Running Head: SHARED VISION & RATIONALE

Shared Vision & Rationale

Adam Rich
ITEC 7410
Summer 2016
Dr. Julia Fuller

SHARED VISION & RATIONALE

Shared Vision & Rationale

Vision Statement
Using technology to enlighten, empower, and equip students to become
productive, successful citizens with the ability and desire to positively impact our local
and global community. Building student driven projects that encourage students to drive
their own learning, while expanding their content understandings. Professional Learning
focused on student centered learning with a focus on project based learning to help
students assimilate to partnership centered business world. Purchasing enough chrome
books to allow for a 1:1 ratio of technology and students while coordinating with outside
sources for Wi-Fi access with all of our students. Increased use of communication tools
with a focus on social media and mass communication to prioritize information sending
amongst our students, teachers, parents and stakeholders.
Rationale
Through survey data at Chestatee High School of teachers and administration
some common trends were mentioned as problems that need to be addressed in order to
help our school advance. Ninety five percent of all teachers believe that technology will
have an impact on their students learning, however seventy percent of the time teachers
are guiding these activities and twenty five percent of the time these teachers are using
this as review or an extension of the in class lesson. In response to why they dont use
technology more or focus on higher level forms of technology they suggest it is due to
lack of resources available to them and the students. These goals are also in line with the
U.S. Department of Education their efforts to enhance education through technology.
Their fifth goal hits the concept of technology professional learning: To enhance the
ongoing professional development of teachers, principals, and administrators by
providing constant access to training and updated research in teaching and learning
through electronic means. (USDOE, 2001).
In order to build upon these skills I would use the ISTE fourteen essential
conditions guide our schools directions ad we work to enhance our current educational
strategies. Emphasis would be on student centered learning and ongoing professional
learning emphasizing Project Based learning. The ISTE fourteen essential conditions
offer: educators and school leaders a research-backed framework to guide
implementation of the ISTE Standards, tech planning and system wide change. (ISTE,
2016). The use of these tools will help guide the building of the technology vision and
therefore allow Chestatee to improve upon their goals. The strongest push would be
providing students and teachers the access to technology, which teachers explain as the
biggest struggle they run into when planning technology lessons and challenging
students. Being able to incorporate a 1:1 ratio of technology to students has been able to
show that with emphasis on using the technology in the classrooms to challenge students
their scores have advanced. In their study, they found that 7th grade students within the
second year of implementation saw significant gains on the state assessments for ELA
when compared to schools that had not provided one to one computer access to their
students. The finding from this research was intriguing because the results were

SHARED VISION & RATIONALE

associated with the strength of the implementation rather than simply the implementation
itself (Bebell & ODwyer, 2010). (Sutton, 2015). With the counties assistance in
purchasing technology and supporting higher level technology training for teachers, the
county will see improvement in instruction and student performance. The research
found that by taking this approach teachers attitudes towards teaching becomes learner
centered and they are more apt to become facilitators utilizing technology. (Sutton,
2015). The research found that by taking this approach teachers attitudes towards
teaching becomes learner centered and they are more apt to become facilitators utilizing
technology. (Sutton, 2015). Schools could implement the 1:1 strategy through county
emphasis, restructuring of their technology budget to plan for the new technology and
business partnerships.
At Chestatee one of our missions is to help support our students in becoming
successful citizens providing impact on our community. We can provide this through
Project Based Learning and a stronger emphasis on technology in the classroom.
Already the workforce has introduced technology and use it for educating their workers:
E-learning, defined as education and training which takes place partially or entirely over
the internet, has already become an integral systemic part of practices and policies
designed to educate, prepare, and support both students and future workers. (Carruth,
2013). The use of Project Based Learning can also help students bridge the gap between
education and the business world as students will have skills needed to work with their
coworkers and higher level thinking skills. Project learning, also known as projectbased learning, is a dynamic approach to teaching in which students explore real-world
problems and challenges, simultaneously developing cross-curriculum skills while
working in small collaborative groups. (Edutopia, 2008).
Diversity Considerations
In order to assist students with needs the strongest approach Chestatee High
school will make will be to provide students with the computer technology, to allow
students the ability to take their work home and have the same resources as their fellow
classmates. For minorities and for low-income students who have these devices, it
might be their only way to access the Internet, to get information about their own health,
access to social media, he said. And theyre using that as the agent to change their
social structure. (Barseghian, 2013) The use of the 1:1 technology will provide these
students the avenues to access to Wi-Fi with the technology.
Many of our students our on the lower end income and the use of the technology
will provide them equal opportunities that they wouldnt have without the support of the
school or the county. However many of these students still have difficulties receiving
Wi-Fi access. EveryoneOn is one attempt to make sure that doesnt happen. The
campaign, coordinated by the non-profit Connect2Compete, launched today brings
together partners from both the public and private sectors to address some of the most
vexing aspects of the digital divide (Schwartz, 2013). These resources provide students
of all socioeconomic backgrounds and provides them the Wi-Fi to use at home. Now
students can continue their educations from the classroom at home as well as form
student centered learning and broaden their horizon as they use the free or cheaper
internet options.

SHARED VISION & RATIONALE

Differentiation is another great use of these academic tools being used to help
students on the lower end of the academic spectrum. Specifically the use of Assistive
Technology has helped bridge the gaps for students with special needs. Much of this
technology can be paid for with educational grants thanks to: Assistive Technology Act
of 1998 - The Assistive Technology Act establishes a grant program, administered by the
U.S. Department of Education, to provide Federal funds to support State programs that
address the assistive technology needs of individuals with disabilities. (NDRN, 1998)
Using technologies to lower the Lexile levels, translate, assist with note taking or allow
students to work at their pace will help these students bridge the gap and excel in the
classroom.
As technology-related job opportunities in the United States continue to grow,
educators are struggling to bridge the digital divide that persists between the genders. The
National Center for Women and Information Technology reports that although more than
50 percent of high school Advanced Placement test takers are female, girls make up only
15 percent of those who take the AP computer science test. What's more, women fill only
26 percent of IT-related professional positions. (Ring, 2008). This stat explains the
differences of views in technology education by males to females. I believe with an
emphasis in educational technology training for teachers they will be able to implement
more technological based projects to allow females to branch out and view the benefits of
learning and using technology in their lives. Also by using more technology in the
classroom and school the female faculty will be excellent role models for our female
students to aspire to be and learn from, hopefully altering the numbers listed above.
Stakeholder Roles
Parents
Foremost the parents job would be to sign up or apply for any Wi-Fi programs
available to them. Once they have the technology and the Wi-Fi, staying in
communication with the school, teachers and their student on the well-being of their
students educational status would be their main job. Finally providing support for their
students as they progress through rigorous self-guided education. Finally providing
students with real world conversations about government, economics, and real world
situations as the students progress further toward adulthood.
Instructional Technology Coach
The Instructional Technology Coach should research through surveys and one on
one conversations the current schools ability to provide challenging technology
education. As well as surveying the students, parents, administration and stakeholders on
how the school can bridge the gap in the community and enhance our current educational
standards. With the knowledge provided by these resources providing Professional
Learning based upon rigorous student centered learning for teachers, while using follow
up sessions with teachers to build their repertoire. Finally providing a constant source for
teachers to better their education as well providing teachers with the most updated
educational tools and lessons to enhance their students performance.

SHARED VISION & RATIONALE

Administrators
County Administration would need to provide the economic support, educational
professional learning and support through the transition. School Administration would
also need to provide these same resources as well as provide strategies to increase teacher
motivation to use these tools correctly. Using teacher observations and walk throughs to
understand the teachers ability and providing these teachers with professional learning to
enhance any areas they are not the strongest. Finally providing support or funding as
teachers build their foundation of educational technology and patience as teachers work
to break free from traditional strategies of learning.
Teachers
The strongest change with the teachers is their ability to accept change for the
betterment of the students. Through quality professional learning designed to not only
introduce teachers to various technologies, but how to apply these technologies toward
student centered learning using projects and creating concepts to prove and enhance their
learning. Teachers can still use traditional methods however shift various lessons toward
technologically advanced student led assignments such as Web Quest or projects to
support their traditional methods and have the students prove proof of concept. Finally
branch outside of Chestatee to research on their own new resources to bring to the school
and new lessons to build the entire schools ability to challenge students on a higher level.
Students
Students currently embrace technology but more in reference to social media.
The challenge now is for students to create projects supporting their current topics. Also
to learn technologies that will not only help improve their grades and standings for
college, but to improve their standings in the community work force. For students to
learn how to use technology to enhance their learning and how to learn outside of the four
walls of Chestatee High School. To learn how to learn bias concepts as regards to factual
information from credible sources. With the use of technology, rigorous and challenging
curriculum and building concepts of learning outside of the school environment will help
students as they move into the workforce.
Community
Communication between the community and schools is imperative as we advance
in new educational strategies, especially those including technology. Specifically what
technologies that businesses prefer their workers understand or technologies that all
citizens must have to be an effective member of the community. Donating or sponsoring
the schools with new technology to help schools in funding of the various technologies
and to help promote what technologies can support the needs of the community. Finally
providing real life educational opportunities through internships or job shadowing to help
gain the students soft skills as well as educational tools to bring a positive impact to the
community.

SHARED VISION & RATIONALE

6
References

Essential Conditions. (n.d.). Retrieved June 28, 2016, from

http://www.iste.org/standards/essential-conditions
Sutton, N. (2015, March 26). What the Research Says about 1:1. Retrieved June 27, 2016,
from http://www.edutopia.org/discussion/what-research-says-about-11
Carruth, P., & Carruth, A. (2013, September/October). ERIC - Search Results. Retrieved
June 28, 2016, from http://eric.ed.gov/?q=online education
E. (2008, February 28). Why Teach with Project-Based Learning?: Providing Students
With a Well-Rounded Classroom Experience. Retrieved June 28, 2016, from
http://www.edutopia.org/project-learning-introduction
Part D - Enhancing Education Through Technology. (2001). Retrieved June 28, 2016,
from http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/pg34.html
Barseghian, T. (2013, March 13). For Low-Income Kids, Access to Devices Could Be the
Equalizer. Retrieved June 29, 2016, from https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/03/13/forlow-income-kids-access-to-devices-could-be-the-equalizer/
Schwartz, Katrina. "Internet Access for All: A New Program Targets Low-Income
Students." MindShift. KQED News, 21 Mar. 2013. Web. 29 June 2016.
The ADA National Network Disability Law Handbook. (n.d.). Retrieved June 29, 2016,
from https://adata.org/publication/disability-law-handbook
Ring, Sarah. "Tech GURLs: Closing the Technological Gender Gap." Edutopia. Edutopia,
19 May 2008. Web. 29 June 2016.