Three Year Technology Plan Williston School District #

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1 Three Year Technology Plan Williston School District # Williston School District #29 is committed to providing students, teachers, staff and administration with the most advanced technology tools necessary to educate our students and assist in our mission statement: The mission of Williston School District 29 is to develop caring and productive citizens with the support of our parents and our community, by providing challenging and enriching experiences in a safe environment. Advanced technology tools includes providing leading edge equipment, following trends and practices to maintain that edge, maintaining and replacing our equipment to maintain acceptable modern standards, and providing our students with the tools they need to be successful at the next level. A technology committee comprised of teachers and district technology leaders prioritized the needs of the school district and have made recommendations to the district administration for the direction the district should follow to maintain a substantial level of technology for all students, teachers, staff and administrators. Many of the main goals that were laid out in the original technology plan 2-1/2 years ago have been accomplished, but we still have a long way to go. These accomplishments have created an excitement and momentum in the school district that must be maintained. This plan lays out five renewal plans to maintain acceptable modern standards and to make sure our technology does not become irrelevant again. In addition it introduces four new plans that will improve technology for the teachers and students. The Infrastructure Renewal Plan, Wireless Technology Plan, Computer Renewal Plan, Software Maintenance Renewal and Annual Maintenance Plan identifies maximum ages of equipment, timelines and methodology to make sure our technology is modern and relevant for the students, teachers, staff and administration as well as keeping our basic operational software up to date. In addition, the committee recommends implementation of more hardware and software for Assistive Technologies for Special Needs Students as well as new Teacher Classroom Instructional Devices. The committee also recommends that the furniture used for technology is in desperate need of updating and a Computer Furniture Upgrade Plan has been proposed. Something new in this year s updated technology plan are electronic signs in front of our buildings as well as inside electronic signs in our main offices, lobbies, cafeterias and media centers. Not only do our

2 students and parents rely on our signs, the community does as well. The current outside signs are out of date and we have no signage on the inside of our buildings. Another classroom technology enhancement that the committee discussed is voice enhancement systems for our classrooms. These have proven effective where they are used. However, they are somewhat expensive and difficult to justify considering the other needs we have at this time. The following is a description of the proposed plans that will keep our technology relevant and useful for our students, teachers, staff and administration on an ongoing basis: Infrastructure Renewal Plan Our infrastructure consists of file servers, switches, cabling and the wireless network (mentioned below). The committee unanimously agrees that the infrastructure is the backbone of all district technology and must be maintained at the highest level possible. Many improvements have been made over the past three years which has allowed us to rate our infrastructure as modern and supportive of user technology. However, the infrastructure must be addressed and maintained continuously. To make sure our equipment remains up to date and relevant, the plan calls for: 1) Replacing one file server a year so no file server is more than 5 years old. 2) Replace five switches per year leaving no switch more than 5 years old. 3) Replace three UPS battery backup power supplies per year so no UPS is more than 5 years old. 4) Implement an annual cabling budget to address new cabling needs as well as maintenance/repair of existing cabling drops. Wireless Technology Plan The trend of future computing is reliant on wireless technology. Our wireless network is considered part of the infrastructure, supporting user devices throughout the district. We have implemented a new BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) program, we will continue our ipad rollout program, and with every teacher now having a laptop with wireless capability on their desk, wireless technology is necessary. A new wireless overlay was added to the district at the end of It will be important to evaluate our wireless trends and needs on an annual basis and make recommendations and adjustments as needed. At this time, the technology plan only recommends annual maintenance agreements on the wireless network. Computer Renewal Plan There are approximately 360 widely used computers (used day-in and day-out) in the district for teachers, staff, administration, media centers and computer labs. This plan calls for replacement of 60 computers every year with general fund money and another 30 computers using federal CATE money, which should leave no widely used computer more than 4 years old. Older working computers that are replaced will be redistributed as student classroom computers.

3 Software Renewal Plan Software renewals are necessary to maintain our file server operating systems, our desktop operating systems and desktop office suites. In addition, our firewall appliance, our web content filter, our mobile device management, our media center systems and our web page hosting/development are annual software renewals necessary to maintain the operation of our systems. Annual Technology Maintenance Plan Utilizing technology also means maintaining technology to get the most use out of it and the longest life possible. Projector bulbs and printer cartridges are two of the most consumable items we currently have. In addition, miscellaneous technology items such as USB hubs, single room switches, patch cables, USB cables, etc. are needed on an ongoing basis for basic operations. This plan calls for an annual maintenance budget to maintain our equipment and get the maximum life/use out of it. Hardware and Software for Special Needs The committee feels that our special needs areas are not being served at the level they should be with regards to technology. The teachers in these areas are doing a wonderful job with what they have to work with. But in almost all instances, the equipment is out of date, the software is out of date or does not exist, and there is very little new technology being introduced for this student population. The district has added ipads to some special needs classrooms at each school. This has increased options for teachers in these areas, but we are still lacking in providing enough resources to be effective with technology. The special needs teachers do not have the proper diagnostic or monitoring software to aid in their re-evaluations of these students. Assistive technology must reach our regular classrooms as well because in many cases our special needs students are in regular classroom settings during the day. This plan calls for an annual budget for special needs teachers to choose relevant technology, hardware and software, for their classrooms. Teacher Classroom Instructional Devices (Note: While we have made great strides in updating infrastructure and computers, we have not done much with classroom instructional devices and they are also beginning to show their age such as SMART boards, projectors and classroom clicker devices. Most of the SMART Boards are 7+ years old, most of our projectors are 5+ years old and classroom clicker devices are 4+ years old). The committee concluded that not one size fits all with regards to teachers and the technology they should use to assist with their instruction. Some teachers use SMART Boards interactively, some teachers use projectors for Power Point presentations and short film clips, some use document camera s, some use computer labs, some use the media center and some use ipad carts.

4 Technology instructional devices should fit the teacher and subject area. For that reason, this plan recommends a set amount of money every year to equip classroom teachers with the technology they are going to use day-in and day-out. The following are some of the items under consideration: 1) SMART Board with short throw projector and multi-media sound system 2) 70 flat screen TV with computer connections 3) New ceiling mounted projectors with projection screens 4) Document camera s 5) Teacher Tablet/iPad/Mobile device 6) Netbook cart 7) Chromebook cart 8) ipad cart 9) Classroom Clicker Devices Tablet/Mobile Device Plan Some teachers want to utilize tablet/mobile devices in their instruction with students. However, not all teachers find this a useful tool in their classroom. For that reason, we are including this category of technology as part of the Teacher Classroom Instruction Devices. MDM (Mobile Device Manager) (Note: A tablet/ipad/mobile device program will fail if the proper tools are not put in place to setup, distribute and monitor the tablets. A good MDM (Mobile Device Manager) is a required component on the front end to have a successful tablet program. An MDM was added last year which has greatly reduced the time consuming setup and refresh time of our existing mobile devices. Digital Signage The committee discussed and agreed that digital signage at the schools is very important. Digital signage includes not only the signs in front of the buildings, but also signs in our front offices, cafeterias, media centers, gymnasiums and district office, which we currently do not have. These signs are the welcome and entryway point to our schools and offices as well as providing reminders and information to students, faculty and staff. It was agreed that in this modern digital age, our outside signs need to be modernized and new informational signs need to be added inside. When we considered this recommendation, the committee wants to make sure that any signs that are installed can move to a new school site. Teacher Recertification Training Program A very necessary and important component of this plan is making sure our teachers are properly trained in the use of all technology we introduce to them. While many teachers take advantage of training that is offered, it is more effective and better attended when there is recertification credit attached to the training.

5 This plan calls for more teacher technology training and that we offer recertification credit with as much of the training as possible. Computer Furniture Upgrade It is important that we not only outfit our schools with modern technology, but we must also add the proper furniture to effectively use the technology. This plan calls for mobile carts for teachers for use with their SMART boards that can hold their laptop and their document camera, teacher computer stations next to their desks that can accommodate their computer and printer, and new computer tables for our computer labs. Classroom Voice Enhancement Systems Classroom Voice Enhancement Systems are a proven technology that works. It increases classroom productivity, classroom management, student involvement and classroom safety. Unfortunately, it is an expensive technology. The committee discussed this issue and agreed, it is needed and would be very beneficial to every classroom, but the expense is difficult to justify with the needs in other areas that have not been addressed yet. Recommendations The following are the recommendations of technology committee. Approximate costs are included using today s technology dollars. Year One ($230,075) Infrastructure Renewal Program - Replace one file server, 5 switches, 3 battery backups and add/repair cabling drops - $21,000 Wireless Maintenance Program Annual support maintenance contract covering wireless equipment and the wireless network = $4,500 Computer Renewal Program - Replace 60 teacher/staff/admin computers and one computer lab (30 computers) to maintain a modern environment - $60,000 Software and maintenance renewal - $22,175 Annual technology maintenance - $15,000 Hardware and software for special needs assistive technologies - $10,000 Teacher Classroom Instructional Device Upgrade provide teachers with upgraded instructional devices such as SMART Boards, digital TV s, digital projectors, classroom clickers, etc. - $40,000 Install new tablet devices for teachers at the middle school - $10,000 Staff training and recertification renewal - $0 Digital Signage inside and outside for high school - $25,000

6 Computer furniture for elementary school - $22,400 Year Two ($224,675) Infrastructure Renewal Program - Replace one file server, 5 switches, 3 battery backups and add/repair cabling drops - $21,000 Wireless Maintenance Program Annual support maintenance contract covering wireless equipment and the wireless network = $4,500 Computer Renewal Program - Replace 60 teacher/staff/admin computers and one computer lab (30 computers) to maintain a modern environment - $60,000 Software and maintenance renewal - $22,175 Annual technology maintenance - $15,000 Hardware and software for special needs assistive technologies - $10,000 Teacher Classroom Instructional Device Upgrade provide teachers with upgraded instructional devices such as SMART Boards, digital TV s, digital projectors, classroom clickers, etc. - $40,000 Install new tablet devices for teachers at the high school - $11,000 Staff training and recertification renewal - $0 Digital Signage inside and outside for elementary school - $25,000 Computer furniture for middle school - $16,000 Year Three ($229,275) Infrastructure Renewal Program - Replace one file server, 5 switches, 3 battery backups and add/repair cabling drops - $21,000 Wireless Maintenance Program Annual support maintenance contract covering wireless equipment and the wireless network = $4,500 Computer Renewal Program - Replace 60 teacher/staff/admin computers and one computer lab (30 computers) to maintain a modern environment - $60,000 Software and maintenance renewal - $22,175 Annual technology maintenance - $15,000 Hardware and software for special needs assistive technologies - $10,000 Teacher Classroom Instructional Device Upgrade provide teachers with upgraded instructional devices such as SMART Boards, digital TV s, digital projectors, classroom clickers, etc. - $40,000 Install new tablet devices for teachers at the elementary school - $14,000

7 Staff training and recertification renewal - $0 Digital Signage inside and outside for middle School - $25,000 Computer furniture for high school - $17,600 Funding Sources To pay for this plan, we will utilize the following sources: 1) The high school has committed 2 out of every 3 years of EIA CATE equipment money to fund the 3 computer labs that are eligible 2) Applying for technology grants 3) Erate funds 4) Local funds