Technology Planning: Hammond High School

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Technology Planning: Hammond High School Samantha Schleupner ET 680 Loyola University

Technology Planning: Hammond High School

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Analysis of the Current Situation at Hammond High School Hammond High School, of Columbia, Maryland, is a diverse school in the Howard County Public Schools district. Its total enrollment is 1,319, about 100 students over capacity. The schools population of students is about equally Caucasian (37%) and African American (36.2%), and the rest is made up of other ethnicities of students: Asian (8.6%), Hispanic (10.6%), and those who are two or more races (7.3%). While some of its students come from middle class families, a great number of students at Hammond come from lower income families, many who receive special services; in fact, 24.4% of the student population receives FARMS (Free and Reduced Meals Services) and 10.5% receive Special Education services (Leonard, 2011). As for the technology of the building, most classrooms have their own TVs but few have DVD/VCR players (they are provided through the media center). Most classrooms are also equipped with both an overhead projector or document camera and a LCD projector. Every teacher has his or her own Macbook laptop. The school currently has two permanent computer labs built into the media center with about thirty computers in each lab; the computers are Dell desktops running Microsoft Windows 7. In addition, the school is equipped with two mobile labs of 30 Macbook laptops that are capable of running both the OSX or Microsoft Windows 7 operating systems. Currently, the school has Wi-Fi internet throughout the building which is available to staff laptops, but the password for the router is top secret. Taking into account the population of students at Hammond and the technology equipment available to students, many would assume that our students should be somewhat technology proficient and technology should be seamlessly integrated into teachers lessons and instruction. However, neither is the case. A great population of our students, especially those receiving FARMS assistance (24%), comes from homes where technology is not always

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available and because of this, students are not properly learning the necessary technology skills outside of school. Currently, students are not getting these skills at school either because teachers are hesitant to use technology in their instruction because of a lack of students skill or because teachers themselves are not as skilled in integrating technology into their style of teaching, and navigating technology-centered programs. In order to help this issue, recently the library labs and mobile labs were updated to brand new computers and each teacher was given their own MacBook computer (as explained in the previous paragraph). This innovation was part of the Howard County Office of Instructional Technologys replacement plan to keep all of its schools up to date on current technology. However, they simply gave the computers to the school without really seeing as to what it would change or help. There was no analysis of the innovations effectiveness or whether or not it would even improve or change instruction in terms of the integration of technology. In terms of Diffusion Theory, there was no recognition of the five attributes of the innovation: trialability, observability. relative advantage, complexity, and compatibility (Surry, 1997). The computers were simply given to the school and use was expected. This innovation was implemented at the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year. In terms of the ACOT models interpretation of this innovation, Hammond is currently at the Adoption phase. Since the computers have only been here for a short period of time, teachers have not had the opportunity to integrate this technology into their classes. Similar to Baker, Herman, and Gearharts classrooms, traditional measures of achievement [have] showed no significant decline or improvement in student performance aggregated at the classroom level (Dwyer, Ringstaff and Sandholtz, 1990) at Hammond High School. There has not really been any change besides the fact that students are quicker start up the computers to print out papers

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they have brought in from home. Because of this lack of change, teachers have not been able to move into adapting technology into the classroom in terms of students work, nor have they moved to the ACOTs appropriation stage in which computers become natural tools with which to work (Becker, 1987 qtd. in Dwyer, Ringstaff and Sandholtz, 1990). Neither has many teachers moved into the Invention stage because they currently fear technology or do not have the time to properly learn how to implement the use of technology into their lessons; they are resistant to change. According to many teachers, though, there is currently dissatisfaction with the status quo, one of Donald Elys conditions necessary for successful educational technology innovation. However, the dissatisfaction is not with the current technology at the school in terms of its effectiveness, but it is in terms of its lack in quantity of supplies. Teachers feel like Hammond is limited in the availability of technology to teachers and students. While we do have four technology/computer labs, either fixed or mobile, this is the same number of labs that many elementary schools have, many of which have a population fourth the size of a high schools. Hammond is inadequately supplied with technology in terms of the number of computers available for student use in the classroom. Currently, only four teachers out of about eighty-five can use the computer labs during a given class period. In addition to being inadequately supplied with technology, many teachers are also dissatisfied with the technology skills that Hammond students bring to the classroom. Many educators, as well as those who deem what students should be learning, believe that students already have the technology skills they need to know before entering high school; they believe students are very tech-savy already. However, this is a generalization that needs to be avoided. Great populations of students at Hammond do not have basic computer skills. Many know how

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to navigate an iPhone and make a status update on Facebook, but they do not know how to change a font or double space a paper in Word, for instance, which are crucial skills they need to be successful in an educational setting. Many teachers find this inadequacy difficult to manage in a lesson that is technology-driven, and because of this, many teachers stray from using technology in the classroom or assigning technology related projects. They do not have the time to teach the students the basic technology skills to complete the project, and therefore, they do not even bother with the technology. This is a detriment to our students who will be entering a world that is technology driven once they graduate high school. Also, this plight goes against Hammonds Mission and Vision statements, which claim that students will become life-long learners in a diverse and rapidly changing society and college and career ready by exhibiting [] proficiency in technology use (About hammond high, 2012). This is a problem that needs to be corrected. Without these necessary skills, they will not be able to adapt to a technology driven and rapidly changing society. While many are dissatisfied with how technology is currently being used or implemented at Hammond High, many agree that change is possible if certain components fell into place. For example, following Elys conditions, many believe the knowledge and skills exist because there are people in the building who know how to utilize technology in the classroom and could teach it to others, and to students. For example, Hammonds media specialists, Ms. Danielle Dunn and Ms. Danielle DuPuis both teach technology professional development to staff and often lead classroom teachers to the knowledge they need to know about a technological device or program. They also lead lessons for classroom teachers, teaching their students the technology skills they need to succeed for a specific assignment. However, this is, in most cases, a once a year thing. Teachers are not always given access to the lab and therefore, do not always get to use the skills

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of The Danielles. There are also other teachers at Hammond who are currently pursuing or have received degrees in Educational Technology programs. Also, Hammonds population of teachers is generally on the young side and many of them are already tech savvy. However, many of the people able to educate others on the knowledge and skills needed to navigate technology do not have the resources or time available to do so. Many of the teachers who are very good with technology lack the proper time to be able to utilize the technology in the classroom. Teachers who would be able to teach students how to properly use technology are limited because of lack of time and because often, the basic technological foundation skills needed to navigate simple programs such as PowerPoint or Word are missing. Usage of these programs is pushed to the side because there is simply not enough time or resources available to teach students the basic skills to be able to use these programs. While the use of technology within classrooms is encouraged at Hammond and is often seen as innovative, many administrative members overlook the fact that many teachers do not use technology in the classroom. It is not administrations biggest concern right now because of the burden that high stakes standardized testing places on teachers and administrators. Administrators are more concerned that students are passing the HSA rather than being able to turn on the computer that allows them to take the test. Rewards and incentives for teachers who use technology or for students who are technology proficient are not present because technology is simply encouraged, not mandated. While administration is supportive of teachers implementing technology into the classroom, most of the responsibility for getting that said technology is put on the classroom teachers shoulders and only works out if funds are available (many teachers have to write their own grants for getting certain items in their classroom). Administration is not pursuant of getting more technology in the classroom because there are

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other issues they are more focused on. Utilizing technology is often an issue that gets pushed to the side. While there are many issues at Hammond High that need to be addressed, one that needs the most attention, in my opinion, is the lack of student technology skill. Hammond may be inadequately equipped with technology, but many teachers are really hesitant to use the technology already available because they lack the time to teach basic skills to their students. Teachers have the opportunity to learn basic technology skills through professional development already offered throughout the year; unfortunately, there is no such opportunity for students to learn these skills since many assume that students come to the classroom already equipped. Because of this, I propose that we Hammond needs a program to teach these basic technology skills and programs to students just as we would to teachers through professional development. Since we need to avoid generalizations, we must recognize that there are some students who come to the classroom already equipped with these skills. Because of this, we need to focus our innovation towards those students who would actually benefit from gaining knowledge of these skills, not those who would be bored; many of these students who need training are those receiving FARMs support because they lack the necessary funds to have technology in their own homes. The lack of technology in their homes leads to a lack of technology skills that they bring to school. They are at a disadvantage towards becoming capable of functioning in the technology-centered, real world once they graduate. There are currently many after school interventions that these students participate in at Hammond because there is a large population of students who need extra help or support to be successful in high school. A lot of these students are those who lack proficient technology skills, which limits their academic success today and will limit it in the future. In order to help this

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issue, I propose that there needs to be an after school intervention program that focuses on teaching the basic foundation skills of technology and technology related programs to those students who currently lack the skills to be able to function in a classroom that embraces technology. If students were able to learn these skills, many of Hammonds problems would be ailed; teachers would be able to use more technology in the classroom because they would not have to use up time just to teach students how to navigate basic programs. Technology would not just remain dormant in the school but would be utilized on a daily basis. Students would also be able to leave the school technologically proficient, making them more prepared for life after high school, be it college or a career. If analyzing this specific innovation, tentatively being called the Technology Intervention Program or TIP, in terms of Surrys Perceived Attributes (1997), I believe the innovation would experience an increased rate of diffusion (Surry, 1997) because a number of potential adopters would be able to judge it ahead of time. For example, TIP would have trialability; the program could be run at first as a trial yearlong program. If results were proving that the program was not improving student technology skills, then the program would be scrapped. Running the program would not cost any money because Hammond already has the necessary technology to run the program after school, so there would be no loss of funds in this trial process. Secondly, there would be observability of results in that students would take a pre-test to assess their current skill level with technology in various programs and then would take a post test at the end of the program to see if their skills were improved. Also, teachers could have input on what programs they would like to see students technology proficient in and which programs they would like to use in the classroom in order to have an improvement in the use of technology

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in the classroom. TIPs main goal would be to directly improve students preparation for using of technology in the classroom. I believe this innovation has relative advantage and would be better than the status quo because teachers have already expressed a lack of technological knowledge for a distinct population of students (specifically, special education and FARMs students), and teachers are hesitant to assign projects related to technology because they do not have the time to teach the basic skills to navigate the actual programs they would like to use in the classroom. In addition, many educators and curriculum writers, especially in Howard County, like to ignore the fact that not every student is technology-proficient. There are several students who do not have access to technology at home, and are therefore behind in their knowledge of basic technology programs that they will experience in the real world. This program would help eliminate this issue and would not be a burden to those students who are already technology proficient. This innovation would not be overly complex because its instruction would be based on the basics of navigating technology programs and would therefore not be curriculum heavy, meaning that a specific content teacher would not necessary to run the program (I teach English Language Arts, but would be capable of teaching this program because I consider myself a proficient user in these basic programs and would seek help from others in order to become a master user of the programs before the program would be implemented). TIP could easily be implemented into the innovative after school intervention program running at Hammond during the 2012-2013 school year because many of the students who would need the technology skills are already staying after for other interventions. The program would only run once or twice a month and would therefore not take away from any of the interventions that they are also receiving after school. In addition, the computer labs at the schools already have all the licenses

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necessary for the programming needed in the program, and we would not need funding to purchase those programs. Including TIP into the after school intervention program would be compatible with Howard Countys existing practices and values towards technology. Already Howard County has the goal set up that students at all grade levels 9-12 will demonstrate the ability to explain basic technology operations and concepts. However, we are only relying on regular, content driven classes to teach this technology, and not always do students learn the skills they need. Another goal of Howard County is for every child to be college and career ready. However, if they do not learn the basic technology skills they need, they will not be college or career ready. This needs to be part of certain students academic interventions to ensure that every student has an equal opportunity to function in a technology driven world. I believe that implementing TIP within Hammonds after school intervention program would not only fulfill all of Surrys perceived attributes for innovation adoption, but it would also lead Hammond through the ACOT models evolution of teachers instructional beliefs and practices (Dwyer, Ringstaff and Sandholtz, 1990) of embracing technology in the classroom. While teachers at Hammond are currently at the Adoption stage, struggling to accommodate the new technology available in the school, I feel that if all students are more skilled in technology teachers would be able to eventually move into the Adoption phase in which they could challenge students in higher-order learning objectives and problem solving (Dwyer, Ringstaff and Sandholtz, 1990) through technology. Eventually they could also move into the Appropriations stage by only having to worry about mastering the technology themselves; they would not have to be concerned with teaching technology skills to the students and could focus more instruction on the specific content at hand. I would hope that my innovation would lead

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teachers into the Inventions stage of the ACOT model in which they are able to create new technology learning environments for students. Without the pressure of figuring out whether or not students know or do not know the technology and whether or not they will have to take the time to teach the skills, I feel that teachers will eventually be able to embrace the use of technology in the classroom. Overall the goal of TIP would be to make students more proficient users of technology programs that are most used in an academic environment. I feel that we as educators have to recognize that while students are living a technology-centered world, they do not always have the skills to function in a technology-centered academic and learning environment. In order to ensure that all students are college and career ready, as stated in Howard County and Hammonds mission statements, we need to give each student an equal opportunity to learn basic technology skills to take with them into the real world. The Technology Intervention Program (TIP) would make this possible.

Technology Planning: Hammond High School Current Stakeholders at Hammond High School

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In order to implement this innovation, I would need to enlist the help of several stakeholders to help promote and encourage the change process of utilizing the Technology Intervention Program. These stakeholders would come from inside and outside the academic environment at Hammond because the real goal of the program is to better prepare students for the technology of the real world and the academic world of college. The stakeholders would essentially meet together to build the foundation of the program and make sure that it meets the needs of several stakeholders, which will hopefully benefit from the programs inception. The obvious stakeholder group that I would want involved in the planning process of my internship are the technology leaders of my school, which are the media specialists, Ms. Danielle Dunn and Ms. Danielle DuPuis (The Danielles, as we call them at school). They have mastered the skills of how to manage technology in our school and how to get resources and funding from the county to build technology in our school. They also are the current experts of the programs available for student and teacher use at the classroom. In gaining my expertise of the programs to teach in TIP, I would seek their knowledge. They also could be included in the program as alternative instructors. I would also like to include the current (and rather small) technology committee at Hammond High, which is additionally made up of Mr. Matthew Blanch, a digital arts and photography teacher, and Ms. Karen Radhe, a foreign languages teacher who is currently pursing her Masters degree in Educational Technology. Since they are in control of the technology funds of the school, their support would absolutely be needed. Another stakeholder group I would want involved is the teachers because obviously, they would be the ones impacted by the implementation of students learning and knowing more technology skills. I would need their feedback as to what technology programs they would like

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students to know so that they can implement those technology changes into their own instruction. It would be good to have a teacher representative from every content area to see what they would specifically want according to their content area's instruction. For English, I would invite Ms. Tracey Lerer, English Instructional Team Leader, for Math, Ms. Janet Cavaliar, Math ITL, for Science, Ms. Lindsay Devault, Science ITL, for Social Studies, Ms. Evelin Hogue, Social Studies ITL, for Art, Ms. Peggy Coulson, Art ITL, for Foreign Languages, Mr. Peter DiMarco, ITL, for Business Administration, Ms. Deena Brandinger, ITL; other teachers could also be invited other than the ITL of the department. Including department chairs in the meetings, or representatives for those specific departments other than ITLs, would allow for communication throughout the building and a passing on of knowledge to those teachers of different content areas. Also, I would need to see if teachers would support their students attendance in the program. If they did not feel it was necessary for students to learn these basic skills, then there would be no real point of the program. Administrations approval would also be necessary to implement the program. Ms. Marcy Leonard, Principal of Hammond High School, would need to approve the implementation of the technology program in the after school intervention program. I also would need the support and input of the leaders of the after school intervention program, Ms. Shannon Reed and Ms. Kate Flemming. Their collaboration would be necessary for scheduling the classes as well as organizing and managing students attendance in the program. I would need to discuss with them as to how TIP should be implemented into the after school intervention curriculum. In addition, having administrative approval of promoting students knowledge of technology skills may in turn lead to a growth in mandating that teachers be using technology in their classrooms, which is the goal of many of our professional development sessions.

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In addition, I would need to involve the students in the planning process as well. From the students, I would like to know what they need to learn in order to be successful in the realm of technology, and it would be beneficial to learn what they already know so that what I am teaching is not redundant. Also, I would like to hear how they would prefer to learn the technology because I would not want to bore them. I would involve students by polling the incoming 9th grade class as to which programs they are or are not familiar with using. I would also involve Hammonds Student Leadership Cadre, a program of student body representatives that plan with teachers and administration as to policies and procedures implemented at the school, in the planning process of TIP in the after school intervention program. The student government society could also be involved for this purpose. Parents and community members may be another stakeholder group to be involved. Parents could be invited to the after school sessions so they could learn the technology as well in order to better implement the use of technology at home and help the students with the projects they would be assigned in class. This would be a benefit to many parents because often parents also lack the same skills that students do, especially if they are not proficient in technology because there is a lack of technology at home. Teachers are constantly asking for more parent involvement, and if parents were able to help out in the technological sense, maybe this would lead to help with students in other areas. I would seek parent involvement through the Boosters and PTSA organizations. Involving the community members would be important because the ultimate goal of the intervention technology class would be to improve technology skills for students who would not necessarily have access to them outside of school. Ultimately, students would be using these skills to function in the workforce or community once they graduate. It would be important to

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hear from community members as to how they use technology in the world outside of the school. Currently, Hammond is supported by the Kings Contrivance Community Association for fundraising and planning community service projects to improve the community and students involvement in the community. The program also helps Hammond students find jobs in the surrounding community. Because of this, it would be crucial to have a representative from this association in the planning of this program because it would be an outside, non-academic voice that could shed some light as to what technology is being used in the outside community surrounding Hammond High School. This could, in turn, lead to decisions as to how TIP should function. Meetings of stakeholders for the Technology Intervention Program would mostly be more frequent towards the beginning and planning of this program but would then be less as the program runs. It would be beneficial to have a meeting for the initial planning of the program to take into account the varying opinions of all of the stakeholders and then evaluate which ones would best work in the implementation of this intervention program. Additional meetings would occur throughout the first year of the program to address strengths and weaknesses of the program thus far and allow for problem solving as to how to make the program better for the future. Evaluation of the program will come from all stakeholders involved in TIP, especially at the end of the school year.

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Action Plan for Technology Planning at Hammond High School In planning the Technology Intervention Program, it is best to first analyze my philosophy and vision as to how technology should be improving or even just affecting schools and students. I believe my vision of technology and learning in my school is to see technology providing students with more freedom and responsibility in their exploration of academics and learning. For example, students would have more freedom to learn what they please and explore topics they are more interested in (with some constraints) if the teacher becomes less of an instructor and more of a facilitator. I feel like this, with some constraints, will eventually put the responsibility of learning onto the students and then, in turn, create a learning environment that is specific to the individual, rebuilding the respect for education, something which I feel like is highly lacking in todays world of education and students. With the use of technology, be it through programs like Moodle, blog forums, or Google Apps for Education, something to be piloted at Hammond High next year, students will become more independent learners that are self-driven to seek out knowledge. While this may sound rather idealistic, I feel like when students do not have teachers there pulling the leash, they will have to fend for themselves and learning will once again become something respected. For this vision to take place at Hammond High School would take much more time and acceptance of change. It would not just be a change for teachers, but a change for a whole system of learning. Currently, the United States system of education is stuck in the rigid, controlling, systematic policies of the 1950s, when public education was becoming a full force program. Teachers were the lecturers, and students were the absorbers of knowledge, knowledge that was produced and interpreted by the teachers. However, what politicians, policy makers, curriculum specialists, administrators, parents, and teachers need to realize is that todays students are not

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the same as the students of past generations. Our world is very much different and so is the way of learning. Our utilization of technology in education should help us teach students through the ways in which they are comfortable learning and living, hence why technology should be used as a tool for motivating students to appreciate learning. I feel like technology coming into the schools makes a form of education like this inevitable. The baby boomers are retiring, and we are having younger generations of teachers coming in that are mostly more tech-savvy and less resistant to use technology. Those who are resistant to technology will have to learn it because it is the changing way of the world outside of education. Everywhere technology is impacting the way we live, the way we communicate, and the way we function as members of society, in good and bad ways. We need an education system that matches the way students and teachers live in the real world, and only when we accomplish that, will technology be a promotion to the educational system and the students value of learning. While I cannot guarantee that technology will liberate all students and that every teacher will be willing to promote a technology-centered classroom, I feel like this is where our educational system should be heading as many collegiate settings are already trending towards this theory. In gearing my vision and mission to the Technology Intervention Program, I would use the program to target those students who do not necessarily acquire the same technology skills other students do because of lack of funds or knowledge at home. The vision and mission of the program is to teach the basic technology skills needed to function and be successful in a todays classroom, which is developing more towards being technology centered. The program would focus on the basic skills to function with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Mac applications, Google for Education applications, Web Searching and development (etc), and possibly other

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technology related programs. The ultimate goal of the program is produce students who are more comfortable using technology (who wouldnt necessarily be otherwise) which in turn will hopefully allow teachers to assign more technology related assignments or projects because they will not have to teach these basic skills themselves. If this were possible, it would allow for more student creativity and exploration as well as provide the ability for the students to practice technology skills they will need to have in order to function in todays technology driven society. Since the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and the Maryland State Department of Education are placing teacher and student standards of using technology into the educational field, it can be assumed that this program would not only promote students achievement of these standards but give teachers the opportunity to meet these standards by having students who are more willing and more prepared to use technology in the everyday classroom. Learning would be different because it would be more independent and exploratory through the independent use of technology. In addition, technology could also lead towards more collaborative learning, providing more outlets for students to interact with their peers be it through blogging, video chats, or collaborative document building, such as seen in the use of Google Docs. The program would also allow for students to be more engaged in the classroom by providing them with a medium they are interested in beyond pencils and paper. While some students would be apprehensive towards utilizing this new freedom in the classroom or would need direction towards how to start, I feel like eventually this is where education is heading. Teachers will become more like facilitators leading students in the right direction of discovering knowledge. This will take some time, but the Technology Intervention Program running for

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those students who need more skills in education than other will take the next step necessary for preparing students for this kind of world of academics. I also believe the Technology Intervention Program would also provide teachers with the ways to involve technology more into their classrooms and into their goals set by the curriculum. Similar to students, teachers may at first be apprehensive towards utilizing this new knowledge of technology in the classroom, but with administrative support of the program and of using technology in the classroom, I feel like teachers would eventually adapt to this change, even if it were at a slow pace. As for implementation of the Technology Intervention Program, I have a specific action plan to help carry this out. My planned implementation of this program would be for the 20122013 school year. My ultimate goal of the program is to have students become more technologically skilled in basic programs through attendance in the after school program in order to be better prepared to use technology in the class. While I would like for this to affect teachers usage of technology in the classroom, I would first like to focus my intervention just on the students because this would be the foundation for another innovation that would bring about change in the way that teachers utilize technology in the classroom. My first plan of action towards implementing the Technology Intervention Program is to meet with Hammond High Schools Principal, Ms. Marcy Leonard, to get approval for After School Technology Intervention Class. This will be completed by the end of March 2012, and with the programs approval, I will be able to move into my next steps of implementation. My next step would be to survey the staff at Hammond High School to see which technology related programs they use most in the classroom, and apply this knowledge in seeing which need to be taught in the class since the ultimate goal of the program is to make students

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more proficient in the use of technology to make them more successful in an technologyacademic setting. I will create a survey monkey to collect data from teachers of all content areas, especially 9th grade teachers, as it will be mostly 9th grade students in the program. This step will be completed by the end of the 2011-2012 school year. I will then evaluate which programs were selected the most and choose them to be implemented in the after school program as long as the skills and resources are available to teach these programs. Third, I will meet with Media Specialists and other technology experts in the school to become an expert and/or learn more skills in the technology programs most wanted by teachers to be taught in the after school class. If they are specific to a particular content area, I will then need to meet with those content teachers to properly learn those skills to teach them to students (however, the main focus on this program is to be on the basic programs used in all academic classrooms). I will meet with Ms. Danielle Dunn and Ms. Danielle DuPuis (Hammond High's media specialists) to gain this knowledge. I will complete this step by August of 2012 in order to be prepared to implement this intervention by the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year. I will assess myself as to my comfort level in having the knowledge to properly train students on the basics of programs taught in the after school program. Fourth, I would survey the incoming 9th grade class (Class of 2016) as to which programs they feel comfortable/uncomfortable using in an academic setting. The 9th grade English teachers will help me survey students during their media center orientations (each student participates in this through their English class) by having them complete a survey monkey. This survey will take place in late August or early September of 2012. I will then analyze the results and see which programs students feel least confident in using and compare

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results to teacher's survey. Based on the most votes, those technology programs will be implemented into the after school sessions, given resources are available. Fifth, I will meet with After School Intervention program leaders, Ms. Shannon Reed and Ms. Kate Fleming, and the Media Specialists to set up a schedule for technology class implementation into after school program and finalize a list of students who will be attending. Here it will also be decided as to if the program should only be open to those students who currently participate in the after school intervention program or to any student in the school who wants to improve their technology skills (based on attendance predictions). Also at this meeting, I would need to secure and schedule the mobile lab or media center lab for class sessions. This meeting will be completed during the summer of 2012 or before August of 2012. From this meeting, I will create a master schedule of classes, designating which programs will be taught on which days and which labs will be signed out. Sixth, I will send flyers home to incoming 9th grade parents encouraging students attendance in program; the number of letters sent will be dependent on the decision as to whether or not to make the program private to those in the academic intervention program or open to the general public. I will create flyers and give them to Teacher's Secretary to be addressed and mailed home. I will also promote attendance in the program by posting an advertisement in the Hammond eNewsletter. I could also enlist the help of the English teachers by having them specifically email parents through Aspen to advertise the program and encourage attendance. This will be completed by September of 2012, and I will make sure letters get mailed and check in with the 9th grade English teachers to see if emails were sent. Once program has started and there is a set roster of student attendance (if specific to the academic intervention program), I will on the first day of the program give students a pre-test to

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assess their knowledge of the technology skills they already possess. I will create a pre-test based on those programs taught in the class based off the survey given to the 9th grade students and teachers. I will then grade and score pre-tests and keep a record of scores. I will use these results, in collaboration with the technology planning committee, to determine how in depth I need to go with certain instruction of programs. Eventually, I will run the Technology Intervention Program on bi-weekly/monthly basis teaching technology related programs as voted on by teachers/students. I will lead the class in mini-projects to teach basic schools in various technology programs. The program, based on number of sessions, will be completed by the end of the school year 2012-2013. In order to organize the program, I will keep a binder of all activities completed in class. I will also administer a survey at the end of each session asking students what they learned/understand/need further help on. I will analyze these results in order to prepare for the second year of the intervention. Once the program is completed, I will give students a post-test on the programs they learned. Based on the number of sessions, the post-test will be completed by the end of the 20122013 school year. I will, along with the technology planning committee, analyze the results and assess the effectiveness of students growth in knowledge of basic technology programs. These results will determine whether the program will be continued for another year and how it can be modified for more effectiveness. I feel like an important part of any technology innovation it to constantly be performing evaluation to make the program beneficial and current. One technology plan that I feel takes evaluation into account extremely well is the technology plan for Many High School. It clearly outlines its objectives and who is responsible for each. In addition, Many Highs plan has a

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separate section that identifies points of evaluation of the innovations. This is crucial to any program being implemented because stakeholders want to see that you are not just throwing the plan out there and expecting it to work. They want to see you involved in the process, doing constant evaluation and revaluation to make the program the best it can be and more likely to accomplish its goals. One thing Many High did not do, though, is establish who exactly was doing the evaluation. I think it is implied that the parties involved are completing the evaluation of the steps; however, it is not clear. In Hammonds plan I would want to make the evaluators clearer. Another plan that I would most likely model Hammonds plan after is that of Cameron Park Elementary Schools plan. They do an excellent job of tying their innovations into the standards of student learning. They do not just focus and set goals for adding technology to their school, but they identify specific objectives for how they are going to utilize the available technology to improve student learning throughout the curriculum. Though, one thing I dislike about this plan is that it is somewhat overly detailed in that, as a reader, I am not always clear as to what objective they are trying to accomplish. With Hammonds plan, I would try to be a little more concise as to specifically what I am trying to achieve. They do, however, do a good job by including a narrative for each plan of action for each objective, that explains the current situation at the school regarding this objective and why this particular innovation is needed. This would be a good component to add into Hammonds plan for technology integration, especially for that involving the implementation of the Technology Intervention Program during the 2012-2013 school year.

Technology Planning: Hammond High School References About Hammond High School. (2012). Retrieved from http://hammondhs.org/AboutHammond.htm Booker, N., III. (n.d.). Many High School Technology Plan. Retrieved from http://www.sabine.k12.la.us/mhs1/techplan.htm

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Dwyer, D.C., Ringstaff, C., & Sandholtz, J.H. (1990). "Teacher Beliefs and Practices Part I: Patterns of Change." ACOT Report #8. Retrieved July 7, 2011, from http://www.borderlink.org/BLresources/content/acot/rpt08.pdf Ely, D.P. (1990). Conditions that facilitate the implementation of educational technology innovation. Journal of Research on Computing in Education; Winter90, Vol. 23 Issue 2, p298, from http://ezp.lndlibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&d b=aph&AN=9609304233&site=ehost-live&scope=site Guidebook for developing an effective instructional technology plan, version 2.0. (1996). Mississippi State, MS: Mississippi State University. [Online] Available: http://www2.msstate.edu/~lsa1/nctp/guide.html Leonard, M. (2011). Hammond High School Profile. Retrieved from http://hcpss.org/schools/schools_high.shtml Marcovitz, D. M. (2006). Changing schools with technology: What every school should know about innovation. In R. C. Hunter (Series Ed.) & S. Y. Tettegah (Vol. Ed.), Advances in educational administration: Vol. 8. Technology and education: Issues in administration, policy, and applications in K12 schools (pp. 3-15). London: Elsevier.

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Surry, D.W. (1997). Diffusion Theory and Instructional Technology. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT), Albuquerque, New Mexico February 12 - 15, 1997. Retrieved, July 7, 2011, from http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwitr/docs/diffusion/ Terry, R., & Veitch, A. (2007, May). Cameron Park Elementary School Educational Technology Plan. Orange County Schools.