Issue Paper

Equal Access to Technology Resources

Sean Kinney & Ashley Mauck

July 7, 2016

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 In our opinion, the most important and pressing issue to address in our school as

technology leaders is equitable access to technology resources. Our school population,

which consists of mostly low-income families, does not have access to technology or

internet at home. Over 85% of our students receive free and reduced meals, both

breakfast and lunch at school. Most parents have cell phones with internet capabilities,

but the majority of our students do not have computers or laptops for use at home. Very

few students speak of owning a family tablet, and those that do may only use it

sometimes as it belongs to their parents. Since our students do not have access to

technology resources at home, we feel it is our job to provide them with as much

opportunity and access to technology at school so they dont fall behind. We feel that

giving equal access to technology resources at school gives students equal

opportunities to take advantage of the resources available to them. We think devices

(mostly laptops and computer lab use) should be fairly and evenly distributed amongst

all grade levels and classrooms. We think that each teacher needs to be trained in the

technology skills to effectively use and implement devices available to their classes.

We think that it is important to level the playing field amongst staff so that all students

have the same opportunities and access no matter who their teacher is. The more

exposure and access the students get, the better they are prepared to advance and

excel in the 21st Century world as responsible digital citizens. We need to begin to

teach them the skills needed for navigating technology resources so that they may

begin to create new information using technology. We cannot leave this to their

parents because as we said before, most students dont have access to a computer

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with internet at home, therefore, they miss out on vital learning opportunities. It is our

job as educators to try our best to supplement opportunities at school so the gap

doesnt grow larger for our students.

We feel that equitable access to technology resources is the most important

issue for our school. We feel this is more important than some other issues like cyber

bullying. One reason is that cyber bullying is not something that comes up as an issue

amongst our student body. We have no documented cases of cyber bullying occurring

at our school or after school amongst our students. We feel that cyber bullying is more

common in middle school and upper grades. Although we feel that the issue needs to

be addressed, we do not feel it is appropriate to teach younger students about cyber

bullying or preventing this issue due to their lack of maturity and depth of understanding.

For this reason, we think that cyber bullying lessons, prevention, and coping

mechanisms, can be incorporated into the counselor curriculum for grades 3-5 during

counselor classroom lessons. In fact, we believe the counselor already incorporates

lessons on cyber bullying into her classroom bullying lessons for students. Since this

addresses the issue of cyber bullying, our attention and resources can be spent

addressing the more important issue of equitable access to technology resources.

We also think equitable access to technology resources is more important than

acceptable use policy. Our county already has acceptable usage policies in place for

students and staff, as well as procedures that are followed when incidents do occur.

The current acceptable use policy could certainly be updated and improved. We think

that a copy of the acceptable use policy should be distributed and signed by teachers

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and staff in our school as well. This would emphasize the importance of daily

technology tasks like checking email at least twice a day, reading the private school

folder in outlook, and reading the electronic bulletin weekly. The bulletin has important

dates and upcoming events, important notices and news from the administration and

staff, as well as any changes to scheduling. Much of the staff complains that they didnt

hear a particular message, missed vital information, or received updated information

and it is simply because they didnt check their e-mail or verify dates according to the

bulletin. If staff had to sign an acceptable use policy document, the way students do,

then it might alleviate some of these complaints, hold teachers and staff accountable,

and improve communication amongst and across staff. Similarly, we feel that a

one-page acceptable usage policy agreement should be sent home at the beginning of

the year for students and parents to read and sign. We think that this acceptable use

policy needs to be updated now that upper grades have 1:1 devices in school. For

example, the policy should reiterate that Chromebooks, laptops, and school computers

should be used for educational purposes only. Students who do not follow these

guidelines will temporarily lose the privilege to use technology at school. We currently

do not have many problems with students following acceptable use policy at our school

and very few teachers, if any, complain about misuse of technology during class time.

Our filter blocks much of the inappropriate content and websites that students shouldnt

be able to access. If a student logs in and tries to view inappropriate content, their

account is flagged and an e-mail is sent to the classroom teacher, principal, and

assistant principal. The adults pursue an investigation and follow up with appropriate

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consequences. Not only has this not happened in several years, but also this

procedure works well for our students and staff and therefore we feel this issue is less

important than equitable access to technology resources.

In order to address the issue of equitable access to technology resources, we

have put together the following list of policies and procedures.

Designated grade levels (2-5) that received 1-1 Chromebooks from the county

rollout will follow the county plan in using those devices for those specified

classrooms. Those classrooms will not have laptops or laptop carts because

they will already be 1:1. Classrooms will keep their desktop computer that is

connected to the Promethean board. Those classroom teachers will have

access to one Chromebook for professional use.

Appropriate use of devices includes plugging devices back into the cart to be

charged, reporting specific problems (a specific troubleshooting form with the

specific error message written down) with the device immediately to IT support

(media center), and keeping shared carts in a central location for those

classrooms to access.

Teachers should not assign homework that requires technology or Internet to be

considerate of students that do not have access at home.

Computer Lab and Media Center Computer Hub should be available for students

one hour before the bell rings in the morning, and one hour after dismissal for

students to practice technology skills, (keyboarding, navigating internet, etc)

enrichment and other educational programs. There must be adult supervision, in

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 order for students to use the lab or hub. The school should consider using adults

from Linkages to Learning, Paraeducator support, and/or high school students,

for SSL hours, to monitor students before and after school. No students should

be using the lab or hub for games during this time.

There are 15 laptops carts to split amongst 7 first grade classes and 6

Kindergarten classes. Each laptop cart contains 10 laptops. Each of the

Kindergarten and Pre-K classrooms currently has 3 desktops for students to use

(not including the one desktop in every classroom connected to the Promethean

Board). We propose that each Kindergarten teacher (6 total) gives one desktop

to pre-k or Headstart. This way, Pre-k and Headstart will each have 6 desktops

for student use in their classroom. The Kindergarten rooms will keep 2 desktops

in their classrooms for student use. Every Kindergarten and 1st grade teacher will

get one full cart of 10 laptops for use in their classroom. Both first grade and

Kindergarten will have an extra cart to either divide up per classroom (1-2

additional laptops) or allow the cart to be used by specialists and resource

teachers that work with those grade levels. We feel this is the most equitable

allocation to grade levels that do not have Chromebooks (2nd-5th). Each

classroom will have a 2:1 ratio of students to devices. This will allow for more

technology use in younger grades while simultaneously reinforcing collaboration

as students will share and partner for devices.

Each teacher in all grades should use their one day per week without a

designated related arts (PE, Music, Art, STEM) to teach and practice technology

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 skills such as keyboarding. For teachers in grades 2-5, this can be done in their

classrooms with their 1:1 Chromebooks. In grades Pre-K to 1st, the teacher

should sign up for a time every week to use the computer lab or hub for 45

minutes to do this. There will be trainings and curriculum outlines for teachers to

follow. For example, teachers can use the free online program from BBC, Dance

Mat Typing, to teach keyboarding to students. We will also have a checklist of

computer and technology skills that should be mastered in each grade level for

each teacher to follow. We will offer suggested or recommended activities to

teach those objectives.

Both the Computer Lab and Media Center Hub are available during non-testing

windows for all grade levels and teachers to use as they please. We should

continue to allow teachers to sign up for time slots via outlook at their discretion.

We should continue to remind teachers to be courteous and be aware of other

teachers scheduled time slots to prevent any overlap or double bookings. We

can also suggest that teachers may sometimes use the Computer Lab or Media

Center Hub during small group math and/or guided reading to encourage

students not meeting with the teacher additional online educational opportunities.

Students should continue to be able to use the Media Center Hub computers

during recess with a pass from their teacher to play games and have free

computer time with supervision.

All students using computers, Chromebooks, and laptops must be supervised at

all times. Teachers must be aware the filter is a precautionary measure to keep

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 students from accessing explicit and inappropriate material but it does not block

all inappropriate content or usage. Teachers must pay careful attention to what

students are doing on the computer during the time allotted.

The media specialist should be trained in how to override the filter in case a

teacher needs to access content that is blocked by the filter. Teachers should be

able to notify and request instructions from the media specialist in a timely

manner (at least one day notice) to request an override. This would allow

teachers to show video clips and view websites for educational purposes that

were working but were recently blocked by the filter.

Over the summertime, our IT support from the county will upgrade all laptops and

clean off their storage hard drive to allow faster processing. They will delete all

non-essential documents and programs from the hard drive. They will update

programs and upgrade to the latest version of the operating system.

Professional Development sessions will be offered at staff meetings (designated

meetings throughout the year), additional sessions before and after school, as

well as online sessions, to teach teachers how to use technology effectively in

their classroom. We will show teachers how to access, save, share and create

Google docs, sheets, classroom, and other GAFE applications. We will cover

management of devices as well as free resources available to enhance the

educational curriculum. We will show teachers how using technology can modify

work for students with accommodations and that all students benefit from a

diverse toolbox of learning tools. We hope to extend that training to show

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 teachers how to assess students in various formats so that students can choose

the way that best suits their needs.

According to our set of policies and procedures, we have created what we feel is

the most fair distribution of devices. We have a couple of concerns for the upcoming

school year plan to address equal access to technology resources. One concern is the

slow and dated laptops to be used in primary grades. Our budget doesnt currently

allow purchasing new operating systems or devices. However, we are planning on

applying for grants, like the MCPS grant up to $1500, for hardware upgrades for these

devices to improve the lag time. We also feel that wiping the hard drive clean will free

up memory and speed up the laptop processing time. Another concern is that not all

the classes in Prek-1st will have 1:1 devices. Again, it is not in our current budget to

purchase enough devices to complete the set. We feel this is a short-term solution for

our school until all grades have received the MCPS 1:1 Chromebook distribution. We do

not feel at this time it is worth it to spend money on devices that the county will soon

replace in 1-2 years. Instead, we think the better plan is to use our funds for other

advancements, trainings, and resources for our staff. Our students will greatly benefit

from having more access to technology and internet connected devices in their

classrooms. When teachers do receive 1:1 devices, they will be better able to use the

technology effectively and manage the technology appropriately because of these

policies and procedures in place.

Memo:

Attention: Dr. Rawlison, Principal Harmony Hills Elementary School.

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 In order to address the pressing issue our school faces regarding equitable

access to technology resources, we have put together the following list of policies and

procedures to put in place for the FY17 school year. We have redistributed the laptop

carts and desktops appropriately so that each classroom has equal access to

technology. Grades 2-5 will continue to use their allotted Chromebooks instead of

school purchased laptops and desktops. Our plan is to put as many devices into as

many classrooms as equally and fairly as possible. We feel it is best for Pre-k and

Headstart to have exclusive access to desktops in their classrooms rather than having

to deal with troubleshooting laptops, dropping or breaking devices, and other such

problems that may occur with their portability. They have larger classrooms to house

more table space for desktops to be set up and connected to the Internet. We allotted

each grade level and classroom the same amount of laptops to make sure it was a fair

and equal distribution. We also decided that we could have an unofficial 5th related arts

program for all grades that would be a technology lab. We want teachers in grades 2-5

to use their Chomebooks and grades Pre-K-1st can sign up for a weekly time in the

Computer Lab or Media Center Hub for the technology lab. During this time, students

would be able to practice technology skills like keyboarding for example. We will

provide additional ideas, resources, and training for teachers to use during this time.

We will have a technology skills checklist organized by grade, of all the technology and

computer skills our students should master. It is our goal that the students in

classrooms without 1:1 devices will take advantage of the use of additional classroom

assigned laptops and Computer Lab or Media Center Hub for educational use. We

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suggest having extended Computer Lab hours before and after school for students to

practice using technology, explore the Internet, and use other educational programs

responsibly with supervision. Our draft policies and procedures will help solve our

schools problem of fair distribution and equitable access to technology. It will be

evident that even though younger grades do not have 1:1 devices yet, they have 2:1

ratio, which is a large gain from previous years of only 2 or 3 devices per classroom.

Given that older grades have 1:1 devices will free up more time that primary teachers

can use the Computer Lab and Media Center Hub to accommodate learners in reading

and math. We will provide training for staff in a variety of formats (staff meetings,

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additional professional development sessions before and after school, as well as online

sessions) to show teachers resources and model effective implementation of devices

and technology resources in their classrooms. We will cover management of devices,

free web based resources available for reading, math, other subjects and projects, as

well as ways to use technology to assess their learners in a variety of formats. It is so

important to start students using computers and technology at a young age, as much as

possible, in order to prepare them for a 21st Century world of technology. We want our

students to be avid technology users, creators of information, and digitally responsible

citizens. The only way to achieve this goal is to give them equal access to technology

resources.

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 Issue Paper Rubric
ET680
Developing Proficient
Issue Demonstrates that this Makes clear that this
Justification issue is important but issue is as important as
not more than others other issues
Other Issues Briefly address other Provides information
issues about 2 or more other
issues to demonstrate
that some
understanding of the
kinds of issues with
which a technology
leader must deal
Policies and Proposes policies and Proposes policies and
Procedures procedures that will procedures that are
have limited impact on appropriate for the
the chosen issue current issue
Solutions Describes the proposed Provides some
policies and procedures justification for the
without making clear proposed policies and
why these are good procedures to deal with
solutions for the chosen the chosen issue as part
issue of a memo to the school
administration
Distinguished
Provides a clear
and convincing case that
the chosen issue is the
primary issue that the
technology leader should
resolve in your school
Provides
sufficient information
about 2 or more other
issues to demonstrate an
in-depth understanding
of the kinds of issues
with which a technology
leader must deal
Proposes
thorough policies and
procedures that
effectively deal with the
chosen issue
Provides an
in-depth rationale for
the proposed policies
and procedures to deal
with the chosen issue as
part of a memo to the
school administration
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Mechanics Contains many Contains a few grammar,
grammar, spelling, spelling, and/or usage
and/or usage errors or errors or is too long or Contains correct
is clearly stretching to too short grammar, spelling, and
fill space usage throughout, falls
within the page
guidelines, uses 12-point
font, is double-spaced,
and includes numbered
pages

I really like your comprehensive list of policies and procedures that is tailored to your

school. The issue of keyboarding and basic skills is a tough one. On the one hand,

some of that is necessary. On the other hand, we might hope to do better with

technology as the basic skills will largely take care of themselves. You might think about

ideas like "genius hour" (look it up) or some other off-curriculum activity that uses

technology for a real purpose.

Grade: A

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