High School Technology Cycle FeedbackSummary, Reflection, and Teacher Feedback

Introduction: High School Department Chairpersons gathered feedback from teachers

regarding current available technology, likes and dislikes, and future technology
needs.
General Feedback: What We Have:
Teacher laptops with tablet pens
High School classrooms are equipped with wireless internet, ELMOs,
Epson projectors and whiteboards
ELITE 3 teachers have class sets of clickers.
Some additional resources for reading available at the library
Computer room (24 computers)
Microsoft Office and many other software programs
Likes:
Teacher laptops
Whiteboards
ELMO
projectors
Clickers
Wireless
Internet Access
The Cloud and
Single Login
OneNote and
SkyDrive
Moodle
virtual
textbooks
Dislikes:
battery life on laptops (cart and teacher)
the lack of laptop cart availability and the number computers on carts
frequent drops on Students server (1:1 iPad class drop ~3-10x /class)
Needs:
address the battery issue by replacing old laptop batteries
additional computer carts for non-BYOD learning activities
reconfigure classrooms to allow students to keep working while their
devices are charging
solve the problem of a lack of student workspace by replacing the small
desks with work areas that allow students to use and pen / paper /
notebook / textbook
digital equipment for photography units in Studio Art 3 and Studio Art 4
classes, preparing students for careers in visual arts such as
photojournalism


High School Technology Cycle

2


Technology Liaison / Professional Development Thoughts:

In order for teachers to engage students in an effective BYOD classroom, a strong professional
development plan and consideration for the changing classroom environment are warranted.
The technology work station (computer cart, printer, ELMO, docking station) centralizes
classroom technology in one location, making it easy for the classroom teacher to access those
resources. Though the efficiency of the technology work station is clear, it is also important to consider
the need for a teacher to be mobile in their classroom, engaging students as individuals in learning.
As more students use their own devices for learning throughout the school day, they face new
problems. While BYOD lessons often require the use of a variety of resources in concert, traditional
desks do not provide a workspace suitable for the use of more than one resource at a time. In addition,
the use of a BYOD device throughout the day requires power, so the current lack of charging stations
means that student technology use is limited to each devices battery life.
Each teacher has taken time to carefully develop their own virtual classroom using one of many
options introduced during ELITE training. For parents and students, finding information such as
homework assignments for each class becomes a challenge. Sharing grade and assignment information
for all classes in one place would be helpful, improving communication between parents and teachers.
Finally, because student use of BYOD technology has expanded so rapidly, a need for student
training in digital citizenship and school day technology etiquette has emerged. Teachers and students
would benefit from a consistent, school-wide set of technology usage expectations.
Thank you for taking time to consider our staffs technology vision. I would be happy to assist
our district during this process. A department-specific list of needs is provided on the next set of pages.

Douglas Barton
dbarton@lindberghschools.ws
314-729-2400 x1225
314-398-7623







High School Technology Cycle

3

Introduction: High School Department Chairs were asked to gather feedback from their department
regarding technology in four areas. Department-specific answers are included:
1. What technology does your department currently have?
o Academy: 75 student laptops; 5 classrooms with ELMO and whiteboard; ELITE 3
teachers have whiteboards; 1 printer shared by all teachers and students
o Business: 2 (30) laptop carts; 2 PC labs; 4 color printers; 4 cameras/video; 5 simulation
programs (VB Personal Finance, Go Venture, VB Retailing, VB Management, VB Sports &
Entertainment); Inspiration software; InDesign CS2; Photoshop CS3; MicroType Pro;
Vision Computer monitoring software; Audacity; Skype; HP scanner
o Foreign Language: CD/DVD players; textbook software; headphones w/ microphone

2. What technology works effectively that you want to continue using?
o Academy: uses all current technology and wants to continue to use all technology
o Business: Front row; Dell color printer (rm. 111); Sony Handycam; Sony cybershot
o Family and Consumer Science: laptop cart
o Foreign Language: All working; online textbooks; Microsoft Office available for every
student on their BYOD device; the computer lab
o Math: Laptop cartThey have enough carts
o Science: laptop carts, some GoLinks and probes

3. What technology is not working or you do not want to continue using?
o Academy: Battery life on laptops is poor.
o Business: Laptops freeze when saving to flash drives; Rooms 106/111 lose connectivity
frequently; Inspiration is not stable on laptops; Skyping is unstable and cuts out
frequently; Room 108/107 students have different operating systems than the teacher
so demonstrations, modeling and showing examples is difficult for students to follow
o Foreign Language: Battery life of laptops is poor; new laptops for laptop cart; suitable
BYOD technology for students without device access; problems submitting assignments
with iPad students; Clickers do not allow for Capitalization or special characters used in
foreign language writing; computers are slow
o Math: Moodle is not effective for enough of the math symbols; iPad connectivity issues
(drops students 3-10x per hour); SkyDrive jumbles teacher writing on OneNote;
High School Technology Cycle

4

o Social Studies: Most students use smartphones for BYOD activities (teachers want
students bringing laptops for writing, creating presentations, and assessments)

4. What new technology needs does your department have that could be addressed this cycle?
o Academy: Battery Life. 75% of student laptops do not have enough battery life for the
school day. Scott Goodrich would like to see 1) batteries replaced, or 2) reconfigure the
building to with power cords and stations in each classroom, much like the work
environment existing during administrative team meetings. Option #2 is preferred.
o Academy: Tables that allow enough work room for computers and pen/paper; increased
power capabilities; additional extension cords
o Art: Add photography units to the Studio Art 3 and 4 classes, introducing students to
photojournalism and other technology-related visual arts careers. The photography
units require the following technology:
6 PC desktop computers (in one of the classrooms); Software: Photoshop and
Illustrator; 6 digital cameras; 2 scanners; 6 student and 1 teacher copy of the
Photoshop and Illustrator tutorial books; $250 increase in art supply budget to
buy ink cartridges
o Business: Virtual Business Personal Finance; Go Venture; VB Retailing; VB Management;
VB Sports & Entertainment updates; Upgrades to PCs in rooms 107/108 (have not been
updated in over six years); Different type of computer--the monitors negatively affect
instruction, proximity, collaborative projects but current laptops do not have enough
memory to manage multiple software programs (room 107 needs desktops for graphic
designnew computers with new room configuration maybe?); Using InDesign CS2
(2005) and PhotoshopCS3 (2007), currently selling CS6; Using original version of
MicroType from 1997, currently selling MicroType 5 with Check Pro; Teachers laptops
have same OS as classroom sets to assure symmetry in lesson planning
o English: additional computer carts for Moodle and EOC prep, since we add a third EOC
test next year
o Family and Consumer Science: Larger laptops to replace the very small laptops currently
on the cart; ELITE refresher offerings for re-training teachers during PD time.
o Foreign Language: TV5Monde French TV Channel; more laptop carts with microphones
and headphones; tablet computers; microphones that students can check out to do
High School Technology Cycle

5

speaking activities at home; a class set of 10 Bloggies; clickers with a full keyboard; more
than 24 computers in the computer lab (to match class sizes);
o Math: Pearson Software that supports the Calculus textbook (Ask Miranda Gelven or
Laura Thomas)
o Science: Needs an additional laptop cart; one class set (14) of Vernier Labquest 2s for
instrumental data collection; 10 GoLinks; need additional outlets to allow students to
recharge BYOD devices while using them; bigger desks or tables so students can use the
laptop and pen/paper/book simultaneously
o Social Studies: more laptop carts or, ideally, iPad carts; devices available to students for
online texts; technology access during 4
th
quarter