plan to improve student achievement for all students attending the Buffalo Lake – Hector School District and increase technology literacy and increase the access to technology as required in the No Child Left Behind Act. Curriculum is the foundation for the technology plan.  All hardware and software decisions will be prioritized to best implement the K-12  curriculum.  Staff development is a second key factor in implementation and continuation of the plan.  It is the committee’s strong belief that a technology-literate staff is vital to successful integration of technology. A third key factor is to promote more parental involvement and increase communications with parents through the school web site, computerized record keeping and community education offerings.

 

The plan is designed to deliver the latest technology to the students and community members of Buffalo Lake and Hector.  It is our challenge to prepare people to live in an ever-changing world of technology.

 

The district superintendent will act as the administrator of the entire plan and program. The superintendent will see that the technology coordinators and staff in each building are working toward the same purpose.  The superintendent will lead in the planning of budgets, in-services and new curricula that the district deems necessary to meet the technology goals.

 

 

Planning and Needs Assessment

 

District #2159 understands and agrees that technology plays an important role in the ever-changing scope of education and that it is imperative that the district remain current in its planning for technology implementation, procurement and use. To achieve the goals set forth in this and future technology plans, the district has developed the following structure for technology leadership:

 

Technology Committee:

 

The technology committee’s membership will consist of the superintendent, faculty members from each campus and various curriculum areas, building principals, support staff, board members and community members.

 

A faculty or community member will act as chairman of this committee. This committee will ensure that administrators, staff and technology coordinators are working to achieve the plan as set forth. The committee will be responsible for recommending a technology budget, assessing and recommending staff development opportunities, directing the development of technology in the curriculum and organizing community education opportunities for the adult population of the area.

 

The technology committee will meet monthly to deal with issues that may arise and to adhere to the timeline for planning as set forth in Attachment A. The final decision on budget items will be the responsibility of the superintendent and the school board. Staff development opportunities will be coordinated through the staff development committee.

Community Education classes will be developed with the help of the community education directors and their advisors.

 

Demographics:

 

The Buffalo Lake – Hector School District #2159 is made up of the communities of Buffalo Lake and Hector and the surrounding areas and serves a general population of over 2500 people. Currently the district has two distinct campuses: a K-5 school in Buffalo Lake which houses approximately 225 students and 25 professional staff and a 6-12 school in Hector with approximately 305 students and 28 professional staff.

 

The district is governed by a Board of Education that is elected at-large from the citizens of the district. A Superintendent of Schools oversees District development and operations. The Superintendent also acts as principal of the K-5 building. A High School principal oversees day-to-day operations in the 6-12 building.

 

 

Being a rural school with a declining student population, the Buffalo Lake – Hector School District faces the same problems facing most other districts in rural Minnesota. Telecommunication choices, costs and speeds are not equal to those in the urban areas of the state. Dollars have to be stretched and budgets have to be tightened to remain financially sound. At the same time we realize we have to meet the needs of all of our students.

 

Partnerships:

 

 The district understands that it needs to cooperate with outside agencies and resources for technology support, information, training and funding. Several partners have been instrumental in meeting past technology goals and will continue to provide assistance throughout the next three years. Some of our partners include:

 

Southwest/West Central ECSU provides hosting, assistance, support and training in several areas including district financial and HR services. Additionally, SW/WC ECSU holds regional technology coordinator meetings, offers staff development classes (both remote and on-site), technology demonstrations, and competitions for student work.

 

Little Crow Telemedia Network (LCTN) is a cooperative of 11 public schools and has an ongoing contractual relationship with Minnesota River Valley Education District (MRVED) and seven other districts.  LCTN also serves as the agency that coordinates and applies for funding related to telecommunications through e-rate. LCTN leases video and data services from Direct Communications providing ITV and Internet access. LCTN employs a full-time technician who provides support for network routing, Internet service and video service. The lease that LCTN has with Direct Communications provides video services among 17 total school districts and allows us to share resources among districts providing upper level high school classes and low incidence classes. The video services are also used for community education, video field trips and other staff development activities.

 

LCTN provides the following video and data services:

1. Manages the audio/video router distributing signals for each ITV class.
2. Manages the cross connect channels to CMDLN.
3. Creates the joint ITV class schedule.
4. Promotes and creates connections for video field trips.
5. Manages WAN edge routers (Cisco 2620 and 3640).
6. Manages the border router to Internet (Cisco 3640).
7. Manages Cisco PIX firewall and IDS box.
8. Provides expertise on Linux bases content filters and firewalls.
9. Provides expertise on networking issues as schools encounter them.

 

Hector Communications/CSI is a locally owned, worldwide telecommunications company that manufactures Ethernet cables, phone components, wireless networking equipment and services, and serves as ISP and telephone service provider. Hector Communications/CSI has a vested interest in the growth and vitality of these communities and has provided technical expertise as well as in-kind contributions of equipment and services.

 

 

Needs Assessment

 

Technology is changing at such a fast pace that  products and applications available today are many times outdated by tomorrow. The BL-H schools recognize that the needs for equipment, software and services will be never ending. To maintain an environment in which teachers and students can learn, the District needs to constantly maintain and upgrade hardware and software. RAM, storage, OS and video are hardware factors, while licensing of software remains a priority in the usage of software. The district technology coordinator with the assistance of the technology committee will assess hardware and software needs. Each year through the technology committee, a list of needs and improvements will be brought to the school board for consideration. At all times the equipment and software added will be compatible will the newest technologies.

 

The district recognizes that in order to better prepare students, it is first necessary to prepare the staff.  The Buffalo Lake-Hector Schools has adopted the ISTE Standards for Teachers as the basic goal of technology related staff development. Most teachers in the district meet basic competencies in areas such as word processing, spreadsheets, Internet and online resources.  A few others have extended the use to include databases and multimedia presentations.  All staff are required to use the Internet and e-mail as a source of information for inclusion in the curriculum and for personal use.  All faculty are required to track student attendance on-line with our student record keeping software and use the on-line grading program which allows for parental viewing of student grades on a daily basis. (Presently the district is using JMC for this purpose).All teachers are also required to have a personal web site available through the school’s site.

 

The Buffalo Lake-Hector Schools will strive to implement programs that help all students and staff achieve skills necessary to meet the Minnesota Academic Standards. Faculty that teach in the technology areas will continue to be sent to classes and workshops to meet the technology compliance standards set forth by the state. In addition to hardware resources, the district provides access to online resources such as encyclopaedias, periodical indexes, and atlases, in addition to basic Internet access.  These online resources are also available to students with home Internet access. For those students not able to access these resources at home, the school offers extra class time and has the computer labs available before and after school for individual work.

 

 

 

Assessment Process

 

The technology committee conducts an annual district-wide assessment to assist in determining staff development needs. The assessment is conducted each spring and involves all professional staff using a survey developed in conjunction with the staff development committee. Classes, in-services and workshops are organized and offered in the summer, fall, and winter based on the needs determined by this survey.

 

The technology committee at their February and March meetings will evaluate hardware and software needs. Recommendations will also be taken from the staff as part of their annual curriculum review process. The technology coordinator will be responsible for a district-wide inventory and replacement schedule for equipment.

 

Additional assessments are conducted to determine needs that may impact a specific curriculum area or grade level.

 

The results of our most recent surveys show that our teachers feel competent in the areas of word processing, Internet use and student record keeping. Their biggest needs are in the area of digital camera use, photo editing, PowerPoint presentations and web page development.

 

The results of our student survey show an increase in competence and familiarity in the following areas: word processing, digital camera use, photo editing, PowerPoint, online referencing, and web searching. The students also felt that, in classes where technology is used, they also were able to get extra help from their teacher more readily.

The survey also showed a slight drop in the students’ knowledge of spreadsheets (this deficiency will be addressed during the technology curriculum review cycle), drawing and painting programs and web page development.

 

 

 

Visions, Objectives and Strategies for Technology

 

Buffalo Lake-Hector School District Mission Statement

The Buffalo Lake-Hector Schools, a community/school/home partnership focused on learning, will challenge all students to strive for excellence by utilizing effective teaching methods, resources, and application experiences with an emphasis on individual student achievement to enable each to become productive members of an ever-changing society.

 

 

Buffalo Lake-Hector Technology Mission Statement

The mission of technology education at BL-H is to ensure that all students are prepared for the world of technology that they are going to live in. Technology education should be centered on teaching the process and not teaching the product. Upon graduation, all students should have command of the five basic skills of word processing, spreadsheets, multimedia presentations, desktop publishing, and telecommunications. Students should also be exposed to computer use in business, multi-media applications and industrial technologies. Students should also see and be able to utilize the computer as a tool for research, communications and library skills.

 

 

Buffalo Lake-Hector Technology Vision Statement

We believe that technology is integral to our daily lives and that members of our community will require basic technology competencies much as they require mathematics, problem-solving, critical thinking, and language skills. Students and teachers will employ these basic skills actively in their pursuit of greater knowledge and skills.  All of our students will have access to basic technology that facilitates communication beyond the physical boundaries of our communities and provides access to resources around the globe. Life-long learners from the community will have access to the expertise and tools of the school district to further their own learning goals. We envision the people of our community using a global network of voice, data, and video resources to connect our communities to a broader, global community.

 

 

Goals/Objectives:

1. All staff are trained in and use the current and emerging technologies most appropriate to their classrooms/subject area in order to enhance curriculum.
2. The district provides on-going staff development opportunities that will enable all staff to improve their skill in various technology tools.
3. Students choose from a variety of technology tools (hardware and software) and resources, both electronic and print, those that are appropriate for them to do research and present their conclusions.
4. Students and staff use technology appropriately and ethically.
5. Hardware and software are available in the classrooms, as well as in the labs, for demonstrations and presentations.
6. Technology resources are used to communicate more effectively with staff, parents and community members.
7. Technology is used to expand and extend course offerings.
8. Technology is the means that facilitates learning, not the end in itself.

 

Strategies to address the following;

 

Telecommunications and information technology:

1. Enhance curriculum by providing on-line resources, such as databases, encyclopaedias, media center collections and lesson materials with expanded home access for teachers and students.
2. Promote and instruct the students in the proper and ethical use of technology.

(See AUP in Attachment B)

1. Maintain a district-wide “intranet” to facilitate communication between teachers and administrators for purposes such as grading and attendance reporting.
2. Use school Website to improve communication to parents, students and community members. Include school announcements, schedule changes, athletic schedules and necessary forms on the school web site.
3. Facilitate faculty use of the telecommunications to access materials related to current Minnesota Standards, lesson plans and curriculum material.
4. Provide access to on-line training providers such as Atomic Learning to teachers interested in pursuing training commensurate to their skill level and curricular needs.

Improved student achievement and technology access:

1. Enhance student learning by providing access to interactive television, video conferencing, on-line curriculum and post secondary course offerings.
2. Increase teacher and student productivity by providing laptops that can be used at home for those without connectivity to the Internet.
3. Continue to provide lab space for large classroom activities and also for small or specialized groups.
4. Keep software licensed and upgraded to meet students’ future needs in society.
5. Keep track of student reading progress through the Accelerated Reading Software.

 

Promote parental involvement and communication:

1. Maintain Website and increase the material available to web users, such as school calendars, forms and publications.
2. Provide community education opportunities for adults in the use of the technology available to the students of the district.
3. Collect and organize email addresses of parents so that notices and information can be emailed home.
4. Continue to address the technology availability and improvements in the Annual Systems Accountability Report
5. Provide a parent portal where parents have access to students’ grades, lunch accounts and report cards.

Maintaining and upgrading infrastructure and hardware:

1. Make every attempt to replace computers on a five year cycle
2. Upgrade hardware, RAM, network components and network servers as needed.
3. Continue to improve the security, backup and disaster recovery plans
4. Purchase equipment and software that meets current compliant standards.

Technology Integration with Curriculum and Instruction:

1. Enhance curriculum by providing on-line resources, such as databases, encyclopaedias, media center collections and lesson materials with expanded home access for teachers and students.
2. Facilitate faculty use of telecommunications to access materials related to current Minnesota Standards, lesson plans and curriculum material.
3. Enhance student learning by providing access to interactive television, video conferencing, on-line curriculum and post secondary course offerings.
4. Continue to provide lab space for large classroom activities and also for small or specialized groups.
5. Provide video cameras and digital cameras and projection equipment to allow for multimedia presentations in labs and classrooms.

 

 

Policies and Procedures

 

The BL-H schools have policies in place regarding computer usage, Internet use, and ethical behaviour as it relates to the use of technology.  These policies are described in the Student-Parent Handbook and are also in this document as Attachment B. These policies will be reviewed each year by the technology planning committee and revised as needed.

 

Computer Lab usage:

As the faculty and students become more knowledgeable and comfortable in using the technologies available at BL-H, the labs and resources will become more and more crowded.  Each year in September the technology coordinators and faculty members will meet to discuss an acceptable sign-up policy for lab usage computer time.

 

Software Policy:

It is the policy of District 2159 that all software utilized on the district computers be licensed for such usage.  All software used in the district will have the appropriate licensing.  Copying of copyrighted software is prohibited.  No computer software should be allowed outside the building unless legally licensed and installed on district hardware.

 

Software Handling Procedure:

All software will be the primary responsibility of the technology coordinators. The original disks and documentation will be stored in the server room. Documentation will be available to be checked out by teachers.

 

Software Approval Procedure:

The purchasing of district software will be coordinated through the technology committee. Recommendations and requests for individual classroom packages should come from the individual teachers. District-wide software packages will be evaluated and approved by the technology coordinators and the technology committee. A software budget will be developed each year and used to purchase these software packages. In order to streamline purchases and upgrades, all software and hardware purchase orders need to be co-signed by the technology coordinator(s) or their designee.

 

Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA):

The school district will have in place at all times an internet filtering system capable of filtering out objectionable material and having the capability to add additional restrictions as they are deemed necessary. Currently the system used is called IP Cop, a Linux based software package.

 

Special Needs:

As the needs arise the district will provide alternate forms of input/output devices for those students with special needs. Special desks are also available on an as-needed basis. Special typing programs are available for students who do not have total dexterity. (Five Finger Typing)  We have 10 Alpha Writers available for students who cannot write legibly and need them to take notes.

 

 

Network Security:

The district will have in place the necessary network security components to keep the network and its material safe from external or internal invasion. These components will be evaluated each year to ensure a current and upgraded system. Currently IP Cop and Windows Firewall are both in place. Norton’s Antivirus Software is used district wide as our virus protection program.

 

Disaster Recovery:

The district will have in place a policy and a method for backing up important data and have a method and time frame for the replacement of such data.

 

Technology Infrastructure

 

Buffalo Lake-Hector Schools are connected to a Wide Area Network (WAN) with a number of schools in west central Minnesota governed by LCTN. These schools are all connected with a fiber backbone. This fiber distributes ITV and Internet access to the various schools. The data services provide a 100 mpbs WAN which connects up to 17 school districts. Currently the districts share 9 mbps of broadband Internet access with the other schools.

 

A Local Area Network (LAN) consisting of a 100 mg network in the high school with fiber to each network closet serves the BL-H School District. A 100 mg network with a copper background serves the elementary. The elementary does have a few 10 mg hubs still in place. The two schools are connected by an 11 mg Cisco Aeronet 340 wireless radio.

 

A diagram of the high school’s WAN is included as Attachment C.

A diagram of the LCTN network is included as Attachment D.

 

Switches and routers will be updated in the next three years and plans call for them to remain in place for five years unless there is a failure by one of them or a completely different technology emerges in the near future.

 

The high school has a completely Windows-based operating system. There are four servers handling web services, file storage, DNS services, firewall and filtering software and backup software. Each classroom has Internet connectivity and a computer with Windows 2000 OS installed. Six labs serve the high school: a business lab, used for business application instruction; an Industrial Tech lab used for Technology applications; such as robotics, Mill, Flight Simulator, Electronics and CAD; a media center lab used by all students for classroom activities, individual research and library skills. This mini lab can also be used by special education for small group work with special needs students; a portable cart housing 15 laptops, available for classroom use and equipped with a wireless access point; and two open labs available before school, after school and during class time for individual, group or class projects. All of these student machines are Windows 2000 or XP. This amounts to 149 student machines and 28 teacher machines and 10 administrative machines. This amounts to a 1-1 staff to computer ratio and a 2-1 student-to-computer ratio. All machines have Internet access. 

 

 

 

 

The elementary school is cross platformed. There are three servers in place used for file storage and network control. The high school servers also provide the web services and filtering for the elementary. There is one lab in the elementary with 30 Imacs and 4 G3 towers. They are all running Mac OS X. Each classroom in the elementary contains at least two workstations for teacher and student use. The classrooms are equipped with one windows based machine and one Mac whenever possible. As in the high school, all computers are Internet capable. The staff-to-computer ratio is again 1-1 with the student ratio being 4-1.

 

The coordination of technology is shared by two technology coordinators. One a 2/5^th time person knowledgeable in IT areas. The second being a 4/7^th time person with a teaching degree. The elementary has a tech assistant. The technology coordinators’ job description is included in Attachment F. The coordinators and assistant perform many of the staff development teaching responsibilities. This staff is allowed staff development time and money to attend workshops and training sessions to improve their expertise.

 

The Hector campus has Frontier as its local phone service provider. The Buffalo Lake campus uses Sprint as its local phone service provider. The entire district has AT & T as its long distance carrier. These services are looked at on a yearly basis and are determined through the e-rate process. Presently the elementary has a 70% e-rate discount and the high school has a 60% discount and the district-wide services are discounted at 64%.

 

The yearly budgets take into account the purchasing of workstations and servers, upgrading of the software and replacement of failed network components.

The district faces the ever-growing problem of keeping current with technology and also maintaining a realistic budget.

 

 

 

 

Role of School Media Center/Library and Public Library

 

The school district has two media centers: one at the Buffalo Lake campus (elementary) and one at the Hector campus (middle/high). The library circulation/catalog system on each campus is automated with the latest version of software with tech support. In November of 2003 a web-based catalog was added, which allows teachers, students, and parents to search both the elementary and high school catalogs from any computer—school or home—with Internet access.

 

 The media center also maintains a “Cybrary” page for each campus on the school’s Website. The “Cybrary” pages contain links to the school’s electronic subscription databases (two of which have home access for students and parents), the electronic databases offered through the state, the school’s web catalog and WebPals. We go through the Hector Public Library to get books that students may find on WebPals. By March, we should also have access to NetLibrary. At least once each year, the media specialist runs a column in the school’s newsletters reminding parents that these databases are accessible from home.

 

The elementary media center has three older computers which function as patron workstations; however, they are unable to run the latest version of the catalog system, which renders some functions unusable. The high school media center has its own small computer lab with nine PCs loaded with the same software as the computers in the main labs so that students can continue to work on assignments/projects during study halls and before and after school. There are also four Macintosh computers capable of both desktop publishing and digital video. All of the computers are networked and have Internet access.

 

There is currently no formal curriculum for information literacy adopted by the district. The media center staff is in the process of putting together a curriculum for grades k-5 for their use, which will be in place next fall. Because there is no scheduled library time for classes at the 6-12 level, a curriculum will have to be worked out with the teaching staff at the Middle/High School.

 

 

Staff at the elementary campus work with the teachers in several ways. Each class has 1/2 hour of library time each week, during which students choose books, have story time, and are taught library/information skills. Story time books are frequently chosen to complement and/or reinforce a theme or unit that is being taught in the classroom.  In addition, media center staff schedule additional library times to work with classroom teachers and students during research projects in 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th grade. They also pull materials for use in the classroom.  The elementary teaching staff use the Accelerated Reader program and each year the media center adds to its collection of Accelerated Reader books and quizzes at all levels. All AR books are physically marked with AR labels and this spring the staff will be updating all of the relevant material records to reflect the AR information. Students and teachers will then be able to use the electronic card catalog to bring up books by AR reading level. (This function is not currently available through the web-based version of the catalog.)

 

At the high school campus, the media center is generally open to students for recreational reading, research, and computer use at all times. Teachers may also reserve the entire media center or just the lab for class research. The media specialist helps to locate research materials and is available to help teachers and students incorporate PowerPoint, digital still pictures, and/or digital video into their classroom presentations. There is also a scanner and CD burners available for use by staff and students. Upon request, the media specialist gives presentations on the print and electronic resources that are available through the school. These may be general in nature or geared toward a specific grade or project.

 

The district currently has a full-time licensed school library media specialist and a half-time library aide. The elementary media center is open during regular school hours 4 days a week; the high school media center is open during school hours and before and after school 4 days a week. Staffing levels have been reduced twice since the 2000-2001 school year when the district had two 30-hour/week aides, one at each campus, and each media center was open during all school hours. Monies for other resources and materials were reduced by half in the 2003-2004 school year due to severe financial difficulties faced by the district. Those monies were replaced for the 2004-2005 budget after a referendum passed in the fall of 2003.

 

 

 

Staff Development and Training

 

One of the three goals of our staff development committee states that as a district we will provide continued training and support to staff in technology applications and integration into the classroom.

 

Through a survey of technology use that has been conducted on a yearly basis the last three years, we are monitoring staff growth and areas of need. These surveys have shown improvement in word processing and PowerPoint skills among the staff and a need for more work on spreadsheet, database and the use of peripherals, such as digital cameras, scanners and CD burners. We will continue to survey our staff the next three years to further monitor their progress.

 

It is the belief of the district and the staff development committee that teachers need continued review and practice to support what they have learned before they will use it on a consistent basis with their students. For this reason the district offers in-service time and technology “work nights” for guided practice.

 

The use of technology as a library and resource skill has become a very important part of a teacher’s content knowledge. To ensure that all staff have a working knowledge of what is available in our media center and how to use it in their individual curriculum areas, the media specialist will conduct mini-workshops.  These will be offered before and after school to ensure that all teachers and support personnel can attend.

 

Through our partnership with the Southwest/West Central Service Cooperative our office personnel will continue to be trained in the latest uses of technology for student record keeping, district finance and human resource management.

 

To continue to have all of our teachers highly qualified and licensed for the subject areas that they are teaching, we have had our teachers involved in the instruction of technology related subject matter trained in elementary keyboarding and computer applications. It is our goal to have any new staff members in these areas to also be licensed and competent to handle any new material that we add to our curriculum.

 

Attachment E contains a sample of the results of our survey the past two years.

 

Budget for Technology

 

Following is a three-year budget proposal that was accepted by the school superintendent and is part of the district-wide budget proposal. This budget is a very rough estimate of plans and expenses compared with budget from the last two years. The first two years of this proposal are kept relatively low because of district-wide financial concerns. After the first year a referendum kicks in that should help cash flow considerably.

 

Other areas of funding are also used. E-rate is applied for and usually helps fund the local and long distance phone services. Carl Perkins and Tech Prep funds are considered each year to help defray the cost of some of the technology expenses in the business and industrial tech areas. Flow through and Special Ed funds are often used to purchase technology equipment needed for our special needs students. (Alpha writers and alternative input/output devises are examples of such items). Block grant funds are sometimes used to upgrade software in areas that benefit the entire school population.

 

 

Following is a three-year budget proposal.

 

Tech Budgets 2007-2011
	2007-2008	2008-2009	2009-2010
Firewall
IP Cop and upgrade to firewall hardware.	$0.00	$0.00	$1,000.00
Backup/Disaster Recovery
HP 100/200GB Ultrium Data Tapes	$400.00	$400.00	$400.00
DAT Tapes	$50.00	$50.00	$50.00
Virus Protection
Norton Antivirus Corporate Edition PC	$0.00	$3,125.00	$3,125.00
…………….(2 year Subscription)
Printers
Network printers	$0.00	$2,000.00	$1,000.00
Workstation printers	$500.00	$500.00	$500.00
Software/Hardware
Microsoft licensing	$200.00	$1,000.00	$1,000.00
Elementary Discretionary	$1,500.00	$1,500.00	$1,500.00
High School Discretionary	$2,000.00	$2,000.00	$2,000.00
Curriculum area software
Software, training and upgrades	$5,500.00	$4,500.00	$5,000.00
Hardware
Third year lease payment	$15,678.36	$2,571.90	$2,571.50
Second year lease payment	$2,571.90	$2,571.90	$2,571.90
First year lease payment	$2,571.90	$2,571.90	$20,000.00
Apple Lease  (4 year)	$1,585.42	$1,585.42	$10,000.00
Server and network components	$2,000.00	$12,000.00	$7,000.00
Installation/Technical support
……..Businessware	$2,000.00	$2,500.00	$3,000.00
total	$36,557.58	$38,876.12	$60,718.40

 

 

As examples the 2005-6 and the 2006-7 budget are included as Attachments G & H

.

 

 

Implementation Plan

 

Tasks to be Completed	Milestones to be Reached	Staff Assignments	Time Frame
Staff/Student technology training	All teachers and students will meet ISTE basic standards; 50% of will meet ISTE advanced standards	Technology Committee and Staff Development Committee will schedule in-services and workshops	Staff and student goals will be reached by the end of the 2006 school year
Curriculum will be aligned to meet Minnesota Standards as implemented by the district	Graduation standards will be integrated across the curriculum.	Faculty will work within respective departments to implement curriculum	Ongoing
Development of 3-5 year strategic plan for integrating technology and curriculum	Plan includes strategies for meeting future needs, staff and student training, and improved communications.	Technology Committee, District Council, Board participate in formulation of plan	Plan completed and approved by April 2004
Upgrade district Internet access to accommodate student, teacher, and business office needs	Have a working VPN in place for outside access to school files by teachers	Tech Coordinators make recommendations and seek funds (e-rate, consortium, grant)	Installation complete by July 2005
Upgrade current network configuration to increase speed and access	Replace hubs with switches, and a 100 mg backbone  to the servers in the elementary	Technology Coordinators will conduct site survey, solicit bids, and schedule work	Network will be operational by September 2005
Purchase of a mobile lab in each building	20 laptops in each building available as a mini  mobile lab or as check out computers for home use.	Technology Coordinators will accept bids and recommend vendors and products	In place by 2006
Improve network security throughout LAN	Update of firewall hardware and software; upgrade/install desktop and virus protection for all platforms	Technology Coordinators will conduct site survey, solicit bids, and schedule work	Continuous services
Maintain "updated" hardware in labs and classrooms	Windows 2000 or higher in each room in high school. Mac OS X in elementary.	Tech. Coordinators and individual staff members will monitor status of school technology	Ongoing

 

 

Evaluation Plan

 

We at Buffalo Lake-Hector realize that technology is changing at such a fast pace that products and applications available today are many times outdated by tomorrow. The BL-H schools recognize that the needs for equipment, software, staff development and services will be never ending. Each month at the technology committee meeting a list of needs and improvements will be brought to the committee’s attention and changes or improvements will be recommended. Documentation for these evaluations will be supplied to the staff development committee, the district council and the school board as needed.

 

Throughout the year various aspects of the technology plan are scheduled to be looked at. Staff developed plans are addressed in January, budget issues in February, etc.

(See attachment A).

 

Each year a survey is given to both the students and the teachers. This survey is used to gauge the progress that each group is making toward its goal. As students’ needs change or as the scope of technology changes, the technology curriculum itself will be altered.  Staff development offerings and in-service training opportunities will be adjusted to correct and compensate for staff needs.

 

As technology is needed for state standards or by students not capable of using our existing technology, various funding programs will be used to update equipment, curricula or method of implementation. Money has been budgeted for changes and programs that become available during the school year.

 

 

After looking at the technology plan from 2004-2007 we found many goals that were met, some that are still out there to reach and a few that, because of changing technologies, are no longer pertinent. 

 

Following is a list of our objectives from our last plan and their outcomes:

 

1. Update district Internet access for all students and teachers.
   1. We now have a fiber backbone within the School District.
   2. We have a wireless connection to the elementary.
   3. All computers in both schools buildings are connected to the Internet.
2. Connect all classrooms to local LAN.
   1. This was accomplished through a grant.
   2. Hubs were updated to switches in the high school.
   3. Most hubs have also been updated in the elementary.
3. Improve ability to communicate with parents and district stakeholders.
   1. A school Website was developed.

1. 1. Improvements have to be made.
      1. i.      Updates have to be more current.
      3. 2. District publications such as “Mustang Monthly” and Accountability Reports are available, or will be in the near future, on the school web site.
      4. Install video conferencing software and make ITV available at remote sites.
         1. We did not accomplish this as planned.
      1. Software was not compatible with our system.
      2. i.      Technology has changed, leaving this option less attractive.
      3. ii.      ITV is still available in a classroom setting.
      4. v.      Video conferencing is being looked at through Internet software.
      5. Increase teacher use of the Internet for classroom instruction.
         1. At least 70% of our teachers use the Internet in their classes.
         2. Labs are full at most times of the day.
         3. Students are using the Internet before, during and after the school day.
      6. Students will be required to use word processing, spreadsheet, PowerPoint and other applications.
         1. At least 50% of the teachers require or accept PowerPoint presentations for assignments.
         2. 10% of the teachers demonstrate and have students develop web pages.
         3. We still need to improve on spreadsheet instruction.
      1. It is demonstrated and accepted by 20% of the staff.
      2. i.      It is introduced in the 8^th grade curriculum, but not carried through in the high school.
      3. ii.      90% know how to use it, but only 15% are proficient at it.
      4. Microsoft Office is used throughout the district.
      1. 98% of all students from grades 4-12 have been instructed in word processing at an age appropriate level.
   
   

   4.  

       

      Attachment A

       

      Timeline for Technology Planning

       

      October

      Initial meeting for Technology Committee.

      •Review of new curriculum purchased and network upgrades made over the summer.

      •Discuss staff development needs for the year.

      •Set goals for upcoming year.

       

      November

      Network update.

      New technology in the district and budget items.

      Make plans to survey staff and students on technology needs and knowledge.

       

      December

      Network and curriculum update.

      Finalize survey.

       

      January

      Discuss results of survey.

      Mid-year needs assessment for staff development.

      Assess hardware and software needs for next year.

       

      February 

      Technology Committee considers and prioritises technology needs.

      Technology Coordinators make hardware/software recommendations.

      Assess Staff Development needs related to new technology.

       

      March

      Technology committee makes its recommendation for budget.

      Network updates and new purchases discussed.

       

      April

      Approval of new software requests.

      Budget request made to Board of Education.

      Recommend in-service or training plans.

       

      May

      Revision/review of budget request.

      Establish timeline for summer technology installation/upgrades.

      Finalize plans for staff development activities for summer.

      Order equipment and other technology related materials.

       

       

       

      Attachment B 

      BUFFALO LAKE-HECTOR SCHOOL DISTRICT 

       ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY 

       

       

      STUDENT AND STAFF ACCESS TO TECHNOLOGY

       

      Students in the Buffalo Lake-Hector school district will use technology to participate in distance learning activities, to ask questions or consult with experts, to communicate with other students and individuals, and to locate material to meet their educational needs.  All educators have a professional responsibility to work together to help students develop their skills needed to discriminate among information sources, to identify information appropriate to their age and the developmental levels, and to evaluate and use information to meet their educational goals.

       

      Making Internet access available to students carries with it the potential that some students might encounter information that some have identified as controversial and of potential harm to students.    Because information on the Internet appears, disappears, and changes, it is not possible to predict or control what students may locate.  While it is possible to select some resources, which will be more easily available to students, school officials cannot promise to control the Internet's environment for students. The Buffalo Lake – Hector School District has in place an up-to-date filtering system. The system attempts to filter all inappropriate material. However, our focus is less in controlling the environment, but more in providing individual users with the understanding and skills needed to use the Internet in ways appropriate to their educational needs.  Concerns about technological resources will be handled the same way that concerns about other educational resources are now handled, and policies now dealing with other educational resources also pertain to technology.

       

      The Buffalo Lake-Hector Schools has established guidelines for student use of technology.  These guidelines define appropriate educational and ethical use of the Internet, identify individual student responsibilities, and outline procedures for enforcing behavior on the Internet and handling violations.  Student, staff, and parents are advised that some systems may contain inappropriate material.  School administrators and staff do not condone the use of such materials and do not permit the usage of such materials in the school environment.  Students who knowingly bring such materials in the school, regardless of format, will be dealt with according to the discipline policies set forth by the Board of Education and can be found in the handbook.  School administrators reserve the right, at their sole discretion; to immediately terminate Internet and/or computer lab access for any student who violates these established policies.

       

      Use of technology is a privilege, not a right, and inappropriate use will result in a cancellation of those privileges. Administrators and lab supervisors have the right to determine what is inappropriate and their decision is final.

      
      

       

      Users will observe the following acceptable use guidelines for technology:

       

       

       

2. Be polite.  School rules regarding all forms of harassment apply to electronic communication.
3. Use appropriate language.  Do not swear, use vulgarities or any other inappropriate language, material or images.
4. Do not reveal your full name, personal address, social security or other identification numbers, or phone numbers or those of other students or colleagues.

 

 

1. Be aware that e-mail is not guaranteed to be private.  People who operate the system do have access to mail.  Messages relating to or in support of illegal activities will be reported to the proper authorities.
2. The use of technology must be consistent with the educational objectives and Board policies of the Buffalo Lake - Hector School District.
3. Responsible and ethical use of technology is required.  Students must know and follow the rules relating to copyright and appropriate use of data and images from technological sources.
4. Electronic mail and telecommunications are not to be utilized to share confidential information because messages are not entirely secure.  Users should not expect that files stored on district servers will be private or secure.

 

1. Individual use of chat rooms and instant messaging is not considered appropriate or acceptable.  These activities will not be allowed unless they are part of a classroom setting.

 

 

There are some unacceptable uses of the technology.

These include, but are not limited to:

 

-Using technology for any illegal activity, including violation of copyright or other laws.

 

-Downloading of software, music, video etc. that is not part of a classroom project.

 

-Using technology in ways that violate school policies and behavior standards.

 

-Using technology for financial or commercial gain.

 

-Vandalizing or disrupting equipment or system performance.

 

-Invading the privacy of other individuals by accessing and/or vandalizing their personal files/data.

 

-Gaining unauthorized access to resources or materials.

 

-Using an account of another user, with or without their permission.

 

-Posting personal information about or work by another person without that person's consent.

 

-Making electronic transactions or purchases over the Internet with credit cards.

 

            Inappropriate behaviors will be reported and appropriate disciplinary action taken.  Violations may result in a loss of access to technology resources and equipment and/or other disciplinary action.  When applicable, law enforcement agencies may be involved.          

 

            The Board authorizes the Superintendent to prepare appropriate procedures for implementing this policy and for reviewing and evaluating its effect on instruction and student achievement.  Given the changing nature of technology, this policy should be reviewed on an annual basis.

 

Adopted: February 2003

 

Attachment F

 

Technology Coordinator’s Job Description

 

The person identified and selected for this position shall hold a Teacher’s License. They should have excellent communications and human-relations skills. Since this person will be expected to provide assistance with technology questions, they should have background and experience in the new technologies and specifically in its instructional use.

 

Coordination:

 

The coordinator will help with planning the nature and scope of the local instructional computing program.

 

The coordinator reports back to the local policy groups on computing activity that has taken place and the extent to which planned goals are being met.

 

The coordinator maintains contact with organizations and businesses that provide support for instructional computing.

 

The coordinator often acts as a local computing expert, both for the educational institution and the community at large.

 

The coordinator must communicate to the staff on all aspects of instructional computing. They must make staff aware of workshops, classes and new curriculum

 

Training:

 

The coordinator is often the person best qualified to teach classes and to direct student studies in computing.

 

            The coordinator provides in-service training to other staff members.

           

The coordinator may be called upon to organize workshops or classes in computing for the community.

 

The coordinator assists staff in running computer programs and with modification and development of new applications to fit the individual teacher’s needs.

 

The coordinator shall provide recommendations for the acquisition and local distribution of courseware and other technological materials.

 

 

 

 

Maintenance:

 

The coordinator keeps the computer equipment rooms orderly and stocked with the necessary supplies.

 

The coordinator assists with the scheduling of computer equipment and shared centralized resources.

 

The coordinator will maintain the computers and associated equipment.

 

The coordinator provides recommendations on the acquisition of updated software and hardware.

 

The coordinator handles the selection and scheduling of support materials related to technology.

 

Keeping updated:

 

The coordinator must attend appropriate workshops and conferences every year to keep abreast of new ideas and technologies.

 

            The coordinator shall review the national literature in the technology field.

 

The coordinator shall use all computer systems serving the institution to remain familiar with procedures and applications available.

 

The coordinator shall maintain membership in appropriate committees and organizations in order to stay current with the instructional use of technology.

 

Attachment G

 

2002-2003 Budget
Firewall
SonicWall Pro	1	$699.00	$699.00
Backup/Disaster Recovery
HP 100/200GB Ultrium Data Tapes	5	$120.00	$600.00
Virus Protection
Norton Antivirus Corporate Edition PC	130	$25.00	$3,250.00
Norton Antivirus Corporate Edition MAC	70	$25.00	$1,750.00
Norton Antivirus Media	2	$24.99	$49.98
Networking
8-port switches	10	$54.99	$549.90
Software
Microsoft Office XP Pro	40	$51.45	$2,058.00
Microsoft Office 2001 for MAC	40	$40.98	$1,639.20
Elementary Discretionary			$4,000.00
High School Discretionary			$4,000.00
Hardware
Second year lease payment	1	$22,497.10	$22,497.10
PC Workstations  (first year lease)	1	$15,678.36	$15,678.36
Imac's	10	$1,000.00	$10,000.00
MAC Server	1	$2,400.00	$2,400.00
Installation/Technical support	1		$6,000.00
MISC
total			$75,171.54

 

 

Attachment H

 

Budget 2003-2004
Firewall
SonicWall Pro	1	$0.00	$0.00
Backup/Disaster Recovery
HP 100/200GB Ultrium Data Tapes	5	$120.00	$600.00
Virus Protection
Norton Antivirus Corporate Edition PC	250	$25.00	$6,250.00
…………….(2 year Subscription)
Printers
Network printers	0	$1,000.00	$0.00
Workstation printers	9	$100.00	$900.00
Software/Hardware
Microsoft Office XP Pro	10	$51.45	$514.50
Elementary Discretionary			$580.00
……..Remote desktop	Unlimited		$299.00
……..OSX Version 10.2	0	$59.00	$0.00
……..OSX Server Version 10.2.4	Unlimited		$499.00
……..Memory			$0.00
……..Digital Camera	1	$600.00	$600.00
……..Misc			$35.00
High School Discretionary			$100.00
……..Monitor Switch Box	1	$365.00	$365.00
……..Elements License	10	$21.00	$210.00
……..Elements	1	$25.00	$25.00
……..HS Surge protection	1		$1,162.00
………Adobe Products  from Carl Perkins Funds
AG/Industrial Arts
Software, training and upgrades	1	$2,921.00	$2,921.00
Hardware
Third year lease payment	1	$22,497.10	$22,497.10
Second year lease payment	1	$15,678.36	$15,678.36
First year lease payment	10	$257.19	$2,571.90
Apple Lease  (4 year)	1	$1,585.42	$1,585.42
Installation/Technical support	1		$700.00
……..Businessware			$1,900.00
total			$59,993.28

 

 

 

Role of School Media Center/Library and Public Library: 

 

The school district has two media centers: one at the Buffalo Lake campus (elementary) and one at the Hector campus (middle/high). The library circulation/catalog system on each campus is automated with the latest version of software with tech support. In November of 2003 a web-based catalog was added, which allows teachers, students, and parents to search both the elementary and high school catalogs from any computer—school or home—with internet access.

 

 The media center also maintains a “Cybrary” page for each campus on the school’s web site. The “Cybrary” pages contain links to the school’s electronic subscription databases (two of which have home access for students and parents), the electronic databases offered through the state, the school’s web catalog and WebPals. We go through the Hector public library to get books that students may find on WebPals. By March, we should also have access to NetLibrary. At least once each year, the media specialist runs a column in the school’s newsletters reminding parents that these databases are accessible from home.

 

The elementary media center has three older computers which function as patron work stations; however, they are unable to run the latest version of the catalog system, which renders some functions unusable. The high school media center has its own small computer lab with nine PCs loaded with the same software as the computers in the main labs so that students can continue to work on assignments/projects during study halls and before and after school. There are also four Macintosh computers capable of both desktop publishing and digital video. All of the computers are networked and have internet access.

 

There is currently no formal curriculum for information literacy adopted by the district. The media center staff is in the process of putting together a curriculum for grades k-5 for their use, which sill be in place next fall. Because there is no scheduled library time for classes at the 6-12 level, a curriculum will have to be worked out with the teaching staff at the middle/high school.

 

Staff at the elementary campus work with the teachers in several ways. Each class has 1/2 hour of library time each week, during which students choose books, have story time, and are taught library/information skills. Story time books are frequently chosen to complement and/or reinforce a theme or unit that is being taught in the classroom.  In addition, media center staff schedule additional library times to work with classroom teachers and students during research projects in 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th grade. They also pull materials for use in the classroom.  The elementary teaching staff uses the Accelerated Reader program and each year the media center adds to its collection of Accelerated Reader books and quizzes at all levels. All AR books are physically marked with AR labels and this spring the staff will be updating all of the relevant material records to reflect the AR information. Students and teachers will then be able to use the electronic card catalog to bring up books by AR reading level. (This function is not currently available through the web-based version of the catalog.)

 

At the high school campus, the media center is generally open to students for recreational reading, research, and computer use at all times. Teachers may also reserve the entire media center or just the lab for class research. The media specialist helps to locate research materials and is available to help teachers and students incorporate PowerPoint, digital still pictures, and/or digital video into their classroom presentations. There are also a scanner and CD burner available for use by staff and students. Upon request, the media specialist gives presentations on the print and electronic resources that are available through the school. These may be general in nature or geared toward a specific grade or project.

 

The district currently has a full-time licensed school library media specialist and a half-time library aide. The elementary media center is open during regular school hours 4 days a week; the high school media center is open during school hours and before and after school 4 days a week. Staffing levels have been reduced twice since the 2000-2001 school year when the district had 2 30-hour/week aides, one at each campus, and each media center was open during all school hours. Monies for other resources and materials were reduced by half in the 2003-2004 school year due to severe financial difficulties faced by the district. As monies come in from a referendum passed in the fall of 2003, some of those monies may find their way back into the media center budget.