Technology Services

October 2008 Technology Committee Minutes

Minutes for Technology Steering Committee

October 14, 2008

Minutes are in italics. They can also be found at:

http://community.elmbrookschools.org/technologyservices/default.aspx

Welcome & Introductions (7:30-7:35)

In Attendance: Missy Petersdorf (Bur), Maxine Weisz (PPMS), Jeff Gryzwa (BCHS), Monica Lentz (BEHS), Rachelle Russell (Brk), Angela O'Reagan (WHMS), Kristin Konitzer (Ton), Dan Paese (BCHS), Amy Andersen (FVS), Glen Allgaier (Board), Rick Ziolkowski (BEHS/PPMS), Jeanne Siegenthaler (Dix), Chris Thompson (CAO)

Role of the Committee Member (7:35-7:40)

Participant - Represent your level, department, and/or position during technology conversations to the best of your abilities. Ask questions when you do not know and remember that all feedback is welcome and critical to help meet the district's technology goals.

Communicator - The technology committee representative will be responsible for digesting the minutes of our monthly meetings and communicating relative and pertinent information to the staff at the building. This will help build the recognition and understanding of your role on the committee. Minutes will be distributed within 24 hours to allow for quick turnaround and better memories of events and explanations.

Advocate for Technology - There are many great technology initiatives underway at all levels. As best you can, present these changes positively to your colleagues and peers as we transition to a new, more powerful (and complex) technology environment.

Chris reviewed the three roles, highlighting the communications aspect of committee membership. Ideally, committee members would keep their ears low to the ground in their building to identify any common concerns, issues, needs and raise them directly (and immediately) to Chris. If these are needs identified by multiple buildings or that pertain to others, Chris would add to an agenda.

Review of Key Data (7:40-7:45)

• Data

§ Response Time to bigWeb Tickets

• o Goal: 1 Day (10.5 hour) Response - 96%
• o Actual: 78.6% (-17.4%)
• o September ‘08: 1190 Tickets
• o September '07: 1113 tickets, 93% response

§ Ticket Closure - Issue Resolution

• o Goal: 3 day resolution - 95%
• o Actual: 82.6% (-12.4%)
• o September ‘08: 1190 Tickets
• o September '07: 1113 tickets, 96% completion

§ Key Factors in 2008

• o HS Conversion to Microsoft
• o 92 Projector/SMARTBoard installations

Chris gave an overview of the data. While the # of tickets this year in September were similar to last year's totals, the complexity of the Microsoft Conversion at the high schools and the SMARTBoard installations caused technology staff resources to dedicate large amounts of time, taking away from responding quickly to "smaller" concerns and needs.

Users were frustrated because some technology was not working on day which altered lesson plans, which sets people back at the start of the year. Options were discussed such as managing expectations (i.e. next year all technology may not be operational at the High Schools because of the renovation) in advance, or doing more mid-year conversions when we have the capacity to plan and respond immediately to issues/challenges. Despite the number of changes on the horizon, Chris believes Tech Services will be able to plan better based on this summer's experience and manage the change more effectively.

Chris also believes that October data will be better, and November data will be back at the targeted level of service people have come to expect.

2008-2009 Initiatives Review  - budget context (7:45 - 8:00)

Key Talking Points for Summer Implementation

• Installed 92 Projectors and 80+ SMARTBoards
• Deployed over 300 desktop and laptop computers, most at the high schools
• Converted both high school networks from Novell to Microsoft - decreasing login time (now 10-30 seconds to login)

Last year's initiatives were distributed, presented as a district and by level. Most projects were completed this summer and a large percentage (over 85%) of the technology budget has been spent for the 2008-2009 school year.

Managing Technology Change (8:00-8:20)

• SMARTBoards in every classroom (4 years)
• Tablet laptops at Elementary (3 years)
• Wireless throughout all buildings (3 years)
• Microsoft Office 2007
• Web Site Redesign (2 times in 4 years)
• Groupwise conversion to Microsoft Outlook/Exchange (Summer 2009)
• Novell networks to Microsoft (15 months)
• Software: Parentlink, PDExpress, Infinite Campus, Blogs, Shared Files, SMARTNotebook, FitnessGram

Key Changes in next 10 Months:

Tablets, Groupwise to Outlook, Office 2007, Novell to Microsoft Network, Web Site

Possible Strategies to Promote successful transition to new technologies:

• Communicate specific changes early and often
• Documentation
• Provide access to online training resources
• Provide variety of required and optional staff development opportunities
• Offer access to new technologies in advance of change (take Office 2007 home)

Good conversation and idea sharing was had surrounding technology change. While some users are very flexible and adapt easily, many others require more training, specific targets, and gentle prodding to move forward. This presents a challenge for any change, and requires a multi-faceted approach towards implementations.

Ideas shared include:

• Manage expectations - explain why we need to manage this
• Have a detailed, documented implementation track with dates and targets
• Concerning MS Office 2007, train support staff first since they are often asked Office/operational questions - this would also help standardize any training initiative we would have by working out the bugs
• Create a virtual environment, where teachers could access Office 2007 "virtually" from home or school to "work" in a test environment during initial training and for exploration/experimentation. Working virtually does not require a local computer installation and protects the computer in its existing environment.
• Utilize the Business Ed labs at the high school for training which already have Office 2007
• Standardize an approach to how we train on key technology initiatives
• Explore the usefulness of support sites like Atomic Learning, which offers just-in-time, step-by-step flash videos on how to do tasks such as sorts/mail merges/create and send mail , etc.

Chris will create a suggested plan of implementation and bring it to our committee meeting in November for feedback and discussion.

Student Mail/Communication Tools (8:20 - 8:30)

Question: As we prepare for a new "Web portal" concept and for the transition from Groupwise to Microsoft Outlook, we would like to better understand how/whey staff/faculty communicate with students.

• October - Survey Development, Refinement, and Release (20^th-30^th)
• November - Survey Analysis, Process results with Integrators, TSC, 2 representative secondary classes (1 elementary?)
• Prioritize Requirements of student use based on survey data
• Identify and Prioritize technical requirements
• Research other district solutions for large K-12 implementations
• Dec - Jan Research/evaluate solutions and document how each product addresses requirements
• Jan - Present recommended solution to Integrators, TSC and representative classes for consideration and feedback
• Feb - Determine recommended solution and plan for implementation (training, communication, rollout)

The need driving the above conversation about student mail is that our conversion to Outlook would require the district to pay per student for individual mailboxes. There are free solutions (gmail and Microsoft live.edu) available that would allow our students to use our domain (like students.elmbrookschools.org), provide web access from anywhere, and offer great amounts of storage. This need, will be considered in a greater context, how do we communicate with staff and students. Chris will present in November a mock-up of a web environment that we hope to implement next fall. In the meantime, the survey will be put on hold.

Adjourn (8:30)

October 2008 Technology Committee Agenda

Agenda for Technology Steering Committee

October 14, 2008

Welcome & Introductions (7:30-7:35)

Role of the Committee Member (7:35-7:40)

Participant - Represent your level, department, and/or position during technology conversations to the best of your abilities. Ask questions when you do not know and remember that all feedback is welcome and critical to help meet the district's technology goals.

Communicator - The technology committee representative will be responsible for digesting the minutes of our monthly meetings and communicating relative and pertinent information to the staff at the building. This will help build the recognition and understanding of your role on the committee. Minutes will be distributed within 24 hours to allow for quick turnaround and better memories of events and explanations.

Advocate for Technology - There are many great technology initiatives underway at all levels. As best you can, present these changes positively to your colleagues and peers as we transition to a new, more powerful (and complex) technology environment.

Review of Key Data (7:40-7:45)

• Data
• § Response Time to bigWeb Tickets
• o Goal: 1 Day (10.5 hour) Response - 96%
• o Actual: 78.6% (-17.4%)
• o September ‘08: 1190 Tickets
• o September '07: 1113 tickets, 93% response
• § Ticket Closure - Issue Resolution
• o Goal: 3 day resolution - 95%
• o Actual: 82.6% (-12.4%)
• o September ‘08: 1190 Tickets
• o September '07: 1113 tickets, 96% completion
• § Key Factors in 2008
• o HS Conversion to Microsoft
• o 92 Projector/SMARTBoard installations

2008-2009 Initiatives Review  - budget context (7:45 - 8:00)

Key Talking Points for Summer Implementation

• Installed 92 Projectors and 80+ SMARTBoards
• Deployed over 300 desktop and laptop computers, most at the high schools
• Converted both high school networks from Novell to Microsoft - decreasing login time (now 10-30 seconds to login)

Managing Technology Change (8:00-8:20)

• SMARTBoards in every classroom (4 years)
• Tablet laptops at Elementary (3 years)
• Wireless throughout all buildings (3 years)
• Microsoft Office 2007
• Web Site Redesign (2 times in 4 years)
• Groupwise conversion to Microsoft Outlook/Exchange (Summer 2009)
• Novell networks to Microsoft (15 months)
• Software: Parentlink, PDExpress, Infinite Campus, Blogs, Shared Files, SMARTNotebook, FitnessGram

Key Changes in next 10 Months:

Tablets, Groupwise to Outlook, Office 2007, Novell to Microsoft Network, Web Site

Possible Strategies to Promote successful transition to new technologies:

• Communicate specific changes early and often
• Documentation
• Provide access to online training resources
• Provide variety of required and optional staff development opportunities
• Offer access to new technologies in advance of change (take Office 2007 home)

Student Mail/Communication Tools (8:20 - 8:30)

Question: As we prepare for a new "Web portal" concept and for the transition from Groupwise to Microsoft Outlook, we would like to better understand how/whey staff/faculty communicate with students.

• October - Survey Development, Refinement, and Release (20^th-30^th)
• November - Survey Analysis, Process results with Integrators, TSC, 2 representative secondary classes (1 elementary?)
• Prioritize Requirements of student use based on survey data
• Identify and Prioritize technical requirements
• Research other district solutions for large K-12 implementations
• Dec - Jan Research/evaluate solutions and document how each product addresses requirements
• Jan - Present recommended solution to Integrators, TSC and representative classes for consideration and feedback
• Feb - Determine recommended solution and plan for implementation (training, communication, rollout)

Adjourn (8:30)

Virtualization at a Glance

VIRTUALIZATION/Storage Area Network Executive Summary

Overview

Server virtualization allows the SDE to make good use of scarce hardware resources, while providing a more stable server environment by isolating network applications such as Destiny, Moodle, Blackboard, and Read 180. While historically these applications would have required a separate server or to be installed on the same server with potential conflicts, virtualization allows us to create separate virtual servers for each application all on the same hardware. It also provides for shared storage (hard drives), redundancy, testing and evaluation of upgrades, and decreased installation time of new network software applications to achieve minimal to no application downtime. Finally, the ability to run multiple applications on one server ultimately will reduce energy costs and in the long-term, reduce server replacement costs.

Technology Plan Goal Addressed

• Goal #1: Integrate Technology with Student Learning Initiatives
• Goal #2: Support Continuous Improvement through the Development or Acquisition of New Applications
• Goal #3: Maintain System Integrity

Goals

Three goals have been identified for this project:

• 1. Reduce downtime of key applications
• 2. Make better use of existing and future hardware and financial resources
• 3. Support test environments for the evaluation of future application upgrades

Resources Needed

• Hardware, Software, and Consulting Investment - $45,000
• Network Administrator to Install, Manage, Maintain/Monitor

Primary Contact(s)

Dan Scott, Network Administrator x1166

Key Dates/Timeline for Implementation

• Week of July 28, 2008: Installation of Virtualization Software (VMWare)
• Weeks of August 4^th and 11^th: Conversion of network applications: Moodle, Destiny, Blackboard, PDExpress, Titan, SelectSurvey, FitnessGram, Netstorage, Groupwise Web
• 08-09 School Year: Test and convert other server applications as time allows
• Summer 2009: Convert CAO File and Print Server, Install Microsoft Exchange into virtual environment

Related Initiatives

• District Energy Reduction
• Infrastructure

Key Talking Points

• Isolation of network applications means that if one application crashes/fails, only that application will be affected. Currently, if the Blackboard application or server was down, Destiny would also be down.
• Network servers typically operate at 2%-10% hardware capacity. Virtualization allows for 60%-70% hardware capacity and fewer # of servers. This supports energy-use reduction and reduced costs in the long-term.
• The SDE will be better able to test version upgrades as well as train staff in advance to going "live" on new or upgraded applications.

Tablet laptops at a Glance

Tablet Laptops At-a-Glance (K-5)

Overview

In 2007-2008 all elementary schools moved to a standards-based grading and reporting system. A dramatic shift in teaching, learning, and assessment practices, the typical classroom teacher assesses and reports out on 20-40 standards each quarter. To support and enhance each teacher's assessment and recording/reporting capabilities, a small group of teachers were selected to pilot the use of Tablet Laptops and Microsoft OneNote software.

The combination of the tablet and OneNote software quickly proved to be more powerful than anticipated, with assessment functionality limited only by time and a teacher's creativity. Towards the end of the 2007-2008 school year, it was decided this tool should be distributed to all elementary classroom teachers and an aggressive two year acquisition and implementation plan was developed.

Technology Plan Goal Addressed

• Goal #1: Integrate Technology with Student Learning Initiatives
• Goal #2: Support Continuous Improvement through the Development or Acquisition of New Applications
• Goal #3: Maintain System Integrity

Existing Elmbrook Environment

In addition to the seven pilot teachers, all resource teachers (Instructional Resource, Reading Resource, Technology Integrator, Administrator Support) and 24 classroom teachers will have tablet laptops for the 2008-2009 school year. This group of tablet users have been designated the Phase 1 adopters.

For 2008-2009, wireless access will be somewhat local to the classroom/office for the Phase 1 teachers except for Tonawanda, which is already wireless throughout the entire school.

Future Environment

By 2009-2010, all elementary schools will be wireless throughout the building. This will extend the laptop functionality to any location in the school and provided added benefit for staff meetings, training, and flexible assessment opportunities.  In addition, all elementary teachers will be equipped with a tablet laptop with clear goals for training, implementation and use.

Goals

2008-2009 - The Phase 1 Adopters will be charged with four specific goals to prepare for the following year's full adoption:

• Identify, test, and evaluate opportunities to use tablet as assessment tool in Math and Reading
• Develop support documentation to guide current and future implementation
• Digitize resources for use in OneNote Notebook
• Identify clear and realistic expectations for Phase 2 adopters
• Evaluate the application of the tablets in Special Education as an assessment and communication tool

Primary Contact(s)

Chris Thompson (x1163), Chief Information Officer

Key Dates/Timeline for Implementation

• Summer, 2008 for rollout of tablets and initial training
• 4 key dates for Phase 1 Adopters to meet, learn and prepare over the 08-09 school year
• Test collaboration/communication aspects of Microsoft OneNote with Special Education and Regular Education classroom teachers during 2^nd and 3^rd quarter of 2008-2009
• Mandatory day for technology training in 2009 for all elementary teachers
• 2009-2010 - begin to evaluate secondary solution for similar assessment needs
  
  

Related Initiatives

Wireless

Key Talking Points

• The Tablet supports a variety of assessment and recording practices.
• The teacher is able to record notes and observations in an organized and accessible manner.
• Assessments can be recorded directly into a gradebook using wireless network functionality anywhere the assessment is given, in or out of the classroom.
• Performance assessments can be recorded via voice or now via video and played back for student analysis, parent-teacher conferences, or as samples for future students.

Parentlink at a Glance

Parentlink At-a-Glance (K-12)

Overview

Parentlink is an automated messaging system that facilitates school-to-home communication via phone or e-mail. Parentlink was first used in the district in 2005-2006 by both high schools and PPMS, expanded to WHMS in the spring of 2006, and by Tonawanda in the summer of 2006. In 2007, the savings from a re-negotiated telecommunications contract at the district level, were used to purchase Parentlink for all schools, and continue to pay for the annual subscription fee. Elmbrook's first, all-District call was made in the Winter of 2008 when school was closed due to bad weather, reaching 9,500 parents and students in less than 10 minutes.

Technology Plan Goal Addressed

• Goal #1: Integrate Technology with Student Learning Initiatives
• Goal #2: Support Continuous Improvement through the Development or Acquisition of New Applications
• Goal #3: Maintain System Integrity

Existing Elmbrook Environment

Parentlink has the potential to communicate attendance, grades, book fines, late buses, activity information, school announcements, meeting reminders, and closings. In some fashion all but grades have been communicated to our stakeholders by at least one school in our district.

2007-2008 Activity Summary

Goals

Entering our 2^nd year of full use of the communication tool, the SDE has an opportunity to integrate Parentlink into a more comprehensive district strategy. Goals for the year include:

• Test emergency message to all stakeholders in the fall as part of disaster planning
• Develop core expectations of use for all schools and train staff accordingly
• Explore the mass e-mail and survey functionality of Parentlink and determine if/how they align with our strategic initiatives
• Communicate with Parents consistent expectations for use throughout our K-12 system
• Decision on whether to explore use of Parentlink at the classroom/activity level

Resources Needed

• Continued support of $20,000 annual subscription fee from District Telecommunications budget
• Training resources from CAO (HelpDesk Technician) and time to train key administrative staff

Primary Contact(s)

• Chris Thompson (x1163) - Strategic use
• Jean Loepfe (x411) - Training and support

Key Dates/Timeline for Implementation

• August, 2008 - Training for new administrators or refresher for existing administrative staff
• October, 2008 - Test of emergency system with an All-District call to all emergency numbers
• December, 2008 - Baseline expectations of use, communicate use intentions to parents
• January, 2009 - analyze use of the product (1^st semester)
• June, 2009 - analyze use of the product for 2008-2009

Related Initiatives

• Disaster Planning
• Communication with Stakeholders
• Survey strategy

Key Talking Points

• Parentlink is an efficient method to communicate critical and important information, reaching up to 10,000 households in less than 10 minutes
• Each message can be targeted to particular stakeholder groups (i.e. Parents of 6^th graders, high school students in band, students who ride bus # xxx) at a particular school or across the district
• Expedient message delivery is a critical component to our disaster planning and emergency response system
• Regular use of the system and analysis of key reports allows us to identify inactive phone numbers maintaining the integrity of our student contact data
• Contact information for both staff and students is pulled from Infinite Campus nightly updating information daily. Attendance information is automatically sent for each of the secondary schools and calls are made either mid-day (Middle School) or early evening (high school) for any unexecused absences.

RtI Tracking Tool at a Glance

RESPONSE to INTERVENTION Tracking Tool At-a-Glance (K-12)

Overview

During the 2006-2007 school year through the Deployment Team's work on school and district dashboards, a gap was identified in the systematic collection and review of data pertaining to behavior and academic interventions. In 2007-2008, a District RtI committee was established to increase awareness of RtI, identify gaps and consistencies across the system, celebrate best practices, and develop a consistent approach to K-12 interventions.

While committee work was underway, an attempt was made to document the intervention process at four schools (Burleigh, PPMS, Tonawanda, WHMS) with the goal of developing an electronic tracking tool for consistent use across our system.

Technology Plan Goal Addressed

• Goal #1: Integrate Technology with Student Learning Initiatives
• Goal #2: Support Continuous Improvement through the Development or Acquisition of New Applications
• Goal #3: Maintain System Integrity

2008-2009 Elmbrook Environment

During the summer of 2008, finishing touches will be completed on the first phase of this tracking tool. The tool will allow for:

• Documentation of classroom interventions already attempted before beginning the referral process
• Assignment of formal intervention with specific timeline, person responsible, updates required, and progress indicator with measurable data
• "Dashboard" view of all interventions in progress at a school for RtI team to monitor and discuss
• Global report that can analyze interventions in progress, status of interventions, and success rate
• Archived "tab" in Infinite Campus that tracks all interventions assigned to a particular student that can pass from grade to grade, and level (elementary or middle) to level (middle or high)

Goals

• To implement, evaluate, and refine an intervention tracking tool seamlessly integrated with Infinite Campus that supports the implementation of RtI
• As interventions, strategies, and measurement  tools are identified and selected by the RtI committee, incorporate those decisions into the tracking tool
• Develop an e-mail system that notifies responsible parties of intervention updates coming due, missing updates, or students in need of an intervention review (2-3 consecutive updates not meeting established progress/goals)
• Develop dashboard tool and administrative reports to help monitor interventions in progress and their ultimate success/failure
   

Resources Needed

• Development time from Web Developer
• Continued cooperation of schools to test, implement, provide feedback on the tool

Primary Contact(s)

• Chris Thompson (x1163) - Strategic
• Kyle Holder (x1159) - Development 

Key Dates/Timeline for Implementation

• September, 2008 - Tool is implemented at 2-4 schools for testing/feedback
• Sept - Dec, 2008 - Feedback is received and changes are made to the tool during pilot use
• Sept - May, 2008 - Integrate changes and decisions made by the RtI committee into the tool
• Jan, 2008 - Scale use to an entire school, and/or consider piloting at a high school
• Sept, 2009 - Implement the RtI tracking tool at all schools
  
  

Related Initiatives

• RtI Committee
• Deployment Team - Dashboard Development, Continuous Improvement
  
  

Key Talking Points

• The RtI tracking tool will facilitate the federal mandate to document interventions with specific and measurable targets throughout our system
• Intervention information recorded in Infinite Campus will be tracked by individual student and be available to teachers as a student moves from grade to grade, and level to level. Typically this information has been absorbed by the classroom teacher and guidance counselor and inconsistently disseminated to new teachers, oftentimes lost over time
• As the RtI Committee develops a consistent process and assessment and progress monitoring tools, Elmbrook will have an electronic tool to document and monitor progress

SMARTBoards at a Glance

SMARTBoards At-a-Glance  (K-12)

Overview

A SMARTBoard is an interactive whiteboard when, combined with a projector and a computer, can be used to interact with the curriculum. SMARTBoards are used to engage students, present digital content, and support differentiation for both visual and tactile learners. The power of the SMARTBoard is realized through SMARTNotebook software which allows the teacher to organize content, structure lessons, and create interesting and interactive activities in any content area. While often integrated with Math, Science, and Social Studies Curriculum, Elmbrook teachers across the K-12 system have identified opportunities to integrate SMARTBoard use into all content areas and even co-curricular activities. Because of its wide-ranging impact on student learning, the District began a six-year plan to integrate SMARTBoards into all K-12 classrooms. With funding from the district technology, building unit, PTO, and Elmbrook Foundation resources, as well as the possibility of High School referendum dollars, the goal of one in every classroom may be attained in as little as four years.

Technology Plan Goal Addressed

• Goal #1: Integrate Technology with Student Learning Initiatives
• Goal #2: Support Continuous Improvement through the Development or Acquisition of New Applications
• Goal #3: Maintain System Integrity

SMARTBoard Acquisition Plan (includes Projector, SMARTBoard, Cables, Ceiling Mounts)

Goals

The success of this initiative will be determined not only by access to the hardware and consistent use, but also in providing adequate training and support resources, as well as the sharing of SMARTNotebook files across the district. In addition, the scope of the project requires a close working relationship with SMART Technologies (Company) to include certification for some Elmbrook Teaching staff as certified trainers and direct access to corporate resources for future product development and testing. These indicators are encompassed in the following goals:

• Develop a year-round SMART Academy offering for-credit or CEU training opportunities for K-12 staff (Implemented Summer '09)
• Certification of at least 12 staff members representing various disciplines and grade levels. (Summer '08 & '09)
• Collegial Study opportunities to collaborate with other teachers on the integration of the SMARTBoard (Fall '08 and Ongoing)
• Guaranteed one-day of training for all staff with SMARTBoards installed in their classrooms (Fall '08)
• Develop a web-based application to share SMARTNotebook files across the district that is searchable and organized by grade and content area (Fall '08)

Resources Needed

• Trained integrators
• Lead Teachers to model use and develop SMARTNotebook content
• SMART Certified Teachers
• Trained and District-certfied (in SMARTBoard use) Substitute Teachers
• Continued financial support from District, Unit, PTO, EEF, other Sources

Primary Contact(s)

Chris Thompson, x1163 & Building Integrator

Related Initiatives

Tablet Laptops

Key Talking Points

• SMARTBoards promote interactive learning and teaching at all grade levels and across all content areas
• With organized content (lessons, activities, materials) that can be shared across the district, SMARTBoards support collaboration across the district
• Through certification, Academy offerings, and in-building training opportunities, the integration of the SMARTBoard into every classroom will succeed

Keyboarding at a Glance

KEYBOARDING At-a-Glance (K-5)

Overview

In 2002 Keyboarding was identified as an area in need of improvement due to inconsistent (yet necessary) skills of our students and inconsistent instruction practices. After researching and piloting Keyboarding methodologies, the Herzog method of instruction was adopted in 2004 and implemented in the 2^nd semester of 2^nd grade. Different from historical "home row" instruction, Herzog teaches the keys in order through 10 days of 30-minute sessions and "allows" students to look at the keys as they learn their position on the keyboard. The method then relies on integrated and meaningful keyboarding opportunities with the regular curriculum and discourages routine drill and practice. Specific keyboarding outcomes (Words per minute and accuracy) were developed for each elementary grade level and in 2007-2008 re-teaching of the Herzog method was provided for some students not at grade level. The 2008-2009 school year will be the first year that all grade levels use and support the Herzog method and will eliminate the need for Type to Learn's drill and practice software (old method).

Technology Plan Goal Addressed

• Goal #1: Integrate Technology with Student Learning Initiatives
• Goal #2: Support Continuous Improvement through the Development or Acquisition of New Applications
• Goal #3: Maintain System Integrity

Existing Elmbrook Environment

2008-2009 All elementary grades will use and support the Herzog method of instruction and classroom integration

Grade level outcomes to be reported at the end of 1^st semester and 2^nd semester:

**2^nd grade instruction does not start until at least 2^nd quarter.  Reporting should begin 2^nd or 3^rd quarter for 2^nd grade.

Because of its limited requirement for instructional time (10 days, 30 minutes each day), re-teaching has been found to be the most effective method to support students struggling with keyboarding. During the winter/spring of 2008 a before-school class  was offered to identified students below grade level at each elementary school. Each class had between 12-27 students and saw improvement in speed and accuracy by 90% of participating students.

Goals

• 80?% of all students reaching proficiency by the end of 2008-2009 school year
• 60% of all students participating in the support classes reach proficiency by the end of the school year
• All teachers understand the Herzog method and provide ample opportunity for their students to reinforce their keyboarding skills through meaningful and relevant work
• Discuss the role of keyboarding at Middle School including pre-assessment of skills, intervention strategies, responsibility of 6^th grade Computers Class, and consistent opportunity to key

Resources Needed

• Integrator support for initial instruction, awareness training for 5th grade teachers, and identification of struggling students for support classes
• Classroom teachers to provide meaningful opportunities to keyboard relevant information
• Adequate access to resources - Alphasmarts, lab computers, or laptops

Primary Contact(s)

Chris Thompson, x1163 or Building Integrator

Key Dates/Timeline for Implementation

• Awareness training of 5^th grade teachers in Sept ‘08
• Training of new 2^nd grade teachers in Oct '08 on instruction
• Data analysis after 1^st quarter for identification of struggling keyboarders and after 2^nd quarter to evaluate proficiency levels across the system

Key Talking Points

• Through the Herzog method keyboarding skills are developed through meaningful and relevant opportunities to keyboard in the regular curriculum. Opportunities could include journaling (personal, scientific), writer's workshop, rekeying current events articles, or synthesizing notes or weekly classroom events.
• In 2008-2009 all elementary students will have been instructed on the Herzog method, eliminating the need for the use of drill and practice software.

21st Century Classroom at a glance

21^st CENTURY CLASSROOM At a Glance

Overview

An increased demand for classroom Projectors and SMARTBoards focused much discussion and energy into considering the technological components of the 21^st Century Classroom during the 2007-2008 school year. Ultimately, the SMARTBoard initiative will drive the purchase of most, if not all, components of a 21^st century classroom. All components are coordinated and purchased through Technology Services, though funding may come from a variety of unit, PTO, student group, district, and Elmbrook Education Foundation sources.

Technology Plan Goal Addressed

• Goal #1: Integrate Technology with Student Learning Initiatives
• Goal #2: Support Continuous Improvement through the Development or Acquisition of New Applications
• Goal #3: Maintain System Integrity

Existing Elmbrook Environment

Standard components identified for a 21^st Century Classroom include:

• Short-throw, mounted projector ($980)
• SMARTBoard ($1150)
• Speakers - preferably wall mounted ($40)
• Wireless keyboard and mouse ($55)
• Computer with DVD ($505)
• Necessary cables, video splitter, and installation costs ($150)
• VHS Player - most classrooms have an existing vhs playing device

Typically, the expense of equipping one room, including installation and assuming a computer already exists, is $3,000.

NOTE:  for Cable TV or Closed Circuit Television Schools: Depending on the building, some schools continue to rely on a distributed television network and/or cable television network. If this functionality is needed, a combination DVD/TV player with a TV tuner is also needed for approximately $250.

Future Environment

Each school in the district is at a different place with developing its 21^st century classrooms. The following are estimates for the completion of all components for the 21^st century classroom over the next three years. Those schools designated at 90% may have open rooms available that may only be equipped if occupied.

Goals

It is important to equip all rooms with 21^st century components to insure all teachers have access to the hardware and software resources for successful teaching and learning. Utilizing a variety of funding sources, achieving this goal may be possible by the 2010-2011 school year.

Resources Needed

• Continued support from District Technology Budget, PTO, Unit Budget, and Referendum dollars for the high schools.
• Professional development time to support the integration of the 21^st century components into the classroom.
• Continued digitization of resources so they are available, organized, and shared across the district.
• Long-range budget request in Fall 2008 to cover remaining projector/SMARTBoard installations

Primary Contact(s)

Jack Coffey (x1166), Desktop Supervisor

Key Dates/Timeline for Implementation

• 92 Summer installations in July/August 2008
• Installations throughout the year and summers as dollars are allocated with as little disruption to teaching/learning as possible

Related Initiatives

• SMARTBoards
• Tablet Laptop
  
  

Key Talking Points

• A classroom with 21^st Century technology components impacts the organization and presentation of curriculum content in all K-12 classrooms
• Students benefit from interaction with both curriculum content and the technology components

Equipping all classrooms provides flexibility in scheduling and allows for the development of baseline expectations of use and integration for all teachers