TECHNOLOGY PLAN, 2010 - 2015


DRAFT Technology Plan 2010-2015 DRAFT
 

Technology Plan, 2003- 2010

 District Philosophy and Vision Statement

 Philosophy

The philosophy of the Peabody Public Schools is to creatively develop via a sustained community partnership, a stimulating learning environment which encourages and nurtures an understanding and appreciation of the full continuum of knowledge, traditions and values of our multi-cultural society; and that actively assists each individual to acquire the skills and positive self-image needed to function effectively in a constantly changing world.  

Vision

The Peabody Public Schools provides an academic, vocational and occupational education in the context of a technological society. With its proud and inspired heritage, the community challenges its youth to strive for excellence as individuals and as productive citizens.

Now as we begin the 21st century, education is in a process of vast transformation.  Our present goal is to facilitate the change for future generations.  The basic premise that can provide direction for school changes begins with the fundamental belief that ALL children can succeed.  The Peabody Public Schools is committed to meeting the needs of ALL students, and to make learning a more exciting, satisfying, enriching, and educationally stimulating experience.  Additionally, we are committed to providing a safe and healthy environment.  Further, we are committed to collaborating with businesses, parents, and all others who are interested in aspiring to make our student prepared to succeed in a global community.  The challenge calls for diligence, collaboration, creativity, and dedication by all.
 

District Mission Statement

The basic premise that can provide direction for school transformation begins with the fundamental belief that ALL children can succeed.  The commitment, therefore, by the Peabody Public Schools will be to insist on meeting the needs of ALL students.  The goal is to make schooling a more exciting, satisfying, enriching, and educationally stimulating experience for everyone - all students, all teachers, all community members.

The mission for the Peabody Public Schools is to develop the "Six P's" of People, Places, Policies, Programs, Processes, and Pride to make the Peabody Public Schools an inviting place to learn.

People - We will improve the quality of life for PEOPLE (students, staff and parents) of the schools by extending and nurturing positive relationships in ways that will increase the desire for lifelong learning.

Places - We will continue to examine our facilities and grounds and to find ways to enhance the physical climate of our schools.  Our mission is to make the schools a safe PLACE where people want to be and want to learn.

Policies - We will review our POLICIES in an effort to identify ways to provide a foundation that will encourage, involve, and inspire the spirit of a positive learning environment. 

Programs - We will continue to plan or revise PROGRAMS.  We will be innovative in finding ways to create more meaningful connections with our students, the curriculum, and the diverse culture in which we live. 

Processes - We will use positive PROCESSES which include the concept of a teacher as a learner to transform our schools to being more exciting, satisfying, enriching, and educationally stimulating. 

Pride -  We will continue to instill a sense of PRIDE in all members of our school community.

District Technology Vision Statement

 VISION 

To accomplish our vision for increased student learning with the use of technologies in the Peabody Public Schools, the learning community will be technologically literate life-long learners.  Learners will be able to interact successfully in a well-planned and maintained, state-of-the art, technological environment to achieve their personal, educational and workplace goals.  They will skillfully use technology to access, retrieve and use information school-wide, community-wide, nationally and internationally.

District Technology Vision Statement

VISION

To accomplish our vision for increased student learning with the use of technologies in the Peabody Public Schools, the learning community will be technologically literate life-long learners.  Learners will be able to interact successfully in a well-planned and maintained, state-of-the art, technological environment to achieve their personal, educational and workplace goals.  They will skillfully use technology to access, retrieve and use information school-wide, community-wide, nationally and internationally.

RATIONALE 

To accomplish our vision for increased student learning with the use of technologies, it is essential for the Peabody Public Schools to be responsible to support our plan, which must include and lead to success in the following areas:

1.  Teaching and Learning

 2.  Educator Preparation and Development 

3.  Administration and Support Services 

4.      Infrastructure for Technology 

5.      Community Access

6.  Evaluation and Accountability

Teaching and Learning Goals

 1.      District administrators will model the use of technology that supports teachers in the effective use of technology to support curriculum.

2.      District administrators will utilize technology to support data driven decisions about assessment, curriculum, and student learning.

3.      Teaching in the core content areas will incorporate appropriate technologies that enable students to demonstrate technology literacy by the end of grade 8 as required by NCLB 2002 and the MA DOE Recommended Instructional Technology Standards.

4.      Teachers will enhance curriculum with appropriate technology resources to support increased achievement for all students.

5.      Universal design principles will be applied to all curricula.

6.      To improve technology access in the schools, the instructional settings will have flexible scheduling and classroom landscapes will be designed to facilitate technology integration into all curriculum areas.

7.      Virtual education and distance learning opportunities for staff and students will be expanded based on an assessment of local curricular goals.

Teaching and Learning with Technology Action Plan 

Goal 1:  District administrators will model the use of technology that supports teachers in the effective use of technology to support curriculum

Goal 2:  District administrators will utilize technology to support data driven decisions about assessment, curriculum, and student learning.

Goal 3:  Teaching in the core content areas will incorporate appropriate technologies that enable students to demonstrate technology literacy by the end of grade 8 as required by NCLB 2002 and the MA DOE Recommended Instructional Technology Standards.

Goal 4:  Teachers will enhance curriculum with appropriate technology resources to support increased achievement for all students. 
 

Goal 5:  Universal design principles will be applied to all curricula.

Goal 6:  To improve technology access in the schools, the instructional settings will have flexible scheduling and classroom landscapes will be designed to facilitate technology integration into all curriculum areas. 

Goal 7:  Virtual education and distance learning opportunities for staff and students will be expanded based on an assessment of local curricular goals. 

Infrastructure Goals

1. The district networks will continue to meet the increasing educational needs of students and professional staff.

2. All Peabody classrooms will have Internet access.

3. A policy for updating inventory will be established.

4. The Peabody Public Schools will establish benchmarks for procurement of new technology resources compatible with the MA Department of Education Technology Benchmark Standards.

Infrastructure Action Plan

Goal 1: The district networks will be updated and restructured to meet the increasing educational needs of students and professional staff.

Goal 2: All Peabody classrooms will have Internet access.
 

Goal 3:  Teaching in the core content areas will incorporate appropriate technologies that enable students to demonstrate technology literacy by the end of grade 8 as required by NCLB 2002 and the MA DOE Recommended Instructional Technology Standards. 

Goal 4:  Teachers will enhance curriculum with appropriate technology resources to support increased achievement for all students. 

  
Goal 5. A policy for updating inventory will be established.

Goal 6:   The Peabody Public Schools will establish benchmarks for procurement of new technology resources compatible with the MA Department of Education Technology Benchmark Standards.

Computer Network Acceptable Use Policy

 Now and in the future, our classrooms will extend to the global community via electronic access to the world.  Computers and computer networks are tools provided by the school system in support of the philosophy and mission of the Peabody Public Schools.  Effective use of computers and related technology allows students and staff to access and use information sources from computers, share information with individuals or groups of other students and staff, and significantly expand their knowledge base.  The ethical use of technology and adherence to the tenets of an Acceptable Use Policy assist the staff in the development of a sound education. 

             I.      AVAILABLITY – All user4s shall acknowledge in writing the receipt, understanding, and compliance with all administrative procedures and regulations governing the use of the computer network.  Noncompliance with these regulations and procedures shall result in suspension or termination of user privileges and other disciplinary action consistent with School Committee policy and applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. 

           II.      MONITORING – Electronic transmissions and use of other electronic resources by students and staff shall not be considered confidential.  They may be monitored at any time by designated staff to ensure appropriate use for instructional and administrative purposes.  Students shall use computers, computer networks. And other technology under appropriate adult direction and supervision.  The district shall provide monitoring to help ensure the site blocking of educationally inappropriate content.

        III.      LIABILITY – The Peabody Public Schools shall not be liable for users’ inappropriate use of electronic resources or violations of copyright restrictions, users’ mistakes or negligence, or costs incurred by users.  The school system does not guarantee the readability of data connections.  The school system is not liable for any loss or corruption of data resulting while using any computer-related technology.

             I.      REGULATIONS FOR THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY

1.      Commercial use of school system computers and/or networks is prohibited unless prior approval is received from the School Committee.

2.      Copyrighted software or data shall not be placed on any computer without permission from the holder of the copyright.

3.      Computer network access shall be granted to users with a signed access agreement only and are valid only while enrolled or employed.  Account names will be recorded on access agreements and kept on file at the school level.

4. All passwords shall be protected by the user and not shared or displayed. Passwords are confidential.

 5. Principals/Supervisors or their designees shall be responsible for disseminating and enforcing policies and procedures.

 6. System Administrator, Principals, or their designee(s) shall be authorized to examine all system activities, including electronic mail transmissions, and electronic search strategies, as deemed appropriate to ensure proper use. All electronic data residing on any computer or network within the system shall be the property of the Peabody Public Schools.

 7. Individual users shall be responsible for the proper use of their accounts. System users shall not use another user’s account. Revealing personal information (addresses, phone number, etc.) is prohibited. Swearing, vulgarity, ethic or racial slurs, or other inflammatory language is prohibited. Attempts to read, delete, copy, or modify the electronic date or mail of other users or to interfere with the ability of others to send/receive electronic mail is prohibited. 

 8. The computer system/ network may not be used for any illegal purposes, in support of illegal activities, or for any activity prohibited by district policy System users are to purge electronic information according to district retention guidelines or when requested to do so. All user files may be purged at the completion of each school year.

 9. System users may distribute copyrighted material only with the written permission of the copyright holder or designee. Such permission must be specified in the document or in accordance with applicable copyright laws, district policy and administrative procedures.

 10. Harming or destroying equipment, materials, data, or programs is prohibited. Deliberate attempts to degrade or disrupt system performance shall be viewed as violations of district policy and/or as criminal activity under applicable state and federal laws. This includes, but is not limited to: the uploading, downloading, or creation of computer viruses. Vandalism will result in (a) cancellation of system privileges, (b) disciplinary action i9n accordance with district policy, and (c) restitution for cost associated with hardware, software, and system restoration.

 11. E-mail accounts will be provided to facility and staff. E-mail will be provided to students if needed for teacher directed research projects during a limited time period with specific parental permission.

 12. The Peabody Public Schools will cooperated full with local, state, or federal officials in any investigation concerning or relating to misuse of the district’s system/network.

 PLAN FOR THE PROTECTION OF STUDENTS AND STAFF FROM EDUCATIONAL INAPPROPRIATE MATERIAL ON COMPUTER NETWORKS

           In the implementation of the Peabody Public Schools Computer networks, considerable discussion and planning have taken place to shield both students and staff from the electronic transmission of potentially educationally inappropriate subject matter.  Our goal is to take all reasonable efforts to block such WEB sites.  All computer network access to the Internet is processed through the Peabody Public Schools account with Merrimac Education Center facilities.  This service updates our proxy server on a constant basis with WEB sites deemed inappropriate for student access.  Further, we have the ability upon teacher request to block out additional sites that we may deem inappropriate.  If an individual were to attempt access to a blocked site, they are notified on their computer screen that access is denied.  

              E-RATE

          The Peabody Public Schools receives E-Rate funding.  The funding is used to supplement the T-1 lines that provide internet access to Peabody Veterans Memorial High School, the Higgins Middle School, the Thomas Carroll Elementary School and the Captain Samuel Brown Elementary School.  The funding includes Merrimac Education Center wrap-around services which provides Peabody Public Schools with email for staff.  The wrap-around services include devices to provide web filtering to assure that Peabody Public Schools are CIPA compliant .

Acknowledgments

The Peabody Public School District wishes to thank the following educators and community members who shared their knowledge and experience with us as we developed this plan:

 DRAFT