Acceptable Use Policy

Compose a blog that discusses your understanding of Acceptable Use policies.  Address what they are and what should be included in them.  Include at least four examples from organizations/institutions similar to your own (through links if you desire).  One of them can be the one from your own educational institution.

Acceptable Use policies should include the following key elements:

• A preamble which explains why the policy is needed and the process necessary to develop it.
• A definition section defines key terms that will be used in the policy. Needs to be written so parents and students are able to understand and comprehend the information.
• A policy statement states what computer services are covered by the policy.
• An acceptable uses section defines appropriate student use of the computer network. This should limit students to educational purposes in the definition.
• An unacceptable section should give clear, concise, and specific examples of what is unacceptable.
• A violations/sanctions section should explain to students how to report violations of the policy and guide them in how to do so.

Most schools have parents and students sign an Acceptable Use Policy (APU) form each school year.  I am including links to Irvine Unified School District where my children have attended school for the past 14 years. I wanted to include my district but discovered we do not currently have an APU, I linked our most current technology plan for the Alvord Unified School District. I found an acceptable use policy for Riverside Unified which is one of our neighboring districts. In addition I am including the APU for the University of Arizona  (they also had an additional APU for residence life) and Boise State to compare and contrast colleges to K-12 schools.

The key to any policy is safety. There needs to be clear and concise definitions to ensure that the safety of students and faculty is at the forefront. It is also extremely important that we educate our parents of their responsibilities and knowledge to ensure the safety of our children. The goal is to use technology responsibly and respectfully.

This definition I found at Custom Security Policies Fast explains exactly what Acceptable Use Policy is. “The Acceptable Use Policy is a large and far-reaching policy that communicates to users how the network may be used.  It covers such areas as personal use of email and the Internet, blogging, excessive use, peer-to-peer file sharing, personal storage media, user software installation, instant messaging, monitoring, copyright infringement, prohibited activities, and much more.” (Custom Security Policies, Fast, retrieved from http://www.instantsecuritypolicy.com/index.html )

An Acceptable Use Policy is arguably one of a company’s most important policies, as it communicates to the users how to use the network in a secure manner. An AUP will provide risk reduction by educating users on company expectations as well as clearly defining company standards for acceptable use of its IT resources.

 

References:

Irvine Unified School District Acceptable Use Policy, Retrieved from http://www.iusd.org/board_of_education/board_policy/policies/6163_4a.htm

Riverside Unified School District Acceptable Use Policy, Retrieved from http://www.rusdlink.org/cms/lib3/CA01001728/Centricity/Domain/620/AcceptableUse_Students2011.pdf

University of Arizona Acceptable Use Policy, Retrieved from http://security.arizona.edu/aup

Boise State University Acceptable Use Policy, Retrieved from http://oit.boisestate.edu/security/it-security-policy-and-procedures/remoteaccesspolicy/

Alvord Unified School District Technology Plan, Retrieved from http://alvord.k12.ca.us/images/AlvordFinalTechPlan.pdf

Custom Security Policies, Retrieved from http://www.instantsecuritypolicy.com/acceptable_use_policy.html?gclid=CJDK26K00rICFYyPPAodUlYAng

Education World, Getting Started on the Internet: Developing an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP), Retrieved from http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr093.shtml

Why Integrate Technology

 

Why Technology Integration?

Vision Statement

The day an educator believes they “know it all”, is the day they need to retire. Education is constantly evolving and as educators it is imperative that we continue to evolve right along with it.

Education today is in the process of phasing in the Common Core Standards. The Mission Statement states that the standards are to “provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers. American students fully prepared for the future, our communities will be best positioned to compete successfully in the global economy.”  (http://www.corestandards.org/) One of the key components of the Common Core Standards is the integration of 21^st Century Skills. 21^st century skills include the following:

• personal and social responsibility
• planning, critical thinking, reasoning, and creativity
• strong communication skills, both for interpersonal and presentation needs
• cross-cultural understanding
• visualizing and decision making
• knowing how and when to use technology and choosing the most appropriate tool for the task

As educators it is our ultimate responsibility to prepare our students to enter the future armed with the skills and knowledge they will need to be successful in our world today. Integrating Technology into the classroom will be essential to ensure the success of our students in the workforce tomorrow. The definitions for Educational Technology are evolving every day. It is imperative that as educators we are armed with the most current methods of teaching technology integration in our classrooms. In order for students to effectively use new technologies they must be instructed how to do so. Educators must merge directed instruction and inquiry based learning. Directed instruction is pre-defined set of information based on objectivism or cognitive learning theories. Inquiry based learning is where learners generate their own knowledge through their own experiences. It is imperative to the future of technology that we merge both of these approaches. Project Based Learning is an excellent example of merging direct instruction with inquiry based learning.

Educators have the ultimate job of arming themselves with the knowledge necessary to effectively incorporate technology into their classrooms. Some of the challenges facing educators today are as follows:

• Accountability and the standards movement
• Funding for educational technology
• The Digital Divide
• Fears about misuses
• The role of distance education
• Privacy and safety
• Malware, Viruses, Spam & Hacking
• Online plagiarism
• Racial and gender equity
• 21^st century technology skills

So, not only do we need to teach technology skills, we must address and educate students on the challenges and responsibilities that are connected with technology. Students must be taught to use technology responsibly and wisely.

There is a statement we often hear that it takes a village to raise a child. The reality of this is extremely important here. Teachers, administrators, parents and all staff must be willing and able to embrace the paradigm shift education is taking. We must think, plan, teach, assess and provide opportunities for students with “their” futures being the focus.

References:

Edutopia. (n.d.). What is technology integration? Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-guide-description

Roblyer, M.D. and Doerling, A.H. (2012). Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching (6th

Ed.). Allyn & Bacon.

Common Core Standards. State Standards Initiative. Retrieved from http://www.corestandards.org

PBL Final Project

This project has been a very informative and wonderful learning experience. This is the type of learning I want to foster and see in my classroom. That being said, this is not the type of process one teacher can do on their own. It will take hard work determination and perseverance. I found it very challenging to plan this on my own, when it is clearly a Collaboration type of activity. I am very excited to take this back to my classroom and revise and revisit where necessary.

The peer review process was amazing and exactly what I needed. It was so beneficial to have another set of eyes evaluate the plans I have made. I can only imagine how great it will be when you have a whole team working together to revise and revamp the project.

PBL project – Products and Performances

The further I get in this project, the more I know for sure that this will take groups of kids, and groups of teachers and support staff. This is not a one man project on any level. With Kindergarten students I feel that many revisions will be necessary to keep this at a level of success for students. It is hard to know without working through with the students. As I was completing assignment for this week I am feeling a Slide Show template might be the best approach to this slide show. We will also need to figure out the room setting and environment for our Fun Farm Fair.

PBL reflections

As I have been adding to my project I am finding more and more I am excited to return to school and work with my grade level team to plan some PBL projects. I do also strongly believe this is not the job of one person. All the videos I have watched show this to be a collaborative effort. I believe the struggles I have encountered have been because it is just me doing the planning. This would be a great class to be actually in class and working on this as a group project. I am excited to take my first draft back to school and revise further with my team. Much of the planning needs to be done in the classroom with resources readily available.

I love all the resources I have discovered during the five classes I have had up to this point. I am so excited to bring these into the classroom. I am happy to see education headed in this much more meaningful way of teaching and learning.

PBL Assessment

Several years ago I participated in a project where we worked backwards. The first thing we came up with was the end product. From there we designed assessments and then moved into the lessons. This is a very brief description of the process we went through. It was a collaborative effort and very successful in the end. To me, the process we are going through is just like this. As I was looking at the assessments and creating them I found I really needed to rethink some of my questions and the project. I did quite a bit of tweaking and revising through this stage of the PBL process. I love that as we go we are learning and revising even before we start the actual teaching.

Project Based Learning

Developing a Driving Question is the meat and potatoes of this project. As I researched the elements of Project Based Learning the Driving Question was the key element. It needs to be an open ended question. One that can not be answered with yes or no. From this you will be able to write your sub questions. These questions should be of interest to the students and keep them engaged. If you can engage students the rest is easy. When we are excited we don’t think of it as hard or often learning. We just do it because we are excited.

The Visual organizer sites are fabulous and make creating an easy to follow flow map very easy. It also shows the learner or the educator exactly what will be happening in an easy to read and follow format.

 

Project Based Learning in a Kindergarten Classroom

Project Based Learning in a Kindergarten Classroom

This week I read several articles that looked at the effectiveness of Project Based Learning. I found many examples of students actively engaged in activities and excited about learning. My discovery was that Project Based Learning deals with the “whole” topic. It is an in depth study of whatever the topic the students have chosen. What I love is that it is teaching a process, rather than a skill. The skills are embedded in the activities.

Our district is just beginning the transition to the Common Core Standards. These standards are the perfect platform for Project Based Learning (PBL). They want to prepare students for the “real” world with 21st century skills. PBL activities with be perfect with the Common Core Standards.

I do not have one particular idea for my project, rather several. I am going to look at our curriculum and see what might be most beneficial for Kindergarten. Some topics I have in my mind are farm animals, seasons, fantasy vs realism, number sense, colors, or letters and sounds. All are important to Kindergarten, just not sure what would work best. Whatever I choose will fit in nicely because we have been given the green light to start the changes.

The article that I read argues that PBL has important implications to English as a Second Language Learners (ESL). Project Based Learning is self motivating, gives initiative, provides opportunities for teamwork, allows for conflict resolution, an awareness for solving real world problems, problem solving opportunities, and creativity. The article discusses the effectiveness of PBL in a ESL classroom. They found PBL to be an excellent choice.

Project Based Learning in Diverse Classrooms

This week I read several articles that looked at the effectiveness of Project Based Learning. I found many examples of students actively engaged in activities and excited about learning. My discovery was that Project Based Learning deals with the “whole” topic. It is an in depth study of whatever the topic the students have chosen. What I love is that it is teaching a process, rather than a skill. The skills are embedded in the activities.

Our district is just beginning the transition to the Common Core Standards. These standards are the perfect platform for Project Based Learning (PBL). They want to prepare students for the “real” world with 21st century skills. PBL activities with be perfect with the Common Core Standards.

I do not have one particular idea for my project, rather several. I am going to look at our curriculum and see what might be most beneficial for Kindergarten. Some topics I have in my mind are farm animals, seasons, fantasy vs realism, number sense, colors, or letters and sounds. All are important to Kindergarten, just not sure what would work best. Whatever I choose will fit in nicely because we have been given the green light to start the changes.

The article that I read argues that PBL has important implications to English as a Second Language Learners (ESL). Project Based Learning is self motivating, gives initiative, provides opportunities for teamwork, allows for conflict resolution, an awareness for solving real world problems, problem solving opportunities, and creativity. The article discusses the effectiveness of PBL in a ESL classroom. They found PBL to be an excellent choice.

School Environment Evaluation

The school we chose to evaluate is “State University High School.”  It is the largest school in the county. Student enrollment is around 2,500 in the high school, grades 9-12. The high school is in a college town and a major division 1 college is right down the street from the high school. A majority of the students are very academically driven due to a parent working at the university. Many students have lofty goals, to not only go to college, but to graduate from college and go on to law, medical, or graduate school.

The student body of State University High School is very diverse. While Caucasians make up the majority of the student population, there are also a large number of Asian-American, African-American, and Hispanic-American students in the high school. The high school is located in a middle class community. The economy is strong due to the university, and there are many professional employment opportunities in the area.

While the area seems to be an ideal community, not all of  the students come from the same pleasant situations like their classmates. Some students come from low-income housing, while others come from outside the area and are living with legal guardians or in dorms by themselves. These students are just trying to graduate high school and stay out of trouble with the law. These students have a lackluster view on education and school is not a priority for them; they look at school as a chore.

Administrative – Policy
Behavioral: Intelligent; Resource/Infrastructure: Intelligent

In the administrative policy subsection, State University High School falls under the intelligent ranking for both behavioral and resource/infrastructure. We chose this ranking because an appropriate technology policy exists and is used for all levels. The school board has approved this policy with implementation occurring for all faculty members. A key component of the policy includes having teachers post grades and assignments online for students and parents to access.

Administrative – Planning
Behavioral: Integrated; Resource/Infrastructure: Integrated

In the administrative planning subsection, State University High School falls under the integrated ranking for both behavioral and resource/infrastructure. This school falls under the integrated ranking because while the school-wide technology plan is connected with other planning efforts, it only receives an informal review from what Doug shared with us that he has seen. The review may only be informal because this is the first year for this technology plan.  

Administrative – Budget
Behavioral: Integrated; Resource/Infrastructure: Islands

In the administrative budget subsection, State University High School falls under the integrated ranking for behavioral while the resource/infrastructure received an islands ranking. The technology budgeting process gets a high priority, but there has not been evidence of long-term budgeting effects that could be seen. Technology seems to have its own separate budget from other departments in the school district. While other departments have received stagnant or reduced budgets, the technology services department always seems to have plenty of money. This year for example, the district purchased iPads for every first-grade classroom.

Administrative – Administrative Information
Behavioral: Integrated; Resource/Infrastructure: Integrated

In the administrative information subsection, State University High School falls under the integrated ranking for both behavioral and resource/infrastructure. Administrative systems are utilized and available for most administrators and staff. Some paperless systems are in place, but there is still a paper trail utilized for student referrals and tuition reimbursement.

Curricular – Electronic Information
Behavioral: Intelligent; Resource/Infrastructure: Intelligent

In the curricular electronic information subsection, State University High School falls under the intelligent ranking for both behavioral and resource/infrastructure. Students and staff are heavily dependent upon technology and use those resources daily. This includes students checking email and grades to teachers uploading their lesson plans to their school issued website.

Curricular – Assessment
Behavioral: Integrated; Resource/Infrastructure: Intelligent

In the curricular assessment subsection, State University High School falls under the integrated ranking for behavioral while the resource/infrastructure received an intelligent ranking. Most teachers use the technology when working with the students, but this may be only as a research tool rather than as an evaluation of work. All teachers are fully integrated in reporting student grades online for students and parents to view.

Curricular – Curricular Integration
Behavioral: Intelligent; Resource/Infrastructure: Intelligent

In the curricular integration subsection, State University High School falls under the intelligent ranking for both behavioral and resource/infrastructure. Technology, including laptops and wireless networks, are available for all curricular areas.

Curricular – Teacher Use
Behavioral: Integrated; Resource/Infrastructure: Intelligent

In the curricular teacher use subsection, State University High School falls under the integrated ranking for behavioral while the resource/infrastructure received an intelligent ranking. All teachers have access to needed technology in their classroom. Teachers are required to take attendance through an electronic attendance system, but other than that, teachers are able to deliver content and teach their students without the use of technology. This occurred for Doug last year when the school lost power for a majority of the day. He was still able to teach his lessons with chalk and a chalkboard, but it was certainly much easier with technology.

Curricular – Student Use
Behavioral: Integrated; Resource/Infrastructure: Intelligent

In the curricular student use subsection, State University High School falls under the integrated ranking for behavioral and the resource/infrastructure received an intelligent ranking. All students have access to laptops and wireless networks when in study hall or the library. Many times students will have access to laptops in their classroom, but only if the teacher requests for a laptop cart. While the technology use is frequent, outcomes are not dependent upon its use.

Support – Stakeholder Involvement
Behavioral: Islands; Resource/Infrastructure: Islands

In the support stakeholder involvement subsection, State University High School falls under the islands ranking for both behavioral and resource/infrastructure.  Students and teachers are aware of technology implementation procedures, but it did not seem like these groups were represented in the planning process.

Support – Administrative Support
Behavioral: Integrated; Resource/Infrastructure: Intelligent

In the administrative support subsection, State University High School falls under the integrated ranking for behavioral, while the resource/infrastructure received an intelligent ranking. Currently there are ongoing discussions with administration and the technology department but nothing extensive has been planned. A significant amount of time and teacher in-service time has been devoted to having teachers become proficient in using various forms of technology.

Support – Training
Behavioral: Intelligent; Resource/Infrastructure: Intelligent

In the support training subsection, State University High School falls under the intelligent ranking for both behavioral and resource/infrastructure. All staff members are required to participate in technology training for two days throughout the school year. Each building also has a technology staff support person to assist teachers and students as needed.

Support – Technical/Infrastructure Support
Behavioral: Intelligent; Resource/Infrastructure: Intelligent

In the technical/infrastructure support subsection, State University High School falls under the intelligent ranking for both behavioral and resource/infrastructure. All teachers and staff utilize formal and informal help from instructional technology staff at the building, and from other teachers who are familiar with the technology.

Connectivity – Local Area Network (LAN)
Behavioral: Intelligent; Resource/Infrastructure: Intelligent

In the connectivity local area network (LAN) subsection, State University High School falls under the intelligent ranking for both behavioral and resource/infrastructure. Each school in the district has a wireless network, which can be accessed by teachers, staff and students (by entering their password). While on the network, students, staff, and teachers can do just about anything they need to, such as send/check email, read news or stream videos.

Connectivity – District Area Network (WAN)
Behavioral: Intelligent; Resource/Infrastructure: Intelligent

In the connectivity district area network (WAN) subsection, State University High School falls under the intelligent ranking for both behavioral and resource/infrastructure. Staff utilizes the WAN to access data and stream videos when needed. Each staff member has space allotted to him or her on the server to store documents for their various classes.

Connectivity – Internet Access
Behavioral: Integrated; Resource/Infrastructure: Intelligent

In the connectivity Internet access subsection, State University High School falls under the integrated ranking for behavioral while the resource/infrastructure received an intelligent ranking. Most staff and students use the Internet, but not everyone. The Internet is integrated into the curriculum. Each school does have Internet access through a secured wireless network.

Connectivity – Communication Systems
Behavioral: Intelligent; Resource/Infrastructure: Intelligent

In the connectivity communication systems subsection, State University High School falls under the intelligent ranking for both behavioral and resource/infrastructure. E-mail is an integral part of school learning and support communication. All students and staff members are given a school district email address.

Innovation – New Technologies
Behavioral: Integrated; Resource/Infrastructure: Integrated

In the new technologies innovation subsection, State University High School falls under the integrated ranking for both behavioral and resource/infrastructure. New technologies are readily accepted by most staff members with some implementation.

Innovation – Comprehensive Technologies
Behavioral: Integrated; Resource/Infrastructure: Integrated

In the comprehensive technologies innovation subsection, State University High School falls under the integrated ranking for both behavioral and resource/infrastructure. Technology is fairly comprehensive as it includes voice, data and video. However, Doug feels the technology has not yet reached its full potential. There are more advanced techniques that can be utilized with the involvement of some staff training.

In conclusion, we gave State University High School an Integrated Systems Stage ranking. There are many areas that our school received the Intelligent Systems Stage ranking, but overall they are moving towards this and still have some growth to do in order to achieve this ranking overall. There is substantial access and use of technology as noted in the survey and the analysis of each category.  It is noted that all students have access to laptops and wireless networks when they are in study hall or the library. Teachers are using administrative functions in their grading, attendance and email. The budget for technology is a high priority, there just needs to be some long-term budget planning that is a part of the district’s overall budget plan. Comprehensive plans, policies and procedures for instructional and administrative use are in place and informally reviewed. This was the first year of this technology plan, so, in the future it will be reviewed and revised on a regular basis.

State University High School is an advocate of technology, training for all personnel and utilizing an instructional delivery system that is dependent on technology. Some of the next steps may include to have every component of curriculum be augmented by intelligent learning systems, and to have the school become completely paperless. Technology is a critical piece of planning for lessons, delivery of the lessons, and last, but certainly not least, the final outcome, which is the learning.

Finally, to ensure that new technologies are adopted and implemented on an ongoing basis, the proper training needs to be provided for staff and students alike. It is evident that State University High School is using technology more and more every year and moving toward the Intelligent Systems Stage.

The school we chose to evaluate is “State University High School.”  It is the largest school in the county. Student enrollment is around 2,500 in the high school, grades 9-12. The high school is in a college town and a major division 1 college is right down the street from the high school. A majority of the students are very academically driven due to a parent working at the university. Many students have lofty goals, to not only go to college, but to graduate from college and go on to law, medical, or graduate school.

The student body of State University High School is very diverse. While Caucasians make up the majority of the student population, there are also a large number of Asian-American, African-American, and Hispanic-American students in the high school. The high school is located in a middle class community. The economy is strong due to the university, and there are many professional employment opportunities in the area.

While the area seems to be an ideal community, not all of  the students come from the same pleasant situations like their classmates. Some students come from low-income housing, while others come from outside the area and are living with legal guardians or in dorms by themselves. These students are just trying to graduate high school and stay out of trouble with the law. These students have a lackluster view on education and school is not a priority for them; they look at school as a chore.

Administrative – Policy
Behavioral: Intelligent; Resource/Infrastructure: Intelligent

In the administrative policy subsection, State University High School falls under the intelligent ranking for both behavioral and resource/infrastructure. We chose this ranking because an appropriate technology policy exists and is used for all levels. The school board has approved this policy with implementation occurring for all faculty members. A key component of the policy includes having teachers post grades and assignments online for students and parents to access.

Administrative – Planning
Behavioral: Integrated; Resource/Infrastructure: Integrated

In the administrative planning subsection, State University High School falls under the integrated ranking for both behavioral and resource/infrastructure. This school falls under the integrated ranking because while the school-wide technology plan is connected with other planning efforts, it only receives an informal review from what Doug shared with us that he has seen. The review may only be informal because this is the first year for this technology plan.  

Administrative – Budget
Behavioral: Integrated; Resource/Infrastructure: Islands

In the administrative budget subsection, State University High School falls under the integrated ranking for behavioral while the resource/infrastructure received an islands ranking. The technology budgeting process gets a high priority, but there has not been evidence of long-term budgeting effects that could be seen. Technology seems to have its own separate budget from other departments in the school district. While other departments have received stagnant or reduced budgets, the technology services department always seems to have plenty of money. This year for example, the district purchased iPads for every first-grade classroom.

Administrative – Administrative Information
Behavioral: Integrated; Resource/Infrastructure: Integrated

In the administrative information subsection, State University High School falls under the integrated ranking for both behavioral and resource/infrastructure. Administrative systems are utilized and available for most administrators and staff. Some paperless systems are in place, but there is still a paper trail utilized for student referrals and tuition reimbursement.

Curricular – Electronic Information
Behavioral: Intelligent; Resource/Infrastructure: Intelligent

In the curricular electronic information subsection, State University High School falls under the intelligent ranking for both behavioral and resource/infrastructure. Students and staff are heavily dependent upon technology and use those resources daily. This includes students checking email and grades to teachers uploading their lesson plans to their school issued website.

Curricular – Assessment
Behavioral: Integrated; Resource/Infrastructure: Intelligent

In the curricular assessment subsection, State University High School falls under the integrated ranking for behavioral while the resource/infrastructure received an intelligent ranking. Most teachers use the technology when working with the students, but this may be only as a research tool rather than as a evaluation of work. All teachers are fully integrated in reporting student grades online for students and parents to view.

Curricular – Curricular Integration
Behavioral: Intelligent; Resource/Infrastructure: Intelligent

In the curricular integration subsection, State University High School falls under the intelligent ranking for both behavioral and resource/infrastructure. Technology, including laptops and wireless networks, are available for all curricular areas.

Curricular – Teacher Use
Behavioral: Integrated; Resource/Infrastructure: Intelligent

In the curricular teacher use subsection, State University High School falls under the integrated ranking for behavioral while the resource/infrastructure received an intelligent ranking. All teachers have access to needed technology in their classroom. Teachers are required to take attendance through an electronic attendance system, but other than that, teachers are able to deliver content and teach their students without the use of technology. This occurred for Doug last year when the school lost power for a majority of the day. He was still able to teach his lessons with chalk and a chalkboard, but it was certainly much easier with technology.

Curricular – Student Use
Behavioral: Integrated; Resource/Infrastructure: Intelligent

In the curricular student use subsection, State University High School falls under the integrated ranking for behavioral and the resource/infrastructure received an intelligent ranking. All students have access to laptops and wireless networks when in study hall or the library. Many times students will have access to laptops in their classroom, but only if the teacher requests for a laptop cart. While the technology use is frequent, outcomes are not dependent upon its use.

Support – Stakeholder Involvement
Behavioral: Islands; Resource/Infrastructure: Islands

In the support stakeholder involvement subsection, State University High School falls under the islands ranking for both behavioral and resource/infrastructure.  Students and teachers are aware of technology implementation procedures, but it did not seem like these groups were represented in the planning process.

Support – Administrative Support
Behavioral: Integrated; Resource/Infrastructure: Intelligent

In the administrative support subsection, State University High School falls under the integrated ranking for behavioral, while the resource/infrastructure received an intelligent ranking. Currently there are ongoing discussions with administration and the technology department but nothing extensive has been planned. A significant amount of time and teacher in-service time has been devoted to having teachers become proficient in using various forms of technology.

Support – Training
Behavioral: Intelligent; Resource/Infrastructure: Intelligent

In the support training subsection, State University High School falls under the intelligent ranking for both behavioral and resource/infrastructure. All staff members are required to participate in technology training for two days throughout the school year. Each building also has a technology staff support person to assist teachers and students as needed.

Support – Technical/Infrastructure Support
Behavioral: Intelligent; Resource/Infrastructure: Intelligent

In the technical/infrastructure support subsection, State University High School falls under the intelligent ranking for both behavioral and resource/infrastructure. All teachers and staff utilize formal and informal help from instructional technology staff at the building, and from other teachers who are familiar with the technology.

Connectivity – Local Area Network (LAN)
Behavioral: Intelligent; Resource/Infrastructure: Intelligent

In the connectivity local area network (LAN) subsection, State University High School falls under the intelligent ranking for both behavioral and resource/infrastructure. Each school in the district has a wireless network, which can be accessed by teachers, staff and students (by entering their password). While on the network, students, staff, and teachers can do just about anything they need to, such as send/check email, read news or stream videos.

Connectivity – District Area Network (WAN)
Behavioral: Intelligent; Resource/Infrastructure: Intelligent

In the connectivity district area network (WAN) subsection, State University High School falls under the intelligent ranking for both behavioral and resource/infrastructure. Staff utilizes the WAN to access data and stream videos when needed. Each staff member has space allotted to him or her on the server to store documents for their various classes.

Connectivity – Internet Access
Behavioral: Integrated; Resource/Infrastructure: Intelligent

In the connectivity Internet access subsection, State University High School falls under the integrated ranking for behavioral while the resource/infrastructure received an intelligent ranking. Most staff and students use the Internet, but not everyone. The Internet is integrated into the curriculum. Each school does have Internet access through a secured wireless network.

Connectivity – Communication Systems
Behavioral: Intelligent; Resource/Infrastructure: Intelligent

In the connectivity communication systems subsection, State University High School falls under the intelligent ranking for both behavioral and resource/infrastructure. E-mail is an integral part of school learning and support communication. All students and staff members are given a school district email address.

Innovation – New Technologies
Behavioral: Integrated; Resource/Infrastructure: Integrated

In the new technologies innovation subsection, State University High School falls under the integrated ranking for both behavioral and resource/infrastructure. New technologies are readily accepted by most staff members with some implementation.

Innovation – Comprehensive Technologies
Behavioral: Integrated; Resource/Infrastructure: Integrated

In the comprehensive technologies innovation subsection, State University High School falls under the integrated ranking for both behavioral and resource/infrastructure. Technology is fairly comprehensive as it includes voice, data and video. However, Doug feels the technology has not yet reached its full potential. There are more advanced techniques that can be utilized with the involvement of some staff training.

In conclusion, we gave State University High School an Integrated Systems Stage ranking. There are many areas that our school received the Intelligent Systems Stage ranking, but overall they are moving towards this and still have some growth to do in order to achieve this ranking overall. There is substantial access and use of technology as noted in the survey and the analysis of each category.  It is noted that all students have access to laptops and wireless networks when they are in study hall or the library. Teachers are using administrative functions in their grading, attendance and email. The budget for technology is a high priority, there just needs to be some long-term budget planning that is a part of the district’s overall budget plan. Comprehensive plans, policies and procedures for instructional and administrative use are in place and informally reviewed. This was the first year of this technology plan, so, in the future it will be reviewed and revised on a regular basis.

State University High School is an advocate of technology, training for all personnel and utilizing an instructional delivery system that is dependent on technology. Some of the next steps may include to have every component of curriculum be augmented by intelligent learning systems, and to have the school become completely paperless. Technology is a critical piece of planning for lessons, delivery of the lessons, and last, but certainly not least, the final outcome, which is the learning.

Finally, to ensure that new technologies are adopted and implemented on an ongoing basis, the proper training needs to be provided for staff and students alike. It is evident that State University High School is using technology more and more every year and moving toward the Intelligent Systems Stage.

Here is the link to the Maturity Benchmarks Survey Sheet:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?hl=en_US&hl=en_US&key=0AraxlzVjFvRCdFVvT1FPYS1zd2Vra3hxX0xRXzBHNlE&single=true&gid=0&output=html